E5 Days 46-50

Saturday, April 20th

Paris, Paris, Louvre, Shakespeare and Notre Dame

• Fancy breakfast buffet at the hotel, then off – first through the fancy Paris city center – past the Opera and on to the Louvre.

• It is a busy area and, like thousands of other tourists, we take a selfie with the glass pyramid.

• We walk along the Seine towards Notre-Dame and pass through the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighbourhood on the way there, with its charming cityscape full of little alleyways and the famous ‘Shakespeare & Company’ bookshop – probably the only bookshop in the world where there is always a long queue – as there is now.

• Therefore we do not pay it a visit, but instead walk on to Notre-Dame, which is still being renovated.

• We walk directly along the banks of the Seine, although we’re not entirely sure: Does the path continue? ‘Ah look’, I say pointing at a runner: ’He’s coming from that direction, he must be coming from somewhere.’ – So we walk straight into a dead end – where the runner has probably turned – great!

• After this shock, I need a break, so we set off in search of a café, and of course we soon find one. A small, cosy café with giant teddy bears immediately appeals to me – it reminds me of Marianne’s Café Teddybär in Waidhofen (in Austria).

• The route continues along the Seine, then across a many train tracks into the huge ‘Bois de Vincennes’ park, which is also where the Paris Zoo is located.

• The path here is very beautiful and full of nature and we meet a few runners.
• At one point, we even pass a kind of park festival – with really nice music that I immediately dance to (in my still fresh state).

• Via a huge road (contrasts chase each other here), which we cross using a bridge, we reach the Marne, the second major Parisian river, along which an amazingly beautiful hiking trail leads.

• The Marne-Seine estuary is also very beautiful and from here we follow the Seine again into the increasingly industrialised outskirts of Paris.
• The route stretches out quite a bit here and we still have a few kilometres to go before we finally reach Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, where we have found accommodation for the night.

• We booked it for the location rather than the price, but it was surprisingly cheap by Parisian standards and we soon realised why: when we arrive, there is building work going on downstairs and nobody answeres our doorbell.
• We try to call our host, but he doesn’t pick up.
• We are therefore relieved when someone comes along the path, opens the gate and heads towards the house.
• However, he only explains to us in French: No, he is not responsible for renting out a room.
• We finally reach our host by phone, who wasn’t expecting us at all (we wonder how this could have happened: We’ve booked about half of our accommodation via Booking so far for the sake of convenience and apart from the guy in Ploermel –see stage 16– who was expecting us, but didn’t open the door, we’ve never had any major problems).
• Our host apologises very kindly and explains where the keys are.
• The dude from earlier turns out to be our ‘flatmate’ and the whole thing is a very strange arrangement, rather unpleasant, because we share the bathroom, kitchen and living room with him.

• The room isn’t ready, of course, but we need a rest after the day’s hiking (and we’re not in a chatty mood with our ‘flatmate’, who seems anything but chatty anyways), so we chill out in the room we believe is ours.
• Finally, our host comes along and prepares the other room for us, apologises several times and offers us an extra night for free as a gesture of reconciliation.
• No thanks!

Sunday, April 21st 

Au Revoir, Paris!

• Breakfast in bed! We really have no concerns about that today…
• Then we set off first through the grounds of a hospital, where we’re not quite sure whether it’s okay to just walk through – then through the Parisian suburbs, which at first are still quite small, out into a park that turns into a forest.

• Refreshing, albeit full of people: Runners, walkers, cyclists, riders, everyone has fled the city for the countryside on this mixed-weather but mostly sunny Sunday.
• We cheer remotely for my family, who are running the Vienna Marathon relay/half marathon today, and are very proud that we manage our half marathon distance in under five hours – quite an achievement considering the length of the previous stage and the fact that we both feel rather tired – even (or especially) in our legs.

