True to our word, we had a leisurely day out, albeit one that required a ride of probably 15 km around three major roundabouts. Sharon is getting better as she managed to get three quarters around Place du Bastille before losing her nerve and diving for the safety of the pavement, By the end of the week we’ll be pedalling around the Arc du Triomph! The bikes are great. However, after hiring a couple, I set off only to look behind and see Sharon pushing hers along the road about 100 metres behind me. When she caught up, she told me the bike had no chain. The St Martin Canal was interesting, working with locks in operation. We had lunch at a cafe then ambled along its banks. People were fishing, sunning themselves and gawking, as we were. Later, we spent an hour or so on the grass of an elegant square in the grounds of a 400 year old hospital just up the road. It was a real oasis in the middle of a mostly modern hospital, but a short walk through an arch, led us to a hectare of green lawn, paths and shady tress. So we sat, read, drew and wrote as we promised. We pedalled back along the Seine, saw a crashed cyclist with a bleeding head, Latin dancers getting close, people waltzing to piano accordians and guitar and a serious competition of boules under the shady trees on the bank. A good day.
“The use of travelling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” – Samuel Johnson
Sounds like your having fun! Kate told me you wanted to call so ill jump on skype at 2pm our time for a chat if you guys are up and about. I too have gotten into the tour de france spirit and bought myself a decent pushy, so have been riding everywhere. I’ll have to tell you all about it! Hopefully chat to you today.
This looks an interesting park for you to investigate.
Parc des Buttes Chaumont
Before the 19th century the area was less attractive as it once featured gallows where criminals were executed.
http://www.aviewoncities.com/paris/parcbutteschaumont.htm
Hi Sharon and Bill. They could not do the christening on the sunday so it is on saturday now at 2pm. It also looks like we won’t be able to get into the house until after the christening, so I guess you will need to get ready before you drive there. Hope this does not make things too difficult for you. I will call you on the friday once we get there anyway and we should be able to know when we can get into ballycumber house then too. Sounds like your holiday is going great so far, love the photo of sharon on the pushie, I could just imagine how she looked pushing the one without a chain…haha. Look forward to seeing you soon. Ezri is crawling now, she is a bit of a handful and quite the daredevil….haha.
Au revoir, xanthe, tony and ezri