Tuesday, April 09, 2013

The Most Beautiful Walk in the World

I've just about finished reading the book, "The Most Beautiful Walk in the World" by John Baxter. He's an Australian and has lived in Paris for over two decades. He gives literary walks around Paris, lives in the same building that the Shakespeare and Company's founder Sylvia Beach once lived.
The book gave me a thought to do a post of people walking around Paris. That's what we do, don't we when in Paris. I have driven a car, I have ridden a bike but to walk the streets, smell, see and absorb the various stages of the day in Paris is an experience. Morning, lunch, night - all have a special moment, well they do for us.
The book - worth a read.
We are now coming to our last days on this, our 2010 trip to France. This was our fourth time, well we could say eighth time in Paris, City of Light. We fly in, stay a few days to recover from over 20 to 30 hours of travel and walk the streets of Paris. After driving the length and breath of France, we return to Paris and stay in an apartment usually for a week before returning home to Melbourne, our home by the bay.

Back to John Baxter's book;
It talks of walking the streets and taking in the hidden treasures, the mysteries of Paris. Being a writer, Baxter mentions the stories behind the times of Earnest Hemingway, The Fitzgeralds, and of course Sylvia Beach. He takes you to Montmartre, Montparnasse and to the seedy parts of old Paris where there were bordellos and opium dens.
It's a great read filled with great stories told with humour.

This man emerged with a file in his hand from this wonderful doorway - why?
People walking the covered hallways - it was raining outside!!!
People enjoying festivities.
Us enjoying the cool spring Paris night with friends.
Walking the Champs
Walking by doorways
Passing by shops in the rain
Buying the morning baguette
About to buy some chocolate from a very famous shop - maybe!

Or buy a book by the Seine and read it in the spring sunshine
Or walk my bike
Or just make an exhibition of myself.....Does anyone care in Paris?
Walk, walk and walking - in those shoes????????
I really need a rest - I've walked all day.
OMG - are we really in Paris, I don't believe we are really here.
Don't look dear - just some more crazy little girly tourists - not real Parisiennes like ouselves. Don't we look cool?
Our 2010 trip is coming to a close and our previous posts on Sue's 60th birthday trip to France maybe to recent to re post for Wednesdays in France so I'm in a quandary as to what we do for our usual French Wednesday posts. Maybe we might draw a scene from the 1000s of pictures from 5 trips to our spiritual home. We can't wait to 2014 when we can return to France.

2 comments:

  1. 2014 is not that far away now, you will soon be here :-) I am sure you must have 1000's of photos that you have not shown us. We can have random Wednesday trips around France. Keep well D & N

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  2. Thanks Diane for your suggestion - we can do that.

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