A Seven Continent Journey

Friday, April 5th-Collected my running bib and T-Shirt at the marathon expo, which was very well organized. It was quite crowded. did splurge on a jacket. My excitement was quite obvious to Mark, Michong, Yoon who have all ran marathons before. I must confess that I remain apprehensive, having never run a full marathon before. The day otherwise had been quite hectic visiting the famous Louvre Museum, laying eyes on the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. We also saw the amazingly beautiful Cathedral de Notre Dame. 2 cans of beer and a hearty pasta meal was what I needed at the end of the day. The most surprising find so far has been my wife's French speaking skills, although limited, it goes a long way here.

Saturday, April 6th- Pre-Race Pasta dinner was at Michong and Matt Fuch's beautiful apartment. As per Gail's advice I did have some beer. Gail is a nurse who works in coronary care unit, a seasoned marathoner. Aim is to get to bed early. I got a lot of attention for my wife today, I know I shouldn't get used to it. She and my kids are more nervous than I am. Early in the day we visited Montmarte, a beautiful neighborhood in Paris, with its steep hills, staircase cobbled streets and sweeping views. Also saw Sacre Coeur via the bustling place du Tetre. Once we got there this white wedding cake cathedral drew our gasp as it first hovered into view. The mosaics inside on the ceiling, walls and the floor are incredible. No photography is allowed inside, outside it afforded some panoramic views of Paris. A big group of marathoners were also present there posing for the photographs on the steps outside. Started raining so we skipped visiting Milan Rouge although on the way back Anu, my wife did pick up a bottle of champagne......? For the post race celebration. I hope we get to use it.