day 3 A British kind of sunny

Yep the promised clear skies really didn't show today! 

Freezing cold and grey perfect for museums and brisk walks! No idea how many miles I walked today but the feet are complaining tonight! 

Up early and breakfasted, yes another cheeky packed lunch obtained, and I was walking through the mist back to Laumier metro station 

and heading on to the easy and now familiar metro, getting about this way got me to the Louvre nice and early where the queue for tickets was actually shorter than for the pre booked! Yeah they did move to entrance more quickly but no great shame there, the architecture around me was gorgeous! 

Entering the museum via the glass pyramid I didn't see any sign of Tom Hanks or Mary Magdelane! I blamed the mist 😉

I can't possibly post all the photos taken in the museum so I'll keep it fairly minimal...love how the little old lady photo bombed the last image! 

In true metal detecting style I even found some gold staters! Greek ones tho, really makes you see the design and how the Briton tribes really messed up their designs over the years! 

After I've no idea how many paintings I reached saturation point and couldn't take anymore cherubs or voluptuous nudes or gallant french officers! 

A good dark piece by a British painter got through!devils outside the castle of Pandemonium..... Personally I thought it looks a bit too like the houses of Parliament! A concept a bit too accurate right now! 

I'll not get political tho.....

Out of the Louvre and walking through the gardens in the chilly misty afternoon wandered on to the champs Elysee with it's avenue of trees, statues and column fronted buildings.and apparently vicious gulls if this particular statue was anything to go by! 

On down the Elysee past an Egyptian columnwith the arc du triumph in the distance, the Elysee continues here but starts to turn into a busy shopping street before hitting the hectic swarming of cars around the Arc d triumph rather than join the odd suicidal pedestrian crossing the rat race here I an underpass to reach and a take a photo of the Arc.

Onwards with the late afternoon turning freezing cold my roads through Paris took me to the Eiffel tower which you can mostly see. 

They'd closed off the top of the structure due to zero visibility there so I took the lazy option and used the lift up to the second and farthest (currently) platform, just below the cloud level which was dropping relative to the temperature, still pretty good views from herecold but glad to have ticked off this bucket list item it's down and of to find the nearest metro to get me back to Laumier and the hostel..... More importantly to a warm meal and pint!.

day 2- Time slips!!

There are about 5 of us in the dorm no one talking, I thought I'd change that with a few cheery hellos-bonjours etc! I broke the ice! Suddenly a full conversation between myself an Italian chap (Marco)and a Portuguese! - nice! 🙂 

Off to breakfast and I'm stood there looking at the continental breakfast like it was the alien that I patently was! 

Cucumber, tomatoes, ham, cheese croissant, cereals,bread and I'd not only made breakfast I'd cheekily knocked together some sandwiches for lunch! 😁

Now out and off into the wilds of Paris a strange man in a strange town..... Something I'll be getting used to! 

Off to the nearest metro(underground station) at Laumier and I bungle my first metro ticket thinking it hadn't worked as the gates hadn't opened! Things work differently here! 

But they work! And with the aid of a metro app on my phone I'm soon travelling to I'l de la Cite station in the heart of Paris, leaving the station I pass through the most beautiful art neuveau signs

and out into the city much quieter than the insanity of London and considerably nicer as are the people! They actually talk!!!

I wander from here easing into my new life of wanderer , yesterday I'd said to Lisa that from here on in there would be no rushing, I like this approach. 

It has it's benefits! Cycle paths and road crossings are pretty different to those I'm used to at home, the wander approach saved me from getting run over a few times! 

Wandering to Pont au change over the seine I pass the Conciergerie a 14th century palace and prison!

Before retracing my steps and finding my way to Notre Dame!

Beautiful! 

Nice statue of Charlemagne here too!

Free entry into Notre Dame, beautiful beautiful building, wish I'd seen it before it was burnt down!

so nice to see so much colour in a holy place! 

Along with the grim...

and the bizarre!

Ruth would have loved it here🥲

I can't fit enough images of Notre Dame here! Stunning will have to do as a description! 

