Tour de France

Dayle in Limoux – Day #20

July 24, 2022

The heat is absolutely defeating me. Today the humidity was up twofold, so, yeah, I was done. It cooled off to 88 tonight around 10:30. The reading indicates a low of 62. Haven’t seen that yet. Never thought I’d believe 88 is cool.

BUT!

It was the Tour! Final stage, into Paris. Some of my favorite captures.

So great. Vert is GREEN in French. :)

Joan of Arc welcoming the riders to the Champs-Élysées! This shot always knocks me out. The Maid of Orléans. Can not wait to visit the town where she was betrayed and put on trial then burnt at the stake in 1431, like so many women considered Heretics. Then I’ll drop down and visit her birth town. I believe her home was destroyed by the Nazi’s during WWII. A new structure was built to replace what was destroyed. Twenty-five years after she was massacred, her conviction was formally overturned. She became a saint of the Roman Catholic Church in 1920, 488 years after her death. Not unlike Mary of Magdala. Pope Gregory decided she was a prostitute and cast her out, 591 I think.Thanks for looking out for her Peter. Lord. In 2016 Pope Francis elevated the annual memorial of Mary Magdalene on July 22 to that of a Feast. She is fittingly called “Apostle to the Apostles.” (I wonder if the Pope understood the relevance of the numerical power of 22. Another post.)

I’m going where he’s going. :)

💛 ❗️ The sunset shot. Perfect.

Spectacular tour. Incredible athletes. Simply unreal. Fastest Tour de France ever! Like Lance said, “I don’t even know this sport anymore.” It’s off the charts and massively fun to watch. Great guys, tough tour, lots of COVID, scary heat, and many injuries. Only a few teams made it with complete groups. UAE was down to four riders at the end. Eurosport/GCN did an incredible three-weeks of coverage! Thank you. Loved. 2023 is going to be off the rails! OK. Now the withdraws kick in. Seeing the Tour in France while living in France was incredibly special and so much fun. Watching it last year, who knew I would be here. Two stages! (So deeply grateful to science and vaccines.) Met some amazing folks. They love their tour. Vive le Tour! 🚴🏻

Earlier today I was able to visit Saint-Martin’s church, more of a cathedral really. Built in the 1100’s, although some believe the original structure was constructed in the 800’s. Look who’s at the church:

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!!!

Massive baptismal font, right in the middle of the aisle heading toward the alter.

These stairs…

…and this door. Ancient.

The acoustics were crazy. Just amazingly clear and full. The organist played and when the people of the congregation sang, it sounded like a massive choir.

A memorial in the church to honor those from Limoux who perished in WWI.

It’s so beautiful, incredibly inspiring. So close to where I’m living. I walk by all the time, yet hand’t been able to go in until this morning. ☆☆¸.•*¨*•☆☆•*¨*•.¸¸☆☆

We may have a bit of a reprieve with the weather the next few days, in the 80’s before it gets back to triple-digits. After 20 days of 40C, I think I’ve hit my threshold. Hiking up to Rennes-le-Chateau on Friday for Mary’s Feast day wiped me. Another 103 day. But it was for Mary. And so wanted to be there for her. The Beloved.

Thinking earlier if the Cathars had survived, and Roman Catholicism didn’t, we’d be in away different place. More folks like St. Francis and Mary, and fewer like Pope Gregory. I think the matriarchy deserves some years of leadership, right? We certainly couldn’t do any worse. ‘Higher moral compassionate value.’ Jai Mary of Magdela.

Bonne Nuit.

☆☆¸.•*¨*•☆☆•*¨*•.¸¸☆☆ 

Dayle in Limoux – Day #19

July 23, 2022

Limoux.

And Le Tour.

Jonas and his girls. Emotional finish to stage 20. I’m going to miss it so much. Insane  three weeks of racing and performance, kindness and passion. Spectacular tour! And to see it in France! The riders finish in Paris tomorrow. Chilling the Blanquette de Limoux now. 🥂

Vive la tournée et la France ❗️

Dayle in Limoux – Day #18

July 22, 2022

Mary Magdalene church at Rennes-le-Chateau near Couiza in the Languedoc/Occitanie region of France. Couiza is tucked in the foothills of the Pyrenees and is at the foot of the hill leading to Rennes-le-Chateau where The Church of Mary Magdalene is located. It was renovated by Father Berenger Sauniere, finished in 1897, the year of the dedication. Sauniere re-named it to honor Mary. It is believed an earlier construction was built in the 11th or 12 centuries. Above the door as you enter is a carving of Mary Magdalene and the inscription in Latin, “Terribilis est locus iste”–This is a place of awe.

Aujourd’hui

Feast Day

‘Mary Magdalene has been a victim of mistaken identity for almost 20 centuries.’

[Franciscanmedia.org]

It was a climb; five kilometers to the top.

