Those of you who know me well understand that 1/3 of my heart resides in France. Please take the time to look at the site I've attached and you'll understand why. My cousin Cathy has decided to transform her grandmothers lovely country home into a bed and breakfast. This amazing site is located in the Massif Central just a couple of miles from the town where my beautiful mother was raised and grew up until she was 13 years old.
Although I have only been able to walk this ground a handful of times in my life, I can tell you that being there is an uplifting and calming experience. One can't help but feel connected to Mother Earth -- one can't help but smell and sense something out of the ordinary. I feel blessed to have been able to share this experience with the two treasures of my life and invite you to think about gracing the front door of my cousins unique home with your loved ones. At the very least visit the site. Oh, and yes Cathy makes the cheeses on premise! And of course they are wonderful! I'm not at all prejudice as at least one of her cheeses has won an award! One more thing -- if you decide to visit, please don't forget to savor the string beans and the patisseries -- you'll never be the same!!!
Le Caussinhol
Bisous,
Michelle (Mimi)
dimanche 23 septembre 2007
dimanche 16 septembre 2007
Ms. Olena's China Blog
Ms. Olena's China Blog
Ms. Olena went on a fantastic journey with her daughter, Charlotte. She shares her experience on this wonderful blog.
Asian theater close up!
Ms. Olena went on a fantastic journey with her daughter, Charlotte. She shares her experience on this wonderful blog.
Asian theater close up!
Travel Quote of the Week
The voyage of discovery lies not in finding new landscapes, but in having new eyes.
—Marcel Proust
Cool Friend in Greece
Here are some pictures from a friend's summer vacation in Greece on a small island near Delphi.
Le 24 août - ST. QUENTIN
00h40
Friday SAINT QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES (1227K completed). 76h25 and I'm done. Lynn greets me at the control with a beer. I'm not sure who is happier, Lynn or me. The others were 1/2 hour faster. But that doesn't matter at this point. I'm just happy to have completed the ride!
Friday SAINT QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES (1227K completed). 76h25 and I'm done. Lynn greets me at the control with a beer. I'm not sure who is happier, Lynn or me. The others were 1/2 hour faster. But that doesn't matter at this point. I'm just happy to have completed the ride!
Le 23 août - DREAUX/ST. QUENTIN
20h30
On the road to the finish. 60K or so from here and I have almost 8 hours to clear the 80 hour mark. My back tightens but I'm able to find relief by getting off the bike and stretching every 5K or so. Ironically, riding in a big gear seems to take more pressure off my back and onto my legs. The group catches me then stops as one of them flats. They catch me again and stop again as another flats. It's slow going but thanks to the strong riding we did the in the first half of the ride, I've got some time in the bank.
00h01
Within St. Quentin en Yvelines city limits. I'm starting to hit the traffic lights. Almost done. Surprisingly, I'm looking forward to getting off of the bike and eating another meal!
On the road to the finish. 60K or so from here and I have almost 8 hours to clear the 80 hour mark. My back tightens but I'm able to find relief by getting off the bike and stretching every 5K or so. Ironically, riding in a big gear seems to take more pressure off my back and onto my legs. The group catches me then stops as one of them flats. They catch me again and stop again as another flats. It's slow going but thanks to the strong riding we did the in the first half of the ride, I've got some time in the bank.
00h01
Within St. Quentin en Yvelines city limits. I'm starting to hit the traffic lights. Almost done. Surprisingly, I'm looking forward to getting off of the bike and eating another meal!
Le 23 août - DREAUX
19h16
Dreaux (1158K completed). I'm hurting unit as we pull into Dreaux. My back is in full spasm. I find the medical area looking for some real drugs ("Nurse, Scotch and Vicodin please!") but am offered a light massage and some aspirin. The raisin swirl pastry however is unbelievably good honestly the best I've ever had and I'm filled with hope. Chip shares my positive review of the pastry. Thinking I'm going to be slow going, I hit the road ahead of the others.
Dreaux (1158K completed). I'm hurting unit as we pull into Dreaux. My back is in full spasm. I find the medical area looking for some real drugs ("Nurse, Scotch and Vicodin please!") but am offered a light massage and some aspirin. The raisin swirl pastry however is unbelievably good honestly the best I've ever had and I'm filled with hope. Chip shares my positive review of the pastry. Thinking I'm going to be slow going, I hit the road ahead of the others.
