29 August 2009

Wednesday 2 September in Fontainebleau Forest


Dear Hikers,

This week, September 2, Ellen Vivet will lead a walk in the beautiful Forêt de Fontainebleau.

The train leaves the Gare de Lyon at 10:05, destination Montargis, arriving at Fontainebleau-Avon at 10:40.

Return trains are twice an hour.

If you have a car and are willing to drive down, we could vary the route, which as usual will be determined by the number of cars vs the number of people.

Everybody wanting to come should contact Ellen at ellenvivet@me.com and everybody with a cell phone should give Ellen their cell number.

See you on Wednesday!

24 August 2009

Wednesday 26 August , a short walk in the Forêt des Quatre Piliers


This week’s walk will be relatively short (9 km) forest walk in the Yvelines between Orgerus Béhoust and La Queue des Yvelines.


For those who would like to visit a wonderful butterfly greenhouse, they can add another 4 km. at the end of the walk. More than 500 exotic butterflies can be seen with explanatory panels about their habits, defense, life cycle, etc. The entry fee is 7 €. There is a promotion these last two weeks of August where a child can enter free with a paying adult.


Aller: We will meet at 10:23 a.m. at the Orgerus/Béhoust train station.

Take the SNCF train DAPO from the Gare Montparnasse, direction Dreux, departing at 9:40, arriving at Orgerus Béhoust (zone 6) at 10:23.

It is also possible to pick up this train at Versailles Chantiers station at 9:52.


Retour: We will return from the station Garancieres La Queue les Yvelines (zone 6) on the same train line. Trains run every hour at 14:17, 15:17, 16:22, 17:22.


Bring a picnic lunch, sun protection and rain gear, just in case!


Please rsvp to Mary Lynne Fichtenberg if you are coming. mlfich@yahoo.com

I would appreciate your cell phone number if you have one and your home phone if not.


Mary Lynne’s numbers:

01 47 41 98 20 and 06 70 88 18 59


See you Wednesday!


16 August 2009

Wednesday 19 August in the woods from Garches to Chaville


This week’s walk will be in the coolness of the Parc de St. Cloud and Le Foret de Fausses Reposes and it will take about 4 hours (roughly 10 -12 km). Our first stop will be at the La Fayette Escadrille Memorial (Memorial to the Lafayette Squadron) dedicated to the 68 American pilots who volunteered to fly for France during WWI. Next we will pass through the charming village of Marnes-La-Coquette, and then go on to our picnic spot at Les Etangs de Ville d’Avray. After lunch we will explore the Bois de Fausses Reposes before heading to the station in Chaville for our return to Paris.

We will meet at 10:00 a.m. in front of the Garches/Marnes La Coquette SNCF train station, zone 3. The return will be from the SNCF station of Chaville, rive droite, also zone 3. To reach Garches, the two best options are:

  1. SNCF train from the Gare St. Lazare, direction St. Nom La Breteche/ Foret de Marly, train “Pils”, departing at 9:37, arriving at Garches at 9:54. The trains to St. Nom leave from Quais 1-4 all the way on the left side of the St. Lazare station when you are facing the quays.
  2. You can transfer to the 9:37 train (coming from St. Lazare) at La Defense where it makes a stop at 9:45. You can make the connection at La Defense by taking the RER A, train BHIN, leaving Chatelet les Halles at 9:24 and Charles de Gaulle/ Etoile at 9:30, or by the Metro line 1.


Bring a picnic lunch and rain gear, just in case!


Please rsvp to Mary Lynne Fichtenberg if you are coming. mlfich@yahoo.com I would appreciate your cell phone number if you have one and your home phone if not.

Mary Lynne’s numbers: 01 47 41 98 20 and 06 70 88 18 59

See you Wednesday!