It really felt like a pilgrimage, like being on the Camino, which I loved since it was Mary’s Feast Day. A pilgrimage to Mary. And it was H O T. Again. 99 degrees with double the humidity from last week. I hadn’t planned on trekking it, but when the bus dropped me in Couiza, I couldn’t find a taxi to the Chateau. I stopped into various shops to find some taxi numbers. I called three numbers, each did not have a driver. Tried to locate one on my phone, didn’t work. I thought I might just take the bus back in about an hour, so had a café au lait and a Perrier.

I really wanted to be there on Mary’s day, so I decided to go for it. Five kilometers is about 3 miles, so I plugged in the destination on my phone and headed up. Way up.

When the back of your hands perspire, you know it’s hot.

It was about then that my phone sent me a prompt to cool off my phone. Yikes. I had some water with me, though not enough. So rationed it. I rested in a couple of spots when I found shade, and I think it was in one of those spots where I lost my prayer amethyst. I think it fell out of my pocket. It’s loaded with prayers, so whoever finds it, I hope it has good energy for them. It’s so beautiful.

Because I chose ‘walkers’ directions, the little Map Genie took me on a path not frequently travelled and behind gates with markings that really looked like I probably should not have traversed. What the heck, Map Genie, seriously?

Lost and alone on some forgotten highway
Traveled by many, remembered by few. -John Denver

So, I kept climbing. Saw a ruin in the distance; not sure which one it is. Can’t wait to find out. Would love to explore…

Finally. Rennes-le-Chateau.

More refreshments needed!

Time to visit with Mary.

I want to learn more about this piece…

Rex Mundi. Cathars were dualists, the physical and spiritual deities. Rex Mundi was the false God – the chaotic god of material things, the Demiurge, and the embodiment of evil. Sadly, someone tried to attack the Rex Mundi in the church once, did some damage, too, so the caretakers put some protection around it.

For Mary.

There are so many discoveries and histories…theories…with this church. The Languedoc region is thick with Cathar history, the Templars, Inquisitions, and Mary. And if you’re really into Chateau history and all things Mary, you’re a ‘Rennie.’ :)

If you’d like to learn more, check out the late Sir Henry Lincoln’s videos on YouTube, Henry Speaks. Fascinating history and Henry explains the sacred geometry studies in the region, too, i.e., how it all connects.

There are many studies and writings on Mary. One of my favorites is The Meaning of Mary Magdaline by Cynthia Bourgeault. It’s subtitled, Discovering the Woman of the Heart of Christianity. I think I flagged every page.

More from Henry with his books, too, like Holy Blood, Holy Grail, the pre-cursor to The da Vinci Code. And The Holy Place/Sauniere and the Decoding of the Mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau.

There’s a little book store on the grounds.

Found some great books for my studies, including this one which the author only sells (the hardback) at this little shop.

Started reading when I got back. So good.

“We were both familiar with the colorful story about the small town of Rennes le Chateau and the priest Sauniere who in 1886 during a major repair work on the altar of the local church, had apparently found a number of documents containing information which from one day to the next transformed him from a port minister on the fringe of society to a rich man with unlimited funds and a fashionable circle of acquaintances.

Sauniere had spent part of his fortune on the restoration of the church. He further built a new house, ‘Bethanie,’ as well as the tower, ‘Tour Mandala.’ 

Sauniere died in 1917 leaving the secret with his housekeeper of many years, Marie Dernaud, who promised to disclose it on her deathbed.

Unfortunately, when that day came in 1953, she was paralyzed by a stroke and thus was unable to disclose anything at all. Apparently the secret of Sauniere was buried with her. 

Since then, the mystery had been made the subject of many speculations, several of which had revitalized the legend of Mary Magdalene and her alleged escape from Palestine to the South of France after the death of Yeshua” [p. 273].

Adrian, who works at the shop, helped me secure a taxi to get back to Limoux. He had to phone four different taxi services to find a driver for me. I told my daughter, when you travel, there are always angels on your path.


The Tour. Great capture during Stage 19 today. Si jolie. (So pretty.) J’adore France.

Crazy sprint finish today with a surprise winner…not so much the team. Jumbo Visma. The whole Tour has been insane and crazy fast. So fun to watch. Only two more stages going into Paris on Sunday! 🥂

This one in reference to yesterday’s Wout Route…

Clever. And so true. :)

And this which sums up not only stage 18, but the entire Tour and how Jonas and Tedej respect each other and their sport. This connection occurred after Jonas clipped is pedal and wobbled and then when Tadej slid out misreading the line on the descent. Scary fast. And Jonas waited for him. Tadej reached for his hand as he caught up almost as if to say, “It’s yours.” He had attacked so much, trying to gain time, and then he handed the baton. And he didn’t attack again. Tender, and sweet moment to witness. 💛

Bonne nuit.

Dayle in Limoux – Day #17

L’ étape 18 ❗️

What just happened. My lord. Even if you don’t follow the Tour, you must find and watch Stage 18. [GCN/Eurosport].

#TDF2022 🚴🏻 The next generation.

Racing manuals were being tossed out of windows yesterday. Wout exploded out on the attack at kilometer zero. Incredible to witness.

