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The Paris Anniversary Marathon Day 4: Miles 21.5-26.2

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Our last walking day! (Whew!) only around 5 miles to go today, yet somehow, we walked 25,000+ steps (our second longest day). Here’s the rundown for today:  Starting at Rue de la Pompe metro station… We made our way to the Bois de Boulogne, another place Lara had never been before in Paris.  The entrances aren’t nearly as pleasant as the Bois de Vincennes.  But once inside the park, it was quite lovely with a lake… …bridges… …waterfalls…and more.  After exiting the Bois, we continued up Ave Foch… …to the Arc de Triomphe.  So close to the end and feeling triumphant ;)  We ended our marathon with a walk down Les Champs-Elysees.  Then enjoyed a victory lunch at the very old school Paris cafe, Le Victory.  For our anniversary celebration, we booked a dinner cruise on the Seine. The evening started by taking the metro to my favorite train station in Paris: Franklin D Roosevelt.  When I lived in Paris, this train station always had a distinctive smell that just said “Paris” to me - a combina

The Paris Anniversary Marathon Day 3: Miles 13.5-21.5

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For Day 3 (8 miles) we decided to follow the third leg of the Paris marathon route backwards in order to avoid crowds of tourists at La Tour Eiffel later in the day.  From our Airbnb, we took the Metro to Trocadero to start the day with this beautiful lady.  From there, we made our way to the Seine, walking along the river, and crossing over from time to time based on what we wanted to see.  Memorial of the Algerian War 1952-62 Crossing under Pont de l’Alma The Grande Palais, part of the 1889 World’s Fair exhibition.  A statue of Lafayette, given by the school children of the United States in gratitude for his service in the American Revolution.  Pont Alexandre III, a rather elaborate bridge. La Tour from a distance, just as beautiful.  French National Assembly.  The Musee D’Orsay, once a train station, now home to a wonderful collection of impressionist and other art.  A view from the banks of the Seine.  A rather odd fellow hanging out on Pont Neuf, the oldest of the Seine’s 37 bridg

The Paris Anniversary Marathon Day 2: Miles 6-13.5

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Section two of the Paris Marathon is all about the Bois de Vincennes, Paris’ largest park, located in the 12th arrondissement. Rather than try and follow the route exactly, we just wandered around the park for 7 miles then found the closest Metro station and headed home.  Entrance to the Bois de Vincennes closest to the Port Doree Metro station. This park reminded us a lot of Seattle parks in that it connects to the neighborhood around it via many different streets and entrances and also has a lot of different things happening in the park: lakes, baseball and soccer fields, biking paths, horseback-riding trails, even a Buddhist Temple (which, unfortunately, was closed today).  Boats available for rent on Lac Daumesnil.  Temple of Love (on the left) above the grotto of Lac Daumesnil.  Mark in the grotto.  Waterfall in the grotto.  Another view of the lake.  A Buddhist statue in the park. This lovely bright green plant covered lots of the streams running throughout the park.  Finally rea