Waking Up in Le Mans

Although I have not yet been to the track, it is quite an exotic sensation to be here at all.  For anyone who follows racing, this is one of the most magical places in the world.  For Formula 1, in my view, it is Monaco and for GT racing it is Le Mans.  The 24 Heures de Le Mans is one of the most extreme endurance trials anywhere and the cars will get up to about three hundred and fifty kilometers per hour on the Mulsanne Straight but then have to throw away all that speed at the bottom of it for a very sharp corner.  Something you may find interesting is that Nick Mason of Pink Floyd has raced his Ferrari here multiple times, as has his wife and also his daughter.  (Wiki:  24 Hours of Le Mans)

For an entirely different kind of racing, here is the video from near the finish line of Stage 13 of Le Tour de France in Saint Amand-Montrond:

This is not exactly a Wide World of Sports video but hopefully it gives you an idea of the excitement in the crowd as the racers approach.  I shot the video by holding the iPad up over my head!  It hasn't been used for too much on this adventure but it was fun, if difficult, to put it to work today.

There was so much excitement in so many ways that when my English friend asked me what I thought of it, my response was that it was mad ... but in the most wonderful way.  As with just about anything, there is no substitute for being there.  If you will permit a brief editorial, you couldn't find a better reason for avoiding the living death of Facebook, smartphones, or any of the trappings of The Matrix in which the only thing missing is the plug in the back of your head.  Ask yourself what Hemingway would have done!

This morning I will go out to visit and get some photographs out at the track which is only a few kilometers from here.  Then I will be burning for Caen or Le Havre on the coast where I can catch a ferry across the English Channel to Portsmouth.  I find a hunger in me for hearing English voices but I will miss quite a bit the delicious unfamiliarity of other languages as they add such color to life.

Thanks for the tip on Bastille Day but, while the French are storming into the Bastille, I will be storming out of it!  With any luck I will be able to find a good rate for the ferry but I've seen tremendous variation in the prices so it's not at all clear what it will cost.  The trip over the channel will take five to six hours so they definitely don't have ferry boats that can make the speed of the one that brought me over from Greece!

If you'll also permit a bit of mechanics, Haximoto is holding up better than I (laughs).  She doesn't much like going up hills and we have been gaining altitude for some days but we will be dropping back down to sea level for the rest of the ride in France.  Riding is probably exacerbating problems with my foot and my back so be glad you aren't here to listen to the moaning!  Cat recommended some creme which could be helpful and I will look out for that.  I'm not sure how that would help with bone problems but she is quite sure of it and has seen it work.

Onward to the track and then the coast!