Only four teams remaining in the Tour have a complete team due to injuries, illness and COVID. Wout’s team, Jumbo Visma, is down, too, yet UAE, skeleton group down to four riders. Even so, Tadej Pogacar said at the end of the race that with a full team they couldn’t have beaten Jonas Vingegaard, who now wears both the KoM jersey

[🔴⚪️🔴]

And the yellow. Three more days of the tour, yet barring any injuries or positive COVID tests, the podium is seemingly set. Monster of a tour–the fastest on record! As a cycling fan, watching it unfold has been outstanding. Like Lance said on his podcast re-cap, “I don’t know even know the sport anymore.” Crazy unbelievable athletes. No fear.

Then, on a hot hot hot day, another one, with increased humidity, lovely…time to refresh in the Place de la Republique.

Blanquette du Limoux. Si bon.

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Gorgeous capture. Last day in the Pyrenees.

À bientôt.

Tomorrow, the Feast of Mary Magdalene.

 

Dayle in Limoux – Day #13

July 18, 2022

Started ce jour with the bells of Saint-Martin. Then, the adventure began!

Ode to Le Tour. Found it at a local marche…the bike of the maillot jaunt.

Knew it was going to be unbearably hot with the heat dome over Europe, fires burning.

I was thinking last night that although the Tour is winding through Limoux, the final stage before rest day on Monday was finishing in Carcassonne. I decided to take the bus (sometimes a train, not sure how it’s determined) and see what I could find. What I didn’t anticipate when I was riding into Carcassonne is the Tour route would effect our drop zone which is typically la gare, the train station. We made numerous detours and then landed in an area I wasn’t familiar. The driver, who apparently took a wrong turn and had to back the bus up…impressive…didn’t speak any English and after trying to communicate in my weak French, she  mimed that I should follow the other people. Many didn’t know how to trek the long walk back to the train station, so we grabbed our phones and fired up our maps. Finally made it to the city center and just started looking for the tour. Already rationing my two large bottles of Perrier because of the heat with no idea what was about to unfold!

Then, the adventure began! 

I spotted splashes of yellow. 🟡

I started trekking to find the route to the finish. I found a spot just past the finish line and since it was early and a lot of the spectators hadn’t filled in yet, I settled into my space.

There was music and announcing, and sponsors of the tour handing out all their tchotchkes. Very fun. A bike cap, a Skoda bag, a polyester vest…trop chard to wear…a bucket hat, too! Just like Emily in Paris. :)

My favorite sponsor gift and probably kept me from heat exhaustion, literally, was a sparkling canned beverage. Yummy. Their vender came back and gave me three more (!) and somebody else was handing out bananas. She was so sweet. Trop chaude!  So grateful. It really helped.

I couldn’t sit on the asphalt because it burned my bum it was so hot. Five hours of standing in 41 C heat…106 Fahrenheit. Brutal. And so fun. I kept thinking about the guys racing in this heat. I was standing and trying not to pass out. They were biking hard and fast, sometimes their speeds clocked in at 72 KPH (45 MPH on the stage). Many climbs. The Tour put special heat protocols into place because of the dangerously high temperatures. Some of the guys, it was reported, wanted the stage to actually be cancelled due to the heat. With a warming climate and the devastation it is causing, maybe the Tour will need to be moved to the edges of the season in the Tours ahead. Our world is changing…fast.

When the riders get close, all the vehicles start driving in! The sponsors, the team buses, the team cars, the press motorcycles (So fun seeing Bradly Wiggins come in with his motorbike driver. And then there’s a fun parade with the sponsors and their vehicles.

Jumbo Visma’s bus! Many excited to receive it. When they went past, many in the bus didn’t look happy. Come to find out they lost two riders today, one to injuries over the course of the Tour, and another rider after a crash due to more protesters who were blocking the middle of the road.

The Tour is a massive and masterly organized operation; they set-up and tear-down for every stage and it’s all seemingly seamless.

 

That’s how they get those awesome finish shots. With the camera operator in place, we all knew it was getting close.

All the superfluous vehicles and dignitaries removed, it was quiet. Then the overhead finish screen, “4 kilometers to go!” Cameras ready, the pounding of the placards begins. And then the guys bolt around the final bend. Sprint finish! Wout in the green, couldn’t make out the other two, thought it might be Fabio Jakobsen from Quick Step who replaced Mark Cavendish. (Thought about him so much today; would love to have seen him.) I positioned my camera, hoped for the best, yet I wanted to watch it live! The clip worked although it was holding it low so I could see the riders! It was thrilling and so knock-out fast. How is that kind of power, control, and stamina able to be sustained after 106 degree weather and 202 kilometers! It’s nuts. Incredible, unbelievable athletes. They love Le Tour in Carcassonne. Moi Aussi. (Me, too!)

I’ve been trying for hours to get the video from my iPhone to this website…not working. So I did some screen captures. If I’m able to figure it out, I’ll edit and re-post later. Crazy exciting!

S

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WOUT! Right in front of me!

