Sacre Bleu C'est Sacre Coeur

If you have been following the development of this cycling adventure, you would already know that we have not one, but three teams of riders who will making their respective ways across France. The so called Awesome Foursome make up the entire Group One, Groups Two and Three are significantly larger. Each group will be departing from Joigny and following the same route, but separated by two days.
Today we had the chance to meet up with Neill and Karyn Kamminga, the leaders of Group 2. As it turned out, Neill and Karyn had chosen to stay in a hotel just around the corner from us. After meeting in the foyer of our hotel we walked to the nearest Metro Station to take an excursion to the famous Sacre Coeur Cathedral, famous for its lofty location on the Butte Montmartre. Paris is predominantly a flat city, but the Butte Montmartre rises above the surrounding plain. Atop the Butte sits the very famous white cathedral, famous for its distinctive architecture and for the swarming crowds of gypsies and other scammers that prey upon the innocent tourists nearby.
We now consider ourselves to be fairly cognizant of the workings of the Metro and managed to reach Pigalle without difficulty. From there we walked the leafy Boulevard de Clichy to the foot of the towering cathedral. In order to reach the top you first have to climb a considerable number of steps, This task was made harder by our considerable ages and the fact that the temperature had soared to the predicted 30C. The combination of steps, heat and age did serve to slow down my progress a little, In bygone days I seem to remember sprinting up these same steps without hesitation. That was then, this is now.
Near the top, our progress was hindered further by a bunch of young gypsy girls doing the well known clipboard scam. These were actually the first I had seen since arriving in Paris a few days ago, and I started to think that the police had finally cleared them out. Obviously, that is not the case. Although I managed to navigate through the throng of eager pickpockets, I was appalled to see the well dressed gentleman behind me getting out his wallet and handing over a bunch of Euros. I tried to warn him what he was doing, but he did not speak English, and his money quickly relocated itself to the pockets of the thieves. Why are some people so stupid ?
After admiring the view, we walked to the Place de Tertre, home of a significant artist colony. If you hand over a bunch of Euros, you can have your portrait drawn. If you are lucky, it might even look something like you. There must been at least 25 artists doing this business, but it was interesting that all the artists were men and all the models were girls. Why is it so ?
We then went in search of a place for lunch and found a suitable cafe in the centre of the square, Mark and Tim ordered a glass of beer and were surprised to find that it was served in something like a bucket with a handle. It was the biggest glass I had ever seen. By contrast, my cider was served in a much more realistic sized vessel. I could only wonder how their bladders would cope with the overload. The simple answer was, they didn't (cope that is). My choice for lunch was a creamy veal concoction. It truly was delicious, but as usual some of it somehow managed to find its way down the side of my bag, I think I will have to invest in a plastic eating poncho. It was only when we went to pay, that we found that the operators seemed to have quietly added a significant tip to the meal charge, I guess that is the risk you take when you dine in such places.
After lunch we said goodbye to Neill and Karyn and wished them a great ride. The next time we see them will be in Nevers, in a couple of week's time.
By this time I was hot and tired and longed for the cool sanctuary of my hotel room, So it was back on the Metro, riding a succession of hot and crowded carriages until we were back in St Germaine. At least we did not get lost. The subsequent nana nap was most pleasant.Read more