July 30 hike

Dear Walkers,

Our hike for July 30 will be led by Dominique Raveau. Here is her information. I hope you appreciate the poem at the end. It would seem that Longfellow appreciated the Chevreuse Valley as much as we do today.

For next Wednesday I propose a 15 km walk in south of Paris, along the river Yvette and through Aigrefoin Wood. We will walk from Orsay-Ville University campus to Courcelle. In Gif-sur-Yvette we will pass by the tombstone of the artist Fernand Léger, one of the founders of Cubist painting.There's possibility to bail out in Gif before climbing the wood and having our picnic there. The walk along the river is on flat ground but we'll have short and rather steep climbing and descent.

To get there take RER B train PUKE from CHATELET LES HALLES at 9:02

Direction ST REMY LES CHEVREUSE, arrives in ORSAY-VILLE AT 9:51, zone 5.

I will get on the first car of the same train at Bourg la Reine.

Return will be from COURCELLE SUR YVETTE, zone 5, a train to Paris every 20 min on the same line.

Bring some snacks, bananas, picnic lunches and lots of water and don't forget your walking sticks.

See you on Wednesday

Dominique 

06 33 23 07 31

In the meantime I hope you will enjoy these 19th century verses:

To The River Yvette
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

O lovely river of Yvette!
O darling river! like a bride,
Some dimpled, bashful, fair Lisette,
Thou goest to wed the Orge's tide.

The valley of Chevreuse in vain
Would hold thee in its fond embrace;
Thou glidest from its arms again,
And hurriest on with swifter pace.

Thou wilt not stay; with restless feet,
Pursuing still thine onward flight,
Thou goest as one in haste to meet
Her sole desire, her heart's delight.

O lovely river of Yvette!
O darling stream! on balanced wings
The wood-birds sang the chansonnette
That here a wandering poet sings.

http://www.litscape.com/author/Henry_Wadsworth_Longfellow/To_The_River_Yvette.html