Day 3: Fontainebleau

So I couldn't go a full two weeks in Paris without climbing, so yesterday we went out to Fontainebleau to try some boulders. It was HOT out- around 87 degrees Fahrenheit, but the climbing there is incredible.

The first thing that struck me is how fun all the warmups were, which is the complete opposite of the Colorado bouldering experience. Before even trying anything hard I had topped out about 12 boulders between v0 and v3. The easy boulders have painted markings based on their difficulty, which I actually kind of liked because it made it easier to find warmups.

I managed to do a few classics despite the heat, including Levitation 7A+ and Chute de Pierre 7A+. Here is a video of me sending Chute de Pierre (video starts one move in):

We will probably go back to Font one day next week (hopefully with cooler temps). I'll have some more videos and pictures then.

Day 2: Napolean's Tomb

Day 2 started with a visit to Napolean's Tomb. It made me realize that I really need to start looking into constructing a tomb for myself in case something unfortunate happens.

Entrance to the tomb

I'm sure this says something epic

The tomb of either Napolean or a small elephant

That night we went to see a cool concert in downtown Paris, and grabbed some italian food. I really could do an entire post about the food here. For example, this morning we were running late and grabbed a quick bite to eat from the cafe at the train station. The pastry and sandwich I purchased at the train station were better than almost anything I've had in the US.

Tonight we grabbed some gelato made from melons and fresh basil leaves. It was very good. I'll try to take some more food photos in the future.

Concert in Paris

Lasanga with Pesto and Parmesan

I know I'm a day behind, so I'll try to post something tomorrow when I wake up!

Paris: Arc de Triomphe and Luxor Obelisk

Arc de Triomphe, Paris

I just finished my first half-day in Paris, and I am already blown away by the city. After getting in at 7:30 AM and finishing up my 4th flight of the day, I went straight to bed, waking only for some afternoon sushi. By 5 PM I was ready to go see the city.

I must say that Vijay gives a pretty good condensed tour of Paris, because in 5 short hours we were able to grab a good meal and see a very good chunk of the city.

Pont Alexandre III

My favorite thing was probably the Luxor Obelisk, which is a random 23 meter Egyptian obelisk in the middle of Concorde. It is 3300 years old and was offered to France as a gift by Muhammad Ali Pasha in 1829. The obelisk is flanked by two decorative fountains. It's crazy to think of the amount of work that went into transporting an obelisk of that size and weight (250 metric tons) in the early 1800's.

Luxor Obelisk at night

Fountain by Luxor

Today we started off with some Cafe au lait and crossants as we wait for Vijay to get off work. Expect another update tomorrow...

Lost Cove Bouldering

Ok so, first off I apologize for the lack of updates. I just finished a week in a cabin in the mountains of North Carolina and had no internet except for 3G on my phone. I'm going to post a full recap of the event tomorrow, but for now a post about the climbing we did in Boone.

So Wednesday is our day off from the tournament, and we took advantage of this by going to check out some of the bouldering near Boone, NC. Our friend Peter was nice enough to show us the bouldering at Lost Cove. It was very hot, but the climbing is incredible. We saw lots of hard lines and tried a bunch of moderates which I can't remember the names of. I'm definitely excited to go back and spend a full week in the south once it gets cooler. The rock is amazing and the lines are very aesthetic.

Tiffany warming up

Patrick trying a cool V5

I am currently sitting in Boston waiting to board a plane to Paris. You can expect a lot more frequent updates once I arrive!

Goodbye Boulder

In an hour, I get on the bus to the airport and begin my three weeks away from Boulder. I somehow managed to get everything I need into all carry-on:

Clothes
Toiletries
iPad, iPhone, Macbook
Camera
Climbing Shoes
Passport

My luggage

Here is my itinerary:

8/3 - 8/12    North Carolina
8/13 - 8/16  Paris
8/17 - 8/19  Lille
8/20 - 8/24  Paris

I'll be taking a ton of photos once I arrive!

The dogs right before I leave

France

August is going to be quite the month.

Over the last eight years I have dedicated a large part of my life to the game of Go, and on August 17th I will be representing the United States at the World Mind Sports Games in Lille, France.

I leave Boulder on August 3rd and travel to Black Mountain North Carolina. I'll be spending a week there with Tiffany, Patrick, and Lisa while we participate in the US Go Congress and search for some nearby boulders. Here is a photo from last year's Congress in Santa Barbara:

Photo by Brian Allen

On August 12th, I fly to Paris, where I will be staying with my friend Vijay. I have four days to acclimate, explore the city, and visit Fontainebleau before taking the train up to Lille for the tournament.

I am participating in the team event. It is a three player, five round, Swiss format tournament in which a 3-0 or 2-1 score denotes a win. The games themselves are short, with 60 minutes of main time, in contrast to the 120 minute games played at the Go Congress. I have been very focused on preparing for both events.

Oh and of course, I'm going to be in France! I have never been, and needless to say I am very excited. I started this blog to document the trip, but will hopefully keep it going whenever I do something cool or have something interesting to say. I have more thoughts as I am getting ready for the trip, and I will be posting these later in the week. Until then...  

Ciao,

-Philippe