• It’s an exciting mix of paths today: While at first you can still clearly feel the proximity of the city – above all in the number of runners – we later go through sections of forest that feel very far away from any civilisation, after which huge industrial areas appear again, through which we walk on roads so wide that several lorries can easily fit next to each other.

• For some parts of the path we walk along the Seine, where there are again wide and well-used cycle paths, sometimes leading through industrial areas.

• We stay in a holiday park that gives us very Dutch vibes and has two restaurants, which is why we are looking forward to having a ‘proper’ dinner again tonight.

• Not a chance: The two restaurants BOTH managed to choose Sunday as their day off! No kidding!
• Instead we order pizza directly to our holiday cottage, which is also quite nice.
• We are also delighted to discover that there is a swimming pool in the park, which we use straight away.

• However, the water is freezing cold and there are no deckchairs, so the whole thing is quite a short affair.
• Skype with Matthäus’ parents and off to bed!

Monday, April 22nd

Fontainebleau and Bookstore

• We have pizza for breakfast – the leftovers from yesterday – njam!

• Today is a relaxing stage, which is great because we reach the Fontainebleau forest, which I already know well from several bouldering trips and – I was planning on going bouldering from Bois-le-Roi, where we are staying tonight.
• The routes are just as relaxed – most of the day we simply walk along the Seine, starting in Mée, soon reaching Melun and always along wide footpaths.

• We pass a huge building on the opposite side of the Seine, where we look twice until we spot the watchtowers and the barbed wire fence and realise: It’s a prison.

• Shortly afterwards, the path leads along a wider and not so nice road with a lot of cars – no wonder, so close to Paris.
• We are compensated for the difficult stretch of path when the first highlight of the day appears at the side of the road: a food stall where you can buy fresh products from local farms.

• We enthusiastically buy a pack of strawberries and eat them on the spot.
• We also stock up on sausage, cheese and bread for the next stages.
• We continue along beautiful little forest and field paths until we reach the point on the Seine where we cross the river over a large, busy bridge.
• We walk along a huge roundabout and take the exit towards the supermarket, where we stock up on more food for the next few days and where we are the only people far and wide to arrive on foot – crossing a huge car park.
• Via the huge road that continues after the bridge, we reach the cosy village of Bois-le-Roi, situated right on the edge of the Fontainebleau forest.
• Our hostess is not at home, she has written to us, so she has left the key to her flat at a small tobacconist’s in the main square, where it is immediately handed over to us.

• So we move into our accommodation, which to my absolute delight is in the middle of a bookshop 🙂 – a dream!
• Unfortunately, the bookshop is closed at the moment as it is run by our hostess.
• Instead of going climbing, I first take a power nap and realise that I’m no longer ready for the almost 5-kilometre walk to the bouldering area.
• Instead, we realise to our absolute delight – as our hostess tells us when she comes back – that there’s a pizza truck right outside the front door!
• Pizza again it is – we can’t resist.
• We have a great chat with the pizza vendor about the E5, our adventure, hiking and Italian pizza =)
• Then it’s off to bed, full and satisfied!

Tuesday, April 23rd

Bouldersession on the path

• Perfect start to the day with breakfast in the bookshop. <3

• We set off in the beautiful sunshine – but also in the cold – into the Fontainebleau forest.
• Our hostess gives us walnuts beforehand and although we are delighted, we wonder how we are supposed to crack them.
• After trying in vain for a while with a knife, we go to her and try to ask for a nutcracker in French.
• She understands our question but doesn’t have one to hand – instead she disappears briefly into a neighbouring room and proudly returns with a hammer.
• We hammer open the nuts and finally eat them..
• Strengthened, we start today’s stage – into the forest with its many small rocks that are ideal for bouldering.
• To make up for yesterday’s cancelled bouldering session, I put in a few short bouldering sessions along the way today – nothing difficult, though, with hiking boots.