08 August 2009

Wednesday 12 August at Nogent sur Marne


Wednesday we'll enjoy the peace and quiet of Nogent, virtually the 21st arrondissement of Paris and just as deserted in August. To get there we'll cross the bois de Vincennes which is in Paris, part of the 12th arrondissement.

Mercredi 12 août, c'est du côté de Nogent que nous irons apprécié le calme de ce quasi-21e arrondissement de Paris déserté au mois d'août.
A noter, le Bois de Vincennes fait partie de la ville de Paris (12e arrondissement).

Programme

11:45 metro Porte Dorée (line 8). We meet at the square des Combattants d'Indochine, at the foot of the golden statue.

Walk through the Bois de Vincennes, then along the river towards the port of Nogent sur Marne.

Return via the opposite bank towards Joinville le Pont, where we'll catch RER A. Total distance about 10 km.

13:00 lunch at "la Cartoucherie", a former munitions factory, now converted to house several theaters.

14:30 a stop is planned for us to go bowling or just have a drink near the port of Nogent.

As usual bring a light lunch and water, and be prepared for rain or sun.

Please email or call Daniel if you wish to go on the walk.
daniel.perot@free.fr
09 50 56 65 26 or 01 45 90 65 26.
Mobile 06 99 20 70 79 (only on the day of the walk).
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Looking forward to seeing you.
Daniel.


01 August 2009

Walk Wednesday 5 August around Provins


A Day Trip to Provins
A walled medieval city, part of the UNESCO world heritage

The walk plus the tour of the city are well worth two days. This Wednesday we'll start with a general tour of the town and its surrounds. A second visit, on Sunday 27 September, will give us a closer look at this distinguished old city. On Sundays a variety of shows and cultural events are on offer, so invite your friends!

La randonnée + la visite de la ville mérite bien d'y consacrer deux jours. Aussi, mercredi 5 août, nous pourrions déjà faire une visite générale de Provins et de son environnement. Une autre fois, dimanche 27 septembre nous ferons une visite approfondie de la ville. Le dimanche offrant de nombreuses animations/spectacles, vous pourrez y inviter vos amis.
Here are the details of the walk.

Departure:
Paris (Gare de l'Est): 9:45. Arrival Provins: 11:07.
Return:
Provins: 17:14. Arrival Paris: 18:41.
Provins: 18:14. Arrival Paris: 19:41.
Provins: 19:14. Arrival Paris: 20:40.
The station is 2 kilometers from the old city.
The train is neither medieval nor a TGV, but it is a rather slow country train and the trip is 86 km long.

Train fares: a 6-zone Mobilis ticket is much cheaper than a round trip ticket from Paris. Mobilis is a one-day pass for a day's unlimited travel in Paris and the Ile de France, valid for train, métro, bus and RER. Provins is in zone 6.

The walk
Leaving the station we will up to the old city, admire historic houses, and get some maps at the tourist office. A few steps along the ramparts and we'll have our lunch at 12:30. At 13:15 we'll set out on a 3½ hour walk across the surrounding wheat fields and through the woods. Then we return to the city (remarkable views across the fields) and visit Caesar's Tower, Provins' most famous monument.

We'll have some time to wander around the city, visiting shops, craftmen and cafés.
In the late afternoon we'll meet at the central place du Châtel and look for a snack shop or creperie to get our strength back. Don't forget the station is 2 kilometers, half an hour from the old city.
The walk will last 4½ or 5 hours.
Durée totale de la randonnée : 4 1/2 voire 5 heures.

Those who prefer a more detailed tour of the city can leave the group after the lunch and walk along the three sightseeing walks in town. Join the first group at the place du Châtel in the evening for a happy end to the day.

As usual bring a light lunch and water and be prepared for a sunny day or a rainy one.

Please email or phone Daniel if you wish to come on the walk.
Phone 09 50 56 65 26 or 01 45 90 65 26
Mobile (only on the day of the walk) 06 99 20 70 79.
Email:daniel.perot@free.fr

Looking forward to seeing you,

Daniel