Le 23 août - MORTAGNE-AU-PERCHE
14h48
Montange (1085K completed). Lynn meets us here as well for moral support and to replace a couple of my lights that have taken on too much water. The decent that chilled us yesterday morning now commands and different type of respect as we climb back up the hill.
Montange (1085K completed). Lynn meets us here as well for moral support and to replace a couple of my lights that have taken on too much water. The decent that chilled us yesterday morning now commands and different type of respect as we climb back up the hill.
Le 23 août- VILLAINES
06h00
Thursday. Back on the bike! The 4.5 hours sleep is a luxury and at 05h00 the day begins again with more food. The rain has diminished but is still a present force.
10h13
Villaines (1002K completed). Inside the 200K mark. We could do the rest in our sleep! The sun has been out since nine and will remain out until noon when the showers start again. I stand to climb on a small hill and feel something pop in my back. I'm hoping it's nothing major but as miles go by I feel myself stiffening up.
Thursday. Back on the bike! The 4.5 hours sleep is a luxury and at 05h00 the day begins again with more food. The rain has diminished but is still a present force.
10h13
Villaines (1002K completed). Inside the 200K mark. We could do the rest in our sleep! The sun has been out since nine and will remain out until noon when the showers start again. I stand to climb on a small hill and feel something pop in my back. I'm hoping it's nothing major but as miles go by I feel myself stiffening up.
Le 22 août - FOUGERES
23h30
Fougères (915K completed). Sleep location two. Justin and Bryan decide to continue on. Lynn meets us here and sets up the car to sleep. I have a huge meal (as I have at every other checkpoint) and am asleep by 00h30.
Fougères (915K completed). Sleep location two. Justin and Bryan decide to continue on. Lynn meets us here and sets up the car to sleep. I have a huge meal (as I have at every other checkpoint) and am asleep by 00h30.
Le 22 août - TINTENIAC
19h00
Tinteniac (860K completed). Yes, it is still raining. In spite of the never-ending rain, we have a pretty good pace going. Dustin, Chip and I are at the front and it's conversational. Further back however, it is mayhem as riders of various skill levels try to hold on. A French rider nearly takes out Dustin on the descent.
Tinteniac (860K completed). Yes, it is still raining. In spite of the never-ending rain, we have a pretty good pace going. Dustin, Chip and I are at the front and it's conversational. Further back however, it is mayhem as riders of various skill levels try to hold on. A French rider nearly takes out Dustin on the descent.
Le 22 août - LOUDEAC
14h54
Loudeac (775K completed). We are now 2/3 of the way done with the ride. We receive word that Max has abandoned in Brest and that Chip is riding in hopes catching up to us. It's been raining since noon and we're getting little tired of it! I plan to ride to Fougères and sleep for the night. This will give us 300K to complete the following day to finish the ride. Chip catches us as we're sitting to eat.
Loudeac (775K completed). We are now 2/3 of the way done with the ride. We receive word that Max has abandoned in Brest and that Chip is riding in hopes catching up to us. It's been raining since noon and we're getting little tired of it! I plan to ride to Fougères and sleep for the night. This will give us 300K to complete the following day to finish the ride. Chip catches us as we're sitting to eat.
Le 22 août - CARHAIX/LOUDEAC
13h30
We approach a family stand on the side of the road. Each member is holding a beverage or snack to hand to the riders. We're moving at a good clip. Bryan reaches out and grabs a bag of potato chips. The woman throws up her hands and cheers at the successful hand-off! Well done. Unfortunately, the near instantaneous acceleration from 0 to 20 mph has rendered the potato chips more like potato dust. Despite their diminished size they are still perfectly salty and greasy however and rapidly consumed.
We approach a family stand on the side of the road. Each member is holding a beverage or snack to hand to the riders. We're moving at a good clip. Bryan reaches out and grabs a bag of potato chips. The woman throws up her hands and cheers at the successful hand-off! Well done. Unfortunately, the near instantaneous acceleration from 0 to 20 mph has rendered the potato chips more like potato dust. Despite their diminished size they are still perfectly salty and greasy however and rapidly consumed.