And Sepp Kuss from Jumbo Visma. They’re going to need him so much now after losing two key riders. Incredible domestique and all around talented rider, 27 years old from Durango, Colorado. One of my favorites to watch. So happy I spotted him! Looks depleted and beat. Much needed rest day tomorrow.

The best. Vive Le Tour! 💛

And a sweet post-stage interview with the sprinting finish winner for stage 15, Jasper Philipsen. Rock ⭐️. He’s worked so hard for this moment. Very emotional. First stage win at the Tour. At the 12:15 mark.

AND! Images of the podium. So. Many. People. I was the only one I could see wearing a mask besides the riders and worker bee’s. 😳

The beast. Wout van Aert keeps the sprinter’s green!

Jonas Vingegaard keeps yellow and his time distance from Tadej. They are so equally matched.

Stage winner and first Tour de France stage win, Jasper Philipsen.

Battling for the yellow…still holding the youngest winner jersey, Tadej Pogacar. His team, UAE, and Jonas’ team, Jumbo Visma, are struggling with dropped teammates, after Jumbo’s dominance. The Tour is wide open!

King of the Mountain jersey winner, Germany’s Simon Geschke. Lots of fans at Stage 15!

And these guys. Best seat on the Tour! They had a clear shot of the finish and the podium.

Or, maybe this guy. :)

18 years since I’ve been at the Tour watching Lance win his 6th with his gold helmet down the Champs-Élysées. (Thank you, Theodore.) Carcassonne was

A M A Z I N G

Incredible experience. Beautiful country and people. Now, I need to keep hydrating, cool down, and replenish for Tuesday’s stage 16 as it goes through Limoux, about 1:15 pm local time!

Bonne nuit.

❀

Dayle in Limoux – Day # 12

July 16, 2022

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Le Soleil was intense. 105 today. 105. About 40-41C. On Le Tour race organizers were using water trucks to cool off the roads where someone reported the heat coming off the asphalt was about 158 degrees. This isn’t ‘just summer’ [climate change deniers]. Europe is burning. Gaia is burning.

Tomorrow, stage 15 into Carcassonne before the rest day, and then Limoux!

Love this capture of Tadej and Jonas climbing up to Mende today.

The market closes early on Sundays so stocked up on water today, lots; trying to stay hydrated. Toasted friends 5,000 + miles away for an event I couldn’t attend with the original sparkling wine before Dom found the recipe.

The monks had it going on in 1531. Champagne doesn’t come close to compare. Blanquette de Limoux is lovely and light and pure.

Vivez des moments intense. “Live intense moments.” Just do it. :)

It cooled down to 95 at 9 so ventured out to the square after conquering the French washing machine and hanging my clothes on a line to dry almost instantly in the heat. Time for that Blanquette de Limoux and a bottle of ‘intensity’ while reading Cathar history and planning excursions.

Cathar Cross

So many places to discover and explore. The Feast of Mary Magdalene is July 22nd. Really want to explore her cave in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume. After Jesus’s death, it is believed Mary Magdalene made her way to France to a small town in Provence called Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte Baume. To be there on her day would be quite special, being, too, with the many pilgrims who have traveled there to commemorate her life after the time she spent with Jesus.

Or or or Rennes-le-Château where there’s a church created and dedicated to Mary Magdalene.

François Mitterrand visits Rennes-le-Château, March 2nd, 1981.

From the 2018 film Mary Magdalene. Couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve seen it. Written by two women, Helen Edmundson and Philippa Goslett. It’s extraordinary.

We only come out at night; we only come out at night. The days are much too bright. We only come out at night. -Smashing Pumpkins

They do. Hoards. My new buds.

À bientôt.

 

Dayle in Limoux – Day #11

July 15, 2022

First, this.

Hard praying Joe Manchin is her first case. If he’s still alive. If we are.

NYTimes

How One Senator Doomed the Democrats’ Climate Plan

Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia led his party and his president through months of tortured talks, with nothing to show for it as the planet dangerously heats up. [Click image for article-paywall removed.]

Sidebar. When Lebron James made the comment about Brittney Griner I said out loud,  “Right on.” He backtracked because of the flack. But he spoke truth. 100%.

“Now, how could she feel like America has her back? I would be feeling like, ‘Do I even want to go back to America?'”

Same.


Las fleurs from the marche in Limoux!

Lovely market in the square today and every Friday morning. This market is a little more utilitarian than the Tuesday markets, i.e., local produce, fabrics, flowers, clothes, eye glasses…incense! I was able to stroll through the market and drink two cafe au lait’s before the 100 + degree mark. Yikes. Europe is burning. In France, literally.

French President Emmanuel Macron today:

Solidarity is national: three thousand firefighters from all over France are fighting the fires that are hitting the south of the country. I salute their courage and their commitment alongside elected officials. At the front, they save lives. We are thinking of them and of the evacuated residents.

Solidarity is European: a year ago, when Greece was facing terrible fires, we mobilized as Europeans. This noon, aircraft from the Greek rescue forces arrived in the south to support the action of our firefighters.