Away I wander and stand on a bridge looking back at the construction work still going on to repair the cathedral I'm joined by the expected flock of pigeons as I munch my stolen sandwiches!

southwards from here I walk heading towards the catacombs, en route I pass the Pantheon 

and unexpectedly the service to mourn the passing of Jean Marie Le Pen! 

Lots of gendarm here tho it appeared to have been a peaceful ceremony....... With some nice light hearted display.....

Continuing my wander to the catacombs and in, I find strange and disturbing underworld!!!!

Where the bones of countless Parisians had been moved to allow for construction or buried during the French Revolution! 

what a bizarre thing to do to the dead!!

Oddly very much worth the visit! 

Following the time on my phone I head to the nearest metro and head back to Laumier and the hostel.... It's at this point I realise that I'm in a different time zone!! I'm effectively back on British summertime!! Not that my watch agrees!! It's in need of adjustment!..

day one- leaving blighty

After crashing at my brother's the night before leaving, I walked with Mary (his lady) to the station, a bit of fun getting through the barriers there as the inspector hadn't seen an interrail (three month unlimited travel in Europe) pass before!

But get through we did! 

In time to catch an earlier train to St pancras station, Mary filmed me leaving to make sure I'd gone 😁

The train south was a direct journey so I was in London really quickly! 

I decided to go straight through customs (first time in years for me!) which went off without a hitch thankfully! 

Sitting with my pack waiting to board a young lass also travels came and sat down with her pack.... Like attracts like I guess! 

We were chatting away for about an hour like we'd known each other for years, such a nice start!

one quote from her employer 'there's only two things you have to do in life shitting and dying'!!! 

For two people on the roads it was a true statement of freedom! 😄😄

Onto the Eurostar and an uneventful trip towards Paris through the foggy french winter countryside, interrupted near the end by bark from a dog I didn't even know was sat behind me! A cute little dog that an autistic kid had to help him keep calm, naturally a chat followed! 

Into Gard Nord station and I decided to walk to the hostel only about a mile or so away, different architecture inevitably and cold but a pleasant enough wander through the streets and along the banks of the canal to the hostel.

Settled in and my kit locked in a cage below my bed(glad I brought a padlock!) I went down to the bar in the hostel for a pint and a pepper pig pizza! 😄 Ok just peppers on pork sausage but I liked the silliness! 

I also liked the pizza. 

Of to bed for an early night in the nice clean bedding on the bunks.

moving on.

Last year was an awful year! 

The trek ended early, but I came back in time to spend my free months looking after the love of my life as cancer took her.

So glad I was back to be there for her. Yes it nearly killed me, my health plummeted but I wouldn't have been anywhere else. 

A terrible terrible year in far too many ways. 

But it has lead to what follows, and that is the biggest adventure of my life, not hiking great distances but travelling the world. 

So the following blogs will be dedicated to Ruth in my heart always.

in the shadow of angels and footsteps of legions!

Rested and feeling fed and able to continue the route north again, I head out of bath against the pedestrian flow as they go to town to work. 

Reasonable weather to start as my path takes me under the hill made famous by Peter Gabriels Solsbury hill iron age fort on top!, gentler scenery down here soft underfoot pastures leading to a nice chat with a lady called Charlotte, who mentioned Jane Seymour used to live in this area back in the 60's.

Onto a b road and a slow ascent uphill through woodland thick with wild garlic, and the occasional mediating local..... Nice place to find your zen! 

The road uphill naturally steepened onto a flat plain, here an RAF base with signs saying 'Prohibited place' due to the official secrets act high security fencing being only scrubby hawthorn bush hedges.... High security indeed! 

At this point I'm now walking in the footsteps of the Romans along Fosse way and I was to do that for the rest of the day! 

Largely flat and easy walking got me to the pub at a place called The Gibb.... Place of hangings presumably? 

Nice bar maid paid for my coke! 

And off I went on the Fosse again, unlike rather north the Fosse is quiet here alternating between B road and by way just easy walking! While I dodged the rain 😎

It's on one of the Byway sections that I'm now camped, some interesting comments from dog walkers but I doubt I'll upset any farmers just here! Night all!