Marathon de Paris

This morning I woke to a sound that I hadn't heard since leaving Austin. I heard helicopters flying near by. It took me a while to realize that it must be helicopters following the Paris Marathon. So I grabbed the pocket camera and headed outside. I saw the runners zipping by on rue St. Antione at the end of our street. I went down and watched for a while. The streets were fairly quiet (it was 8:30 am on Sunday), but I listened to the thundering of thousands of tennis shoes on pavement as this mass of humanity went by. I took this photo right at the end of the street.

I stumbled into the bakery and got some pain chocos for Sarah and I, watched the thundering mass for a while longer, and then went home. We found it being broadcast live on French tv. As we watched the coverage, we got the Paris map, and figured out their approximate route. About an hour later, I started to recognize things on tv, and then heard helicopters again. I realized they were headed back into Bastille, down Henri IV, and past the other end of our street. So I headed back out for more pictures. I have to say the first time was more impressive, when so many of them were packed so tightly together, pounding away on the pavement. Truc, next year I want to see you here.

Kind of odd, our house in Austin also happens to be on a popular marathon route. I seem to sip coffee and watch marathons outside my front door no matter where I am.

This weekend we also made a run on Chinatown here for Japanese cooking supplies, and some good Vietnamese food. It was beautiful weather, so we walked there, which was a decent walk.