Paris 20th Arrondissement 5 April 2009 |
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And I mean walk, walk, walk from 8:30 in the morning until 17:15 with only a short break
for coffee, later a beer and sandwiches on the 'run'... and I do mean walking at top speed.
Well our team enjoyed a great walking tour competition in April and what a wonderful part of Paris to discover/re-discover!
Our team, number 115, participated in the 56th Rallye dans Paris on Sunday, 5 April 2009.
We've done a number of competition over the past 20 years, including
actually being the winners - number un/one/uno/ first place - with the winner's cup to prove it.
Our specialist for
the 20th district is British/French but she could only join us for the afternoon jaunt.
Team 115 did not win this year, but did we have a beautiful day, a challenging day
and an exhausting day.
Tip: Visit Paris that is not on the beaten path, but it is most assuredly, Paris.
Do a morning or afternoon walk... and yes, this means you must walk to discover the narrow streets with quaint houses, the gardens, street life,
shops and views.
Tip: wear walking shoes, have a small bottle of water with you, your camera and
explore Paris in the 20th. It's amazing.
You can spot the Eiffel Tower, Invalides, Notre Dame and more. Count them... at least 10
famous monuments.
Tip: aim for a picnic or visit on a clear day for the best view.
As of this writing, the metro Telegraph is closed for works, but get as close as you can
by metro or bus and start at what is supposed to be the highest point in Paris.
Even the official historical sign says Telegraph is the highest spot in Paris,
but Montmartre may actually be higher.
Use a good city map of Paris and start at rue du Telegraphe, then go west towards rue de la Duee and look for the
narrow short streets near by.
Explore the streets below the Parc de Belleville between rue de Belleville and rue de Menilmontant.
Stop for a break at Place Maurice Chevalier, for example.
There were so many wonderful surprises in the twentieth.
The Cimetière du Pere Lachaise [Pere Lachaise Cemetary] is, a beautiful, historic and unique place to
visit in Paris.
Our rallye circuit didn't go through the cemetary this year, but you can spend several hours wandering,
getting lost in the meandering paths up and down and around.
Believe it or not, this quite unique place in Paris is a lot bigger than it looks on a map.
Despite no blisters, we had muscle aches, back ache and a bit of sunstroke.
But absolutely no matter: this was another unforgettable rallye and discovery of Paris France.
Our tip to ourselves is: have six people on the team for next year to explore another part of our
extraordinary city.
Email – Linda@wfi.fr
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Copyright since 1995 by Linda Thalman - all rights reserved.
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Have you ever walked around just one arrondissement of Paris?
This year our team had only 4 people in the morning: one French/British,
one American/French, one Italian/Italian and one French/French.
The Parc de Belleville is perfect for a mid-day picnic. Bring your blanket and
picnic goodies and have a splendid panoramic view of Paris below you.
See the villa de l'Ermitage and also Villa Georginia - which is not a villa, but rather
a small street with charming houses and gardens just off rue Taglet.
Paris