Monday, August 8.... Very Early...
It’s 4:45 and I’m aboard a ferry that departs at 5 am for England out of Dieppe, France. The early morning start is sure to add to the already exhausted state I find myself in after 3 weeks at the European Yoga Festival.
At the end of the Festival I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do or what direction I wanted to go but every option seemed good. Since I had to stay after the festival to help with cleanup my friend Corwin headed to the South of France. Naturally, I originally planned to catch up with him but he’s traveling on a much shorter time frame. It would have been a quick and rushed sort of reunion after having already spent plenty of quality time catching up during the festival.
What to do? The south of France wasn’t really attracting me for some odd reason. I then pondered a lengthy hike along the northern route of the Camino de Santiago in Spain but couldn’t really sell myself on the idea. A long walk on one of France’s fantastic GR routes seemed like a better choice. Since I’m so exhausted I considered catching up with my Aunt and Uncle in Italy via a cheap flight out of Paris but a long walk sounded good. With a little more thought, considering my time, I decided the most reasonable, sensible, and objective option would be to travel north to the regions of Brittany and Brest then hop a ferry to Cork, Ireland. I had all but decided to go with that idea when Jerome, the setup crew supervisor, presented me with another option.
The option presented was a cheap trip across the English Channel aboard Jerome’s VW van. It wouldn’t cost me any gas and the ferry price for me with the van would only be around $10 USD. Once in England I could stay at his place for a few days before continuing on. Along the way he planned to stop in Chartes to see the Cathedral which definitely interested me.
Ok, a visit to Chartes coupled with a cheap and easy trip to England made Jerome’s offer appealing. In the back of my mind I had also been thinking of a long walk on the Southwest Coast of England. But why windy wet and cold England over warm and sunny Southern France? For whatever reason England seemed to be pulling me north so England it is.
About Me
- Todd Gilbreath
- I entered this crazy thing called life in 1965. Born and raised in Houston, Texas. As a kid I always dreamed of getting out of Houston and living in the Mountains. After graduating High School, in 1984, I left Houston for 20 years. One of the first things I did was hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Little did I know that the trail would never end. I've traveled all over the USA, hitchiked thru New Zealand, roamed the streets of Katamandu, drank wine in Tuscany, drank beer in Tierra del fuego, drank scotch in scotland, drove my car to Labrador, sailed the Caribbean, etc. etc. I've also worked many jobs. Several seasons as a Wilderness Ranger, Drove a limo in Aspen, Bellhopped at several hotels, worked for North Face, two years with a start up, and alot of Misc. this and that.....I'm an athlete and have been a runner since I was 10 years old. I was also a competitive cross country skier but since returning to Houston I no longer do much of that. Other sporting interest include biking, swimming, hiking, and roller skiing... My current occupation is World Traveler and Thinker but I buy and sell old stuff to actually make a living. .
1 comment:
Sorry you didn't decide to come down to the boot. After three months of almost constant work, we are coasting this last month. Spent yesterday at Procida. You would enjoy walking there.
Always wanted to visit Chartes since reading Joseph Campbell.
Zoo Frank
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