I woke at 4 a.m. this morning, jet-lagged and hungry, and remembered in a wakeful fog that today is my birthday. Forty four! Perhaps appropriately, we head to Les Ezyies, where there is a Museum of Pre-History. I love the notion of a time before history. In my 44 years, my own personal pre-history, that would be before my parents met, or even before either of them learned to ride a bicycle. There's something encouraging about pointing towards a place on one's birthday that is rich with archeological finds from the Paleolithic period--some 10,000 to 200,000 years old. Makes … [Read more...]
Sitting in the Saddle
For years I've been watching the supreme athletes of the Tour de France pedal up the passes in the Pyrenees--and been awestruck by the scenery that surrounds them. Tomorrow, I'm heading to France with my bike (and my husband) to cycle up some of those same summits. I won't be racing, but rather, basking in the natural wisdom of mountains, the pleasurable grit of a challenge, and the daily succor of French food and wine. I'll be discovering a part of France I've never been to before. I'm not sure what I'll be moved to write about yet, but I've been thinking that if bicycles … [Read more...]