REUTERS

Wildfires rage in southwestern France with over 1,700 hectares burnt

About 600 firefighters, supported by six water-bomber aircraft, were on Wednesday battling to bring under control two wildfires in southwestern France, which have already burnt more than 1,700 hectares [4,200 acres] and prompted the evacuation of thousands of tourists.

“Important human and material resources are being deployed to master the fires (…) local and national reinforcements are expected,” said the local authority for the Gironde department, where the blazes are raging.

France, already hit by a series of wildfires over the last few weeks, is suffering – like the rest of Europe – from a second heatwave in as many months. [It’s brutal. -dayle]

The biggest of the two Gironde fires is around the town of Landiras, south of Bordeaux, where roads have been closed and 500 residents evacuated, with the blaze having already burnt more than 1,000 hectares.

The other one is along the Atlantic Coast, close to the iconic “Dune du Pilat” – the tallest sand dune in Europe – located in the Arcachon Bay area, above which heavy clouds of dark smoke were seen rising in the sky.

That fire has already burnt 700 hectares and led to the preventive evacuation of 6,000 people from five surrounding campsites. They were brought for shelter to a local exhibition centre.

“Other campers woke us up at around 0430 in the morning. We had to leave immediately and quickly choose what to take with us. I had forgotten my ID, luckily someone took it for me. But I don’t have my phone (…) and we don’t know what is going to happen,” Christelle, one of the evacuated tourists, told BFM TV.

[Those villages and towns close to forests were not allowed to display fireworks for Bastille Day.]

Wildfires raged across tinder-dry country in Portugal, Spain, France and Croatia, burning homes and threatening livelihoods, as much of Europe baked in a heatwave that has pushed temperatures into the mid 40Cs in some countries. [Reuters] 40C is equivalent to 104 in Fahrenheit. -dayle 

From NBC NEWS:

Over 20 wildfires are burning in Portugal and Spain, and around half of Portugal has been placed under a red weather alert.

~

More captures from the marche today. Love Limoux.

And a very hot kitty. ღ

Yes, please. Want!

Le Tour is getting closer! Tuesday, étape 16. Can’t wait. 🚴🏻

From étape 12 yesterday, Alpe d’Huez. Good thing Covid is over. 😐

It’s like a Where’s Waldo’ image. Try to find Sepp, Jonas, and Tadej.

#Anxiety #Why #Sepp’sFace


 

In the newsletter from the Flourish Foundation this month, a social-profit in Sun Valley, Idaho [Hailey], Harry Dreyfuss, the creative director at Flourish Foundation, shares his quarantine epiphany on love, relationships, and self…all ONE.

I inadvertently ‘met’ Harry once when I opened the door of his home thinking it was my book club’s meeting place that month. I remember seeing this amazing light blue guitar lying on the dining room table. Cool. Then Harry came down the stairs. Oops. Yikes. Awkward. He couldn’t have been k i n d e r. “I think you want the house next door.” Yep. :)

This is a sweet message I read today from Harry; wanted to share.

 

More on Kindness…

Marrying Yourself

There was a moment during quarantine when I had an epiphany concerning love and relationships: whether I ever find a long-term romantic partner or not, there is one person to whom I am already in an arranged marriage—myself. Myself and I are stuck together, and like it or not, I need to make this relationship work. I have no other choice. 
 
So, I made a vow to my brain. It went something like this. “I may wish you were smarter, and kinder, and full of better angels, but I can’t actually force you to do anything. Instead, I must live with the ideas you have, the impulses you have, and the body that you have. What I can do, however, is make a vow to honor those creative ideas, good or bad. You churn out the ideas, and I promise to act upon them.” 
 
I did this mainly concerning writing. I vowed to write down all my brain’s ideas as an act of loyalty, without judgment about how bad or good they were. There’s a kind of mantra created by Julia Cameron for artists to use towards their inner muse: “You take care of the quality; I’ll take care of the quantity.” This means you will guarantee to actualize all the ideas your muse creates, and your muse will try to ensure that at least 20% of those ideas are actually usable. 
 
I was made to think about that vow and that internal wedding as I read Ryan’s piece about kindness last week. As he puts it, there are constantly moments where our minds generate an urge to do a kind thing, but it is then up to our conscious mind to actualize that impulse or not. My vow concerned artistic impulses, but there is a similar relationship possible here. Your mind—your bride or groom—is offering you an idea for how you can best love the world in that moment. What would happen if you made a vow to honor those ideas when they cropped up? 
 
It may be a hassle. It involves interrupting your day, your business as usual. But the interruption is a sweet one, hazardous and vulnerable as it may be. And we all know what it is like to get into a groove of kindness. Taking those risks, allowing yourself to creatively engage in a loving way with the world, ultimately can lead to an ecstatic feeling, a minor form of bliss, which can make each day an exciting one. 
 
Perhaps the most inspiring thing I’ve ever heard said about love comes from Toni Morrison, who is urging people to recognize the ecstatic and moral obligation we have to honor our need to love one another:
 
People say, “‘I didn’t ask to be born.’ I think we did, and that’s why we’re here. We are here, and we have to do something nurturing that we respect before we go. We must. It is more interesting, more complicated, more intellectually demanding and more morally demanding to love somebody, to take care of somebody, to make one other person feel good… Love just seems to make life not just livable, but a gallant, gallant event.
 