Le 22 août - CARHAIX
10h21
Carhaix (700K completed). We're crossing paths with hundreds of other cyclists heading outbound to Brest. The checkpoint is littered with bikes and riders sleeping and eating in various positions and locations. The carnage left by the previous nights rain is readily apparent. We decide to eat outside of the control.
10h22
Still in Carhaix. One of the group suggests we eat at McDonalds for lunch. He is summarily beaten and left in a bloody heap by the side of the road. Police are called, establish a clear motive but oddly can find no witnesses to the assault. They seem to be responding in a "we understand it but can't condone it" kind of way. We take our cue and move on.
10h29
We have a lovely lunch and pastries at a little French sandwich shop. Yum!
Carhaix (700K completed). We're crossing paths with hundreds of other cyclists heading outbound to Brest. The checkpoint is littered with bikes and riders sleeping and eating in various positions and locations. The carnage left by the previous nights rain is readily apparent. We decide to eat outside of the control.
10h22
Still in Carhaix. One of the group suggests we eat at McDonalds for lunch. He is summarily beaten and left in a bloody heap by the side of the road. Police are called, establish a clear motive but oddly can find no witnesses to the assault. They seem to be responding in a "we understand it but can't condone it" kind of way. We take our cue and move on.
10h29
We have a lovely lunch and pastries at a little French sandwich shop. Yum!
Le 22 août - BREST
02h30
Wednesday Morning. Brest (616K completed). We finally arrive at the halfway point. We've been riding for over 30 hours straight. I'm tired but pleased that we've made our intermediate goal. We agree to hit the road again at 06:00. We'll only get a few hours of sleep but hopefully we can get in some miles in daylight before the rain starts again. Lynn meets us again and has prepared the back of our small rental SUV for me to sleep. I forgo a shower in lieu of another half hour of rest. The alarm sounds much too quickly and I hurry to eat, pump tires, get some lube on my chain. My bike is a mess but functioning fine. They'll be time to clean it later. On the road, the sun greets us for a few hours. Hurrah! I feel very creaky and stiff at the start but seem to ride myself into shape in about an hour.
Wednesday Morning. Brest (616K completed). We finally arrive at the halfway point. We've been riding for over 30 hours straight. I'm tired but pleased that we've made our intermediate goal. We agree to hit the road again at 06:00. We'll only get a few hours of sleep but hopefully we can get in some miles in daylight before the rain starts again. Lynn meets us again and has prepared the back of our small rental SUV for me to sleep. I forgo a shower in lieu of another half hour of rest. The alarm sounds much too quickly and I hurry to eat, pump tires, get some lube on my chain. My bike is a mess but functioning fine. They'll be time to clean it later. On the road, the sun greets us for a few hours. Hurrah! I feel very creaky and stiff at the start but seem to ride myself into shape in about an hour.
Le 21 août - CARHAIX
17h56
Carhaix (525K completed). It's stopped raining! The roads are wet but our mood has brightened considerably. I feel pretty good considering the past 22 hours. Ted has taken off to explore the evening by himself.
Carhaix (525K completed). It's stopped raining! The roads are wet but our mood has brightened considerably. I feel pretty good considering the past 22 hours. Ted has taken off to explore the evening by himself.
Le 21 août - LOUDEAC
15h26
Loudeac (450K completed). This is the first checkpoint where Lynn is to meet us. She's set up the car at the entrance to the Control and I change into some dry clothing, restock on batteries, Accelerade and snacks. She's bubbling with excitement when she sees the group but ratchets down her enthusiasm when she senses the overall mood, which is not good. The group,
now over 250 miles into the ride, is in tatters. Two of our stronger and more experienced riders are talking of abandoning. Glen does and Lynn offers to take him to the train station. The other, Max, needs more time to regroup. Graciously, Chip offers to stay behind to encourage Max to keep riding. The rest of us press on. My goal is make Brest the halfway point - before we stop for sleep. If we can do this, it'll be a huge psychological win for the group. In doing so, I'll be confident we can make complete the
ride, no matter what the weather.
