The hidden history of this town has felt difficult to unearth. The fragments of the castle are visible, but buried in a jardin publique in between blocks of flats with the two gatehouses hiding behind high walls and metal gates. There’s a medieval bridge I’ve heard about but still not seen. And then there’s a […]
I walked 315 km around Nanteuil le Haudouin. I visited (in no particular order): Silly-le-Long Sennevières Crépy-en-Valois Ognes Chèvreville Lagny-le-Sec Le Plessis-l’Évêque Ermenonville Senlis Péroy-les-Gombries Boissy-Fresnoy Villers Saint Genest Bouillancy Le Bas Bouillancy Acy-en-Multien Brégy Puisieux Étrépilly Vincy-Manoeuvre Duvy Auger Saint Vincent Droizelles Lessart Montlognon Montagny-Sainte-Félicité Le Plessis-Belleville Réez Rouville Ormoy-Villers Gueux Number of Départements […]
Reading the fascinating essays on the history of Nanteuil le Haudouin has made me see the townscape anew, with new interest, full of imaginings, making connections. Look at this picture of a pretty drab concrete 1980s (I imagine) building: There’s a hint of a cloister as the building is designed around a courtyard with a […]
So it seems I am coming to know my limits. After 15 days walking at around 20 km per day, my heels got so painful, really torturously painful, hobbling and grimacing the final few kilometres, that I will have the day off tomorrow to rest. I’ve iced and elevated and that really helped I am […]
Today I kept on walking. There were fields: There were also skies: There were animals: There was a monumentally large church in a teeny tiny village: I got as far as Acy en Multien and then turned back. There was a shop there that sold cold drinks – oh the pure joy!
My trusty local maps, published by the Institut National de l’Information Géographique et Forestière (IGN for short). They really have come into their own over the past two weeks. Not only are the Grandes Randonnées shown in big thick pink lines (French equivalent of big, long trails like the Pennine Way), but all the little […]
The start of today’s walk took me along a path already much travelled. I’ve already been through Droizelles four times (twice out and twice back). This time I was there so early, the dogs who usually bark at me when I have a little rest on the bench next to Saint-Déodat were still asleep! In […]
Today was an extra short and easy day walk-wise. This afternoon I watched some really interesting talks on Brain Cognition Emotion and Music – a conference I would never have been able to participate in if it wasn’t for this pandemic and which I’m really grateful for. There were participants from South America, right across […]
par fois, un ombre est beau, parfois il est désiré, parfois il est même nécessaire, surtout en temps chaud et ensoleillé.
Today when I passed the church at Silly-Le-Long, the church whose spire has been taunting and teasing and tempting me, the spire that you can see from all directions around here, the doors were open. I’ve never seen it open before and I have passed by quite a few times. It felt like providence. I […]