Have a nice life,
Harry

https://www.flourishfoundation.org

Dayle in Limoux – Day #9

July 13, 2022

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Pre-Bastille Day celebrations! I thought the U.S. knew how to do up fireworks. My lord. Incroyable! So many from Limoux gathered at the river with a canoe parade before the fireworks with lights and torches. I was able to see them right from my little balcony. Couldn’t believe the display; a 20-minute grand-finale. So fun! In the square before the celebrations for liquid nourishment since the temp dropped to a cool 90 at 8:30 pm.

Blanquet de Limoux, the f i r s t champagne. Sorry, Dom. We know where you found your champagne. It was the monks.

In the south of Carcassonne is a place called Limoux, next to this is the beautiful abbey of St. Hilaire. An abbey is a type of monastery that is used by members of a religious order. The St. Hilaire Abbey is one of the most renowned monasteries of the Aude department in Languedoc. Long ago, the monks produced a type of sparkling wine which Limoux became known for: the Blanquette de Limoux.

History regarding one of the most beautiful abbeys in France
The history regarding the Abbey of St. Hilaire dates back to the 8th century.

In 1531 a monk from the Abbey of St. Hillaire discovered how to make the sparkling wine that Limoux would become known for: the Blanquette de Limoux. As discovered in 1531 the sparkling Banquette de Limoux is therefore much older than Champagne, which was discovered by Dom Pérignon in 1668.

Considering its history, the Blanquette de Limoux is the most famous wine in the city, it is made from Mauzac grape, which provides a unique taste of apples.

Très délicieux!

La Lune is full. Fireworks to the left of me, moon to the right, here I am stuck in the middle in Limoux!

Bonus:

And fires are flaring in France, too.

The planet is burning. The heat is extreme. 99 degrees here in Limoux today. Tomorrow and deep into next week, triple digits. How are the Tour de France bikers tolerating this. Pre-race the Jumbo Visma team was donning ice vests.

I could have used one of those today and I wasn’t climbing the Col du Galibier. Hydration!

Another intense day tomorrow for Tour de France étape 12, the Iconic Alpe d’Huez for Bastille Day. Brutal. Stage 11 was intensely hot and full of seemingly never ending climbs. And so incredibly exciting–strategies and surprises! Have to share. This is how intense the stage was today. Lance and George watching earlier:

When seasoned pros who know cycling upside down and inside out, this was pretty telling. Incredibly fun to watch and to be in France DURING the Tour de France is craziness! L O V E

The fires burning in the region are near Bordeaux. From The Independent/UK:

Apocalyptic wildfires tear through Bordeaux forest as
two major forest fires have devastated a natural region close to Bordeaux, ravaging nearly 1,000 hectares of pine forest.

Around 6,000 people have been evacuated from the tourist area of Pilat, close to the city and an additional 150 people were evacuated from Landiras due to another blaze.

Footage shared by the local fire service shows the apocalyptic blaze ripping through the forest, filling the orange sky with smoke.

Southwestern France is currently going through an intense heatwave with temperatures around Bordeaux, reaching near 40C.

40 C is 104 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s Limoux’s forecast this weekend, too.

We have to save it now. 🌏 She’s tired of waiting for us, and her impatience with the human species is showing. Gaia has given us so many chances.

Remember, love is everywhere.

Demain! 

Dayle in Limoux – Day #8

July 12, 2022

Si Français.

Annie leaves for the U.S. tomorrow at 3 am through Toulouse, Amsterdam, Salt Lake City, and then Sun Valley. Magical she was here in France the same time as her maman.

Serendipity. Synchronicity. Symmetry. The Universe’s most special gifts to me. Merci merci merci. I will miss you, Annie Glenn.

Another gift from the Universe today, although captured eons ago, we get to gaze upon her magnificence now.

NASA wrote:

Better together. International collaboration gave us the most powerful space telescope ever made, and the deepest infrared views of the universe ever seen. With our partners, together we #UnfoldTheUniverse.

From VOX:

“Think about that: In every pinprick of sky, there are thousands and thousands of galaxies, at least.”

And then, the Universe gives again. The moon in Limoux.

La lune. She’s almost full. And the swallows murmur.

Readying for Bastille Day! As called in France, ‘Fête nationale française,’ and legally le 14 juillet.’ THURSDAY! I should be able to view fireworks from my balcony. Going to immerse myself in the splendor of love for country. It’s been awhile.

“An enormous fortress of prejudices, privileges, superstitions, lies, exactions, abuses, violences, iniquities, and darkness still stands erect in this world, with its towers of hatred. It must be cast down. This monstrous mass must be made to crumble. To conquer at Austerlitz is grand; to take the Bastille is immense.”
Victor Hugo

Collecting maps now. :) The Tour is getting closer to Limoux. Too many dropping because of COVID. Mask up. BA.5 is real…and here. Viva Le Tour!

