Les Aventures de Mme. Beaubien: Tour de France Comes to Le Puy

The 2017 Tour de France, cycling’s Grand Tour classic, is coming through LePuythis weekend and already making a splash as shopkeepers and city leaders have dressed their windows and the city’s streets in anticipation of the event.                                                                                            

 The 3,540 km (2,200 mile) race began in Düsseldorf, Germany on July 1 with 198 riders from 22 teams. It will conclude on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on July 23. Riders will come through historic LePuy July 15-17 with a two-day stop.

Each squad is allowed a maximum of nine riders. Of these, 49 are riding the Tour de France for the first time.The average age of riders in the race is 29.39 years and they come from 32 countries. The Tour de France began in France in 1903 and has been held annually except during World War I and II. Although riders were French originally, they now come from all over the globe. The Tour is a UCI World Tour event, which means that the teams that compete in the race are mostly UCI World Teams with the exception of those teams the organizers invite.

The Tour de France is an annual multiple stage bicycle race primarily held in France,but also in neighboring countries. It was first organized in 1903 to increase sales for the newspaper L'Auto, which is currently run by the Amaury Sport Organisation. The race has been held annuallyexcept during World War I and II. As the Tour gained prominence and popularity, the race was lengthened and its reach began to extend around the globe.

The Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia (begun in 1909) and Vuelta a España (begun in 1935) make up cycling's prestigious, three-week-long Grand Tours. The Tour de France is considered the most prestigious of the three by fans and riders alike. Although the route changes each year, its format remains the same and it always passes through the Pyrenees and the Alps and finishes on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

 

Les Aventures de Mme. Beaubien: Je Suis Arrivee

At long last I have arrived in Le Puy!!

After a 14.5 hour plane ride, I landed in Lyon, France, to be met by the Sisters Line, Eluisa and Anita of the International Centre of the Sisters of St. Joseph. 

My flight was very smooth and on time. The only trouble was getting into Lyon. We experienced bad, overcast clouds and stormy weather and an extremely bumpy ride. We circled the city for about 20 minutes with the possibility that we would have to return to our starting point, London, but the clouds cleared and we arrived safely only half an hour late.

Customs was very long and slow but once I passed through the border (la frontera), I saw the sisters who greeted me with great excitement. Line found a parking space very close to the exit and off we went--only to meet a bouchon (traffic jam)--and several more along the way to LePuy. 

I hadn't eaten since breakfast (10 a.m.) and fortunately by 7 p.m. we were all hungry and stopped for salad and sandwich along the road. 

Finally, we reached the Centre--at 11 p.m. and were greeted with a luminescent full moon and a quiet and cool night. Merveilleux!! We stood outside the Centre for a few minutes to take in the night. As usual, Notre Dame (center) was lit up and so was St. Michael (foreground), which was very eerie seeing it from the back. The lights changed and when it turned blue, it looked like a medieval picture.

Here is front-facing St. Michael, which I haven't yet seen.

As I made ready to sleep under the clear sky of stars, moon and illuminated churches, the cats of the neighborhood called to one another as if in song. I fell asleep in a prone position and slept through the night very comfortably in my new room in France. I have arrived. I am safe. And, I am content.

On to France - at last!

Finally, it's time to go to France!!  The long wait is over and I'm heading east for the next 2 years.


My plane leaves Detroit on Sunday, July 9 at 8:30 p.m. and after a couple stops, it will arrive in Lyon on Monday, July 10 at 5 p.m. The sisters at the International Centre will greet me at the airport--and my two 18"-cubed boxes filled with clothes and things that I sent three weeks ago will be waiting for me in my new home.
 

I'll arrive in France in time for le 14 juillet (Bastille Day a.k.a. French 4th of July) although I won't be in Paris. Le Puy is a small village 2.5 hours southwest by train from Lyon. We'll see how they celebrate this important holiday.



A few days later  the Tour de France will come to Le Puy. That should be exciting to see a world classic up close.



I plan to continue blogging Les Aventures de Madame Beaubien--and to get real serious about speaking and listening to French. Wish me luck with that.

Time to Say Good-bye

"Time to Say Good-bye"
Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli (1977)

"On Eagle's Wings"
Michael Jonca (2008)

"We've Got Tonight"
Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers (1985)

"Attraversiamo"
from "Eat, Pray, Love"

"So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Good-bye"
from The Sound of Music

"I'm Leavin' on a Jet Plane"
Peter, Paul and Mary (1970)

Good-Bye
from the Singing Walrus

Saying Good-bye to Family



Scott Fountain on Belle Isle

My nephew & niece-in-law, Kevin and Jen came to Detroit for a weekend visit to see me off to France. We ate much, talked much and enjoyed each other's company.

 

  

something cheesy good at Lucy and the Wolf restaurant in Northville and my hamburger and salad dinner

ffmy hamburger and salad   

   famous complimentary doughnuts of the house

Drinks at Granite City Food and Brewery in Northville with Denise and John and a visit from Vishu, Kevin's University of Michigan classmate.

 


Sunday breakfast of chicken & waffles at Kuzzo's in Detroit--a must-do treat

 

Some  more quality time at the new and improved Belle Isle, now a designated state park. Here is the bridge to Belle Isle with the Detroit skyline in the background                                                                            

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some interesting people we saw in the park

 

                             

some nice portraits to keep

As my days at home wound down, Denise and I had some time to spend together walking down Memory Lane starting with our neighborhood in Melvindale and with our parents' graves.




 

our home on Flint Street where we grew up




Mom and Dad's graves

graveyard at the Field, located at the end of our street;
it served as our playground
 







Bobby and Michael's house and my best friend, Charlene's house

Best friend, Patty's house

 

Aunt Frances & Uncle Marcel's house where we spent many good times

 

 

 



Our grandparents' house, a block away from ours

Melvindale High School

We saw the former site of Dasher Junior High with the football field in background

 

 We visited our high school band leader's grave, Mr. Naumoff

 

 

 

 We saw the movie Paris Can Wait, a perfect preparation formy new life there. It was at my favorite theatre, the Phoenix

We had lunch at our favorite Chines restaurant, Dale Yee's

 
We visited the site of our old parish, St. Conrad's

We visited our old Church, Dearborn Woods United Presbyterian Church

 






house of Mrs. Williams, 6th grade teacher who inspired my interest in the United Nations and things international




neighborhood view of the ever-present Ford Rouge Plant, the source of middle class jobs

 

 

Dinner with Uncle Mario with cousins Paul and Mary and husband, Dan



Joyce and Minnie, long-time Flint neighborhood friends with steak dinner

We went to Mass together one last time.

John and Denise lit a candle for me. This was VERY touching and I was not only moved but overwhelmed by their gesture of love and support.

We sipped cappucino at Cantoro's one last time.

We had dinner together one last time....and it turned out to be a Christmas-in-July dinner with traditional family servings of spedini, sausage and broccoli.

My plan was to take a suitcase, duffle bag and purse--and I did it!

 

Final good-byes were happy but tearful.

Denise is a teacher and she knows how to plan activities and events. She went all out for me during these last days at home. She made them fun and memorable. I love her for that; but more importantly, I love her for who she is and the fact that she is my sister forever!