Loudeac (450K completed). This is the first checkpoint where Lynn is to meet us. She's set up the car at the entrance to the Control and I change into some dry clothing, restock on batteries, Accelerade and snacks. She's bubbling with excitement when she sees the group but ratchets down her enthusiasm when she senses the overall mood, which is not good. The group,
now over 250 miles into the ride, is in tatters. Two of our stronger and more experienced riders are talking of abandoning. Glen does and Lynn offers to take him to the train station. The other, Max, needs more time to regroup. Graciously, Chip offers to stay behind to encourage Max to keep riding. The rest of us press on. My goal is make Brest the halfway point - before we stop for sleep. If we can do this, it'll be a huge psychological win for the group. In doing so, I'll be confident we can make complete the
ride, no matter what the weather.
Le 21 août - TINTENIAC
12h29
Tinteniac (364K completed). Another huge meal! How much food can we possibly consume and not burst at the seams? We're not doing too badly. However, the only way to stay warm to keep riding and get your heart rate
up.
Tinteniac (364K completed). Another huge meal! How much food can we possibly consume and not burst at the seams? We're not doing too badly. However, the only way to stay warm to keep riding and get your heart rate
up.
Le 21 août - FOUGERES
09h01
Fougères (310K completed). More of the same: Big rain, big wind, big meals. Our group splits for a while and we get off track going to this checkpoint but find our way back soon enough with the help of a French rider with a map. Here we pick up Ted and Bryan, two very strong riders who started 15 minutes after we did.
Fougères (310K completed). More of the same: Big rain, big wind, big meals. Our group splits for a while and we get off track going to this checkpoint but find our way back soon enough with the help of a French rider with a map. Here we pick up Ted and Bryan, two very strong riders who started 15 minutes after we did.
Le 21 août - VILLAINES
05h00
Villaines (222K completed.) We stop and have the first of many large meals. It is a pattern that we'll repeat over and over during the next few days: ride the bike to the next checkpoint and eat like it's going to be your last meal. The cold and wet seems to make you burn calories like mad. The soup, pasta, sandwiches and coffee are comforting and help ward off the cold. I fade for a moment from the interrupted sleep pattern, but the sun comes up (more correctly, the sky becomes lighter) and I'm rejuvenated.
Villaines (222K completed.) We stop and have the first of many large meals. It is a pattern that we'll repeat over and over during the next few days: ride the bike to the next checkpoint and eat like it's going to be your last meal. The cold and wet seems to make you burn calories like mad. The soup, pasta, sandwiches and coffee are comforting and help ward off the cold. I fade for a moment from the interrupted sleep pattern, but the sun comes up (more correctly, the sky becomes lighter) and I'm rejuvenated.
Le 21 août - MORTAGNE-AU-PERCHE
02h00
Tuesday morning. We reach Montange, 140K from the start and our first checkpoint. Max, Glen and I have separated from Dustin, Justin, Joel, Chris and Chip. They show up a few minutes later. We fill water bottles, change batteries and agree to wait until the next checkpoint for a meal. It's been slow going in the rain. We anticipated being here an hour or so ago. The descent out of here is long and steep and chills us to the bone.
Tuesday morning. We reach Montange, 140K from the start and our first checkpoint. Max, Glen and I have separated from Dustin, Justin, Joel, Chris and Chip. They show up a few minutes later. We fill water bottles, change batteries and agree to wait until the next checkpoint for a meal. It's been slow going in the rain. We anticipated being here an hour or so ago. The descent out of here is long and steep and chills us to the bone.
Le 20 août - PARIS
Jeff writes:
18h00
We make our way to starting line. We are penned in like cattle bystarting time and separated into groups of 500 riders. Incredibly, we are separated from Melinda immediately. There was much waiting around. The crowd is amazing. Fireworks. Singing. TdF-like banners. Wild. The rain had not started but you could feel that it was on it's way. The temperature was 15 degrees Celsius.