À bientôt.

❀

Dayle in Limoux – Day #6

July 10, 2022

Sunday evening in Limoux.

H

O

T

!

The Tour de France is going to be tough next week. The heat wave returns with 100+ days. The Tour will be in Limoux on Tuesday, July 19th. Can’t wait! Look for me. :) This is a tough year on the stages and with the heat? Pas bon.

My new dream car.

Some day. With my renovated barn.

Tomorrow, Alet-les-Bains!

Alet-les-Bains was once a walled city with its own abbey – and later its own bishop and cathedral. In 1197 the abbey and the town were fortified by ramparts and a moat. Now it is little more than a village of just over 500 people but you can still see vestiges of the city walls and ruined Cathedral. In 813, Alet was the seat of a Benedictine abbey founded by Béra, Viscount of Razés.

The people are so kind here. Thinking today it’s all we have left, really. Kindness. Leaders and politics, capitalists and dark money, profit and greed, systemic patriarchy, all reign in the collective. Here’s what we can do:

And save the planet. 🌏

Dayle in Limoux – Day #2

July 6, 2022

…and then the day came to a close.

Awake until 3 am writing, so the day in Limoux started a little later. A wonderful local yogurt for mid-morning nourishment with a banana and Nutella. French press coffee first, though, of course.

Cooler today, lovin’ it because the heat will return later next week after weeks earlier in the summer of 102+ days. Pas bon. Don’t do heat well. Maybe those days will be at the River Aude with the radical ducks.

After streaming the tour on the cobbles stage, pavés, it was time for my adventure to find la gare, the train station. Very lost. Sometimes the station is open, sometimes not, and when I found it, it was not. Schedules seem to change around a bit, so back tomorrow.

I am  thrilled to learn I can take the train to Alet-les-Baines, a village filled with ruins, including the old hotel and lemonade factory that sits along the river, once occupied by Nazi soldiers, now for sale and featured in the book The Heretic, by Allysha Lavino. It’s the first in a trilogy; want to read it again. SO good. Historical fiction fills pages about the sacred geometry of Languedoc, and the late Sir Henry Lincoln’s spirit.  Miss you, Sir Henry. 

I spent a couple of hours researching St. Martin of Tours, Mithraism and Zoroastrian divinity. So many aspects overlap with Christianity, evolved long before Christianity, like monotheism, messianism, free will, judgment after death, heaven/hell/angels, e.g., Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Northern Buddhism and Greek philosophy.

From Robin Wall Kimmerer:

‘Imagine if humans hadn’t become obsessed by burdens and honored Indigenous practices and beliefs, a democracy of species, NO POLITICAL LOYALTIES ARE REQUIRED. Just one question: Can we agree to be grateful for all that is given? Respect to all non-human relations?” (Note: humans being only one of the 8,000,000 species, not above or below, but ONE.) She continues, “When allegiance lies with winds and waters that know NO boundaries, that cannot be bought or sold.” Oh how I wish we could, and begin again.

From Allysha Lavino today:

Yes. Love serendipity. 

Think of it, a ‘culture of gratitude.’

I saw five elders sitting together in a communal open space, under the trees, talking for hours. No ‘smart’ phones or agendas, only dialogue and warmth. Gosh we need more of this.

Reading this paragraph from the states today. One of the reasons I do not want to go back. This is from a witness at the shootings in Highland Park on July 4th. Her elderly father was injured and her 9-year-old had ducked for cover and safety.

I don’t see myself going to any crowded areas for the next—I don’t know, maybe not forever. And, you know, I don’t want to be afraid for the rest of my life. I don’t know how I’m going to feel in a few weeks, in a few years. I’m not saying I want to give in to the people who are doing all these terrible things. But how can I feel safe to go anywhere without wondering who’s got a gun in their hands and what they’re going to do?”

Being here is physically and mentally removed from the ugliness, violence, and greed, all known characteristics now of the United States of America. The whole world is watching.

After walking for hours, settled in the square for an aperitif.

A beer sounded so good, and, it was a very ‘good year.’ :)

À bientôt.

Oh, one more thing to share today. Simplicity can not be overrated.

Thanks, Annie.

dayle in limoux – day #1

July 5, 2022

Think Emily in Paris, but without the clothes. And youth. When an almost two decade dream becomes a reality, it kinda feels like a simulation, an alternate reality I created in my mind because I thought about it so much.

July 3rd and 4th were travel days. To celebrate the 4th of July, I left the country. And on July 4th, another senseless gun massacre at     a     parade. Nothing will be done because the United States values guns more than life. Too many people own too many guns in the U.S., high powered military weapons. And the killing continues. I know I don’t want to go back to the cesspool that it has become, an experiment that is dissolving because of greed, power, dark money, systemic patriarchy and leaders who should not be leaders. So many brilliant, young people and minds in the United States, and this is who we get. So, yeah, I don’t want to go back. Yet, without a residency visa, I can only stay three months. I met a woman from England at the marche [market] today who has lived here five years. She shared her visa experience was one of ease and permission. Yet her driver’s license experience? Ooh la la.

