The Paris Half Marathon

I arrived in Paris and was greeted by Véréna. Her father drove us to the house. I settled in and spoke with the family for a while. Véréna and I decided we would go out to an Italian dinner for pasta as our pre-race meal. We rode bikes through neighborhoods and down St. Germain. It was such a lovely and clear night. 

We were seated at a two top table next to a window with another couple no more than five inches away from us. Véréna ordered the asparagus tortellini with ham. I ordered the spaghetti bolognaise. Once finished, she met up with friends and I had a nice, long, and leisurely walk back to the house. 

I spent some time chatting with Zac, who had a friend staying over for the night. He hasn't changed a bit. 

I went to sleep with no problems. Véréna woke me up a bit later than I expected. She toasted some baquette for me which I loaded with salted butter and jam. I drank some orange juice and she made me a coffee. It's not my usual breakfast, considering I typically avoid gluten, but it was race day and I'm on vacation!

We all got suited up, took some pics, and jetted out the door. The metro was pretty full of runners. Once we arrived at le chateau de Vincennes, we were quickly aware just how many people were racing. Véréna and Basile were in the group ahead of me, so we separated then. 

The race was simple at the beginning and it started in the bois. It was gorgeous and then we found ourselves in Paris proper. And then the gradual hills began. It wasn't easy. Around the twelfth kilometer, I started feeling some severe pain in my left knee. It is the same pain I had in the Venice marathon years ago. I pushed through and had to walk a bit. After three water, banana, and orange pit stops every 5 km, I was on my way. It was very difficult, I won't lie. 

FINISHED!

The race began and ended at The Chateau de Vincennes. 

Tonight we had an incredible dinner at the house. Isabelle made tomate farci on rice. We had cheese after, then finished off with two ice cream dessert - one was a clementine and vanilla, the other a deep chocolate and raspberry. It felt like old times. Enjoyable, fun, and full of laughs. 

I am currently in pain. My knees are still very irritated. However, I had a week more of vacation in Paris. That makes me happy!

I will be waking up Zac at 7am tomorrow morning. We will go down to the boulangerie to get our favorite breakfast. Then he will be off to school and I will be on my way to meet Uncle Jeri. 

Until then, I shall sleep. 

Amsterdam

My time in Amsterdam went by quickly. My flight arrived on time, but I had typed in the incorrect address (left out four letters in the street name) and ended up in a neighboring town called Haarlem. I was exhausted and jet-lagged and had to find my way to the apartment where I was set to stay with my uncle. He had arrived hours earlier. 

Photos from my jaunt to Haarlem.

So from the map you can see I typed in Regulierstraat 87. The correct address was Regulierdwarsstraat 87. So one is in Haarlem, the other in Amsterdam. I went to the wrong one, of course. 

Carrie ten Boom home. If you haven't read The Hiding Place, you should. 

Haarlem bikes!

As I finally arrived in Amsterdam, my uncle took me upstairs and realized he had locked us out! We had to call the owner and wait for him to come let us back in. We were able to settle in for a bit before heading out for dinner. 

We walked around Rembrandt Square nearby. It is very busy around this part of town and there is no shortage of restaurants and cafes. We decided on a nice place called Van Rijn. They served bread with homemade salted butter, oil, and a salsa paste. It was perfect. I ordered the fried steak with frites. I regret not having taken a photo of it. It was, by far, the best steak I've ever eaten. Yes, I'm from Texas. And yes, I will stand by this claim that the best steak is in the Netherlands!

We had a nice walk along the canals this morning. There are tulips everywhere. The Netherlands are famous for their tulips and have long history that's quite fascinating. We stepped into a Dutch cafe for breakfast. I had an iced latte with a croissant with Nutella. Nothing else would have tasted better at that moment!

There are many incredible things about this city in the very short time I was here, but the most astounding is the amount of bicycles that clutter it. I have no idea how a person would be able to find their bike once they come back to it. I assume the foldable bikes were invented to be a solution to this dilemma. 

I am currently sitting on a train on my way to Paris. It'll be about a three hour trip. My French kids, Zac and Véréna, will collect me from the train station in Paris. I cannot wait to see the family!

I'll write to you from Paris. Till then...

DFW to London to Amsterdam to Paris

Here I go. I had a cancelled flight because of the Arctic Blast and now I am rerouted through London. It worked out better this way. I miss traveling. I shall reconnect with my former nomadic self. I've just eaten a hot dog as my own American send off. It will be pastries, frites, falafel, and everything with butter and cream for the next 11 days. Ciao ciao. 

My bag of entertainment. I wish I could fit a 1st Class bed in there with my ergo pillow.