20h15
We're off! 500 of us start. Folks are hammering then braking like mad when we go into the turns and rotaries. No way I'm going to do this for the next 1200K! There's no way to get to the front so I pop off the back and ride a bit more sensibly. Soon enough, we're out of the city and cranking along in the dark forest. Our bliss is short lived however as the rain and wind begin. With all the riders, you can't really look down at the road, only at the riders in front of you. Riders peeling off of the group for mechanical or nature breaks risk being run over as riders hammer on by. This is probably the most stressful 80 miles I'll ever ride.
18h00
We make our way to starting line. We are penned in like cattle bystarting time and separated into groups of 500 riders. Incredibly, we are separated from Melinda immediately. There was much waiting around. The crowd is amazing. Fireworks. Singing. TdF-like banners. Wild. The rain had not started but you could feel that it was on it's way. The temperature was 15 degrees Celsius.
20h15
We're off! 500 of us start. Folks are hammering then braking like mad when we go into the turns and rotaries. No way I'm going to do this for the next 1200K! There's no way to get to the front so I pop off the back and ride a bit more sensibly. Soon enough, we're out of the city and cranking along in the dark forest. Our bliss is short lived however as the rain and wind begin. With all the riders, you can't really look down at the road, only at the riders in front of you. Riders peeling off of the group for mechanical or nature breaks risk being run over as riders hammer on by. This is probably the most stressful 80 miles I'll ever ride.
Jeff Scornovacca's French Bike Tour
Pat's cousin Jeff traveled to France. His bike tour sounded amazing! I wanted to have a place for his story. I'll repost each segment as a separate entry. The titles will begin with FBT: town and date
INTRO:
Jeff writes:
There were about 5000 riders at the start. Thanks to Lynn to driving the 750 miles through the French countryside and providing support for this adventure. The French were welcoming and out in force to cheer us on at all hours in all parts of the country.
Usually there is a 90-hour time limit to finish a 1200K ride. You can however choose an 80-hour time limit and start in the front of 3500 other riders for the privilege. Having tried unsuccessfully to complete 2 Boston-Montreal-Boston rides in 90 hours, the idea that somehow I was going to complete this ride in 80 hours seems a bit, um, strange in hindsight. Most of my cycling buddies from New England however were doing the 80-hour start and via some mix either borne of companionship, peer pressure, arrogance and/or stupidity, I signed up for the 80-hour as well.
INTRO:
Jeff writes:
There were about 5000 riders at the start. Thanks to Lynn to driving the 750 miles through the French countryside and providing support for this adventure. The French were welcoming and out in force to cheer us on at all hours in all parts of the country.
Usually there is a 90-hour time limit to finish a 1200K ride. You can however choose an 80-hour time limit and start in the front of 3500 other riders for the privilege. Having tried unsuccessfully to complete 2 Boston-Montreal-Boston rides in 90 hours, the idea that somehow I was going to complete this ride in 80 hours seems a bit, um, strange in hindsight. Most of my cycling buddies from New England however were doing the 80-hour start and via some mix either borne of companionship, peer pressure, arrogance and/or stupidity, I signed up for the 80-hour as well.
Alice in France
Marcy and Dan's 16 year old daughter is spending a year studying in France. She is attending Lycée St. Joseph in Le Havre, France. Her blog may be inconsistently updated because she has 10 classes and the required preparation for each class is challenging while she is developing her French language skills. Alice is a student a Buffalo Seminary.
http://alicenfrance.blogspot.com/
http://alicenfrance.blogspot.com/
Xiamen Blog
My friends, Ann, Michael, Thomas, Helen and Sophia are in Xiamen, China. Michael, a philosophy professor at Canisius college earned a Fulbright to teach philosophy (in English) at Xiamen University. Ann's blog is a great chronicle of her experience.
http://ouryearinxiamen.blogspot.com/
http://ouryearinxiamen.blogspot.com/
Avignon Blog
A journal of my experience durning the Theater Festival in Avignon, France: July, 2007.
http://sheila-avignon.blogspot.com/
http://sheila-avignon.blogspot.com/
lundi 3 septembre 2007
Welcome! Bienvenue!
In French and English, I will be sharing travel experiences and exchanges with friends around the world.
En français et en anglais, je vais partager avec vous les experiences du voyages et les échanges amicales autour du monde.
En français et en anglais, je vais partager avec vous les experiences du voyages et les échanges amicales autour du monde.
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