• We reach a large clearing with a stone lookout tower, which is a bit old but looks sturdy and – to our own surprise – we manage to climb it and then enjoy the view over the forest – the treetops stretch out in front of us as far as the eye can see.

• The clearing itself consists of the fine white sand that is very characteristic of the area, which gives it a certain mystique with the dark trees all around.

• We cross the Seine into another forest and leave Fontainebleau behind us with a heavy heart.

• The other forest is less mystical and beautiful and in particular there are huge power lines that probably supply Paris with electricity.

• You can even hear them before you see them – a really loud crackling and snapping sound fills the air.
• The route continues across yellow blossoming rapeseed fields (they’re back!) and with great views of the surrounding landscape, which is rather green and dominated by fields, until we finally reach the next larger town – Montereau-Fault-Yonne – where our accommodation for today is located.

• The Seine and the Yonne flow together here, a very beautiful river confluence around which the little town has grown – it reminds us a little of Passau.

• We find the accommodation straight away – it’s right next to a large post site full of yellow postbuses, the only thing that proves more difficult than expected is getting in: We were given an instruction video, but Matthäus’ mobile phone suddenly has no reception and we can’t play the video..

• After a while of walking around and holding up our mobile phones and switching it on and off several times, the video plays and we can finally move into our accommodation and, above all, our bed – yeah!

Wednesday, April 24th

Bikini, Art and hiking socks

• First of all, we have a productivity boost today and book accommodation for a few stages in the critical area, where we have been searching for several days now and have found it rather difficult to find anything.
• Then we have breakfast before strolling to the boulangerie to stock up for dinner.

• Here, in Montereau-Fault-Yonne, there is no lack of boulangeries and we therefore have no trouble finding one.
• Before we get there, we see lots of people running past with baguettes under their arms – nice, the cliché image of France.

• Our next stop is in the not very nice industrial area, where we found a much-needed Intersport, because not only are my hiking socks falling apart, but my second pair of hiking boots are also slowly coming apart – I’m starting to wonder what I’m doing wrong when walking.
• What I also finally find (and have been looking for for ages) is a new bikini – wow, such a successful sports shop visit!
• With the new hiking boots, we set off on the thankfully rather short stage, which takes us along beautiful country lanes and meadows.

• We take a break in one such meadow and I have a real moment of gratitude that we are able to experience this adventure – it really is overwhelmingly beautiful!

• We soon reach Villeblevin and pass the school, which is advertising a school trip to Ferme de Flo, where, funnily enough, we will be staying tomorrow. =)

• Our accommodation tonight is something really special: we are staying with a Dutch artist couple in an amazing villa in the centre of town.

• The building is very impressive and has been renovated with a lot of love and an eye for beauty (like many buildings in France, by the way) and we are delighted when Moos, our hostess, welcomes us and shows us the lounge with the fire burning in the fireplace.
• We are even more delighted when she shows us our room, a very luxurious imperial flat with a bathtub – mega!

• She says she doesn’t have many guests at the moment and has given us an upgrade!
• First we have a coffee and tea and warm up in front of the fireplace and I chat a bit in Dutch with our hostess.
• We discover a game rack with ‘Pandemie’, which we jump straight into – the Dutch version, however, and without infection dice – instead we use the Trivial Pursuit markers, which also works.

• The rest of the afternoon we spend writing, reading and enjoying the great atmosphere of the living room, which looks out onto the beautiful garden.

• Our hostess spontaneously offers us soup for dinner, which we gratefully accept and strike up a conversation (in French this time) with another guest who is around our age and has come to stay here on a business trip.
• We talk to him about hiking (since his work is traditionally not allowed to be a food topic and he answers all questions about it very briefly) and are very excited when he knows a few GRs, including the GR20 in Corsica, which he wants to tackle with a friend soon – in 10 stages instead of the proposed 18 – very ambitious!
• At the end of this wonderful day, I treat myself to a bath in the fantastic bathtub and then slip into bed well warmed up – good night!