Athletics, trains and bikes

This kiwi has landed in Fumel, south west France….

After a beautiful day in Clichy on Friday, wandering the local environs…

Roses for $6.00 NZ a bunch…spring/Summer has definitely hit Paris in time for my visit…a mere 35 degrees Celsius!

Bidding my final farewell to Clichy, the afternoon was a rest time for the gals before our big night out at the Paris Diamond League Athletics event…

The main events were starting at 8pm at Stade Charléty in the south direction…and our planned journey was Train…then tram! Both very full on a Friday early evening…and over an hour of jostling, walking, and rubbing shoulders with the 20k fans heading to the event..

This trip to Paris was planned to take in the athletics meet, being an avid follower of world athletics and our kiwis on the big stage, accompanied by Sally, an equally avid athletics fan…long time Parisian (born in Nelson NZ) … she has the sports gene!

When one books online, months in advance, to secure a seat to this sell out event..one never quite knows where one will be seated. We were excited to find ourselves half way down the home straight…about 10 seats up, and on the shaded side of the stadium(in 35 degrees a must) …we had two kiwi girls competing in the pole vault on the other side of the stadium, so luckily Sally had brought the binoculars! But the plus side, was triple jump men’s right in front of us and all the running events on the home straight! Was a fabulous evening finishing at 11pm, where we exited with the masses heading to the train station and caught a Bolt taxi home…a mere painless 30 minute ride to our front door!

Saturday morning, I closed the (new) suitcase…ubered to the Montparnasse Train station, where the taxi driver dropped me on the wrong side! This meant a frantic run(almost) with luggage for about 2 kms through alleys and down three flights of steps to reach my train just as it was boarding. Finding myself in a tight space once again, a row of three seats, in a full to capacity 3.5 hour train ride! And off we went at 300kms per hour heading to the south of France! My change of train was at Agen, where I had two hours before the little train to Monsempron Libos and Kevin and Rols!

38 degrees and a cold beer helped, but the sweat glands kicked in and by the time I boarded the last (air conditioned) little train I was very relieved! and of course on arrival Kevin had a nice cool beer to relax with in the garden.

Roland was working yesterday, so Kevin and I took off at 10ish for a bike ride…around the town, past their rental house, where we weeded the long neglected entrance..and out into the country

Following the meandering Lot river. Felt the legs as we returned home around 12.30pm, thank goodness for electric assist when needed…for me needed most of the way back!

This morning sitting in the garden, in the shade while temperatures are cool, listening to all the birds – there’s lots of them here in this peaceful country garden! Tona – the bird app picked up 12 yesterday in a very short time!

I am very lucky to be here in this warmth and dry climate, and will never complain about the heatwave!!!