It took two months to compile the needed paperwork and requirements for the visa application. I flew to Los Angeles in March to meet with the visa consulate in person. I was in their office for 4.5 hours. A week later I was denied. Their reason is that my reason for wanting to research and write in the ancient region of Languedoc wasn’t a good enough one. I will try again. Until then, I am here. Researching ruins, studying the Cathars and connecting with Mary Magdalene.

After two years of COVID French Duolingo, I’m not ready. At all. People speak French here. A lot of French. Only French. :) Phrases and words, reading and comprehension coming along, yet speaking? Pas bon. (Not good.) But, you know, Emily didn’t speak French when she took the job at that AD AGENCY in Paris. I’ll learn. I wish I had a mind for language. I took Russian in college…and a little French. Tons of Spanish in high school, and still, to this day, my first foreign language default is Spanish, which worked nicely on the Camino in Spain. Not so much in France.

Bonus. Massive bonus. I happened to choose to be here during the Tour de France. Big Fan. Yet I had no idea the tour was actually going through Limoux. What?! Yep. I think stage 16, after the rest day, on July 19th. From Carcassonne (about 30 minutes north from Limoux) to Foix as the riders approach the Pyrenees. So passing through! I’ll be there! I brought my polka dot pin from the 2004 Tour when I was on the Champs-Elysees and watched Lance win his 6th in his gold helmet. Indelible. Thank you, Theodore.

I slept 11 hours after I arrived. From San Diego to Salt Lake City to Paris to Toulouse. Delayed in Paris, but my bags made it! Even with all the flying warnings and chaos stories. Whew. I opted to pay more for a taxi instead of trying to maneuver the train with a backpack and three large bags. A taxi service I pre-ordered through booking.com (don’t) bailed on me, so I had to search for someone to drive for me. It was an hour and 30 minute drive through fields of sunflowers and grapes for their brilliant Blanquette de Limoux. Jean-Michele, my driver, was so kind. And he played Cat Stevens the entire way. Glad Cedric decided not to stay. Yeah, pretty great. It’s a sign. :)

Nicolette, who owns the flat where I’m staying, is from Scotland, her dad lives in Spain. English! She’s helping me acclimate in a language I understand. So grateful. She has put so much thought and care into her flats at La Maison 22. Her French country decor and comfort are simply perfect. My place has a small balcony and overlooks the river Aude, where I can listen to the bells from the Church of Saint-Martin, built in the 1100’s. I’ll be back. When I get that visa!

Last evening I took a stroll around the village, many establishments are closed on Mondays. It was a quiet. A young man walked close by to me and said, “Stone. Stone.” I must have looked as perplexed as I felt. And then he made the universal gesture for getting stoned. Although a lovely idea after two days of travel, weed is highly illegal in France. So, thanks, really, but no. And a smile.

Today was organizing and unpacking, streaming the Tour, French Press coffee on the balcony, happy birds, frantic ducks, and a happy heart being so far removed from the United States both physically and mentally.

Nicolette emailed me about the marche, the first of the season, every Tuesday evening through July and August in the village. Happy people, music, and dining al fresco on the historic centre around the Place de la Republique.

Tomorrow, more exploring and picking up train schedules.

Deep sorrow for what is happening in, to, the United States. So much promise. So much devastation and harm. For now, my focus is on possibility, potential, and purpose as I ease into life’s chapter 4. It took a lot to get here. To be here. It isn’t a simulation, its providence, and grace.

Thanks be to Gaia. And my ancestors, particularly, my great-grandma, Alma Evalo Latta (who gave me a mother’s love), my brother, Darrell Lee Ohlau, and my dad, Robert Dale Ohlau. Mitakuye Oyasin.

Bonne nuit.

Languedoc is a centre of the distinctive civilization of the south of France. Its name is derived from the traditional language of southern France, in which the word oc means “yes,” in contrast to oïl, or oui, in northern French. From the 13th century the name applied to the entire area in which the Languedoc, or Occitan, language was spoken and came to apply specifically to the territory of the feudal county of Toulouse.

From 121 BC the territory that constituted Languedoc was part of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis, which connected Italy to Spain, and was strongly influenced by Roman culture. With the breakdown of the Roman Empire, the region was controlled by the Visigoths in the 5th century and was partially conquered by the Franks in the 6th century.

From the mid-12th century, the Cathari, a Manichaean sect, won wide support from the people and the nobles of Languedoc; the Cathari were sometimes called Albigensesbecause of their strength around the town of Albi. They were branded as heretics by the Roman Catholic church, and Pope Innocent III preached a crusade against them, precipitating an invasion of Languedoc by a northern French army in 1209. The ensuing wars, which lasted until the mid-13th century, ended the political independence of Languedoc. [britannica.com]

Proust

July 10, 2021

David Bowie:

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Discovering morning.

Rediscovered with 4 am wake-ups for the Tour de France. ℒℴve. 🚴🏻
~dayle

“In the 1880s, long before he claimed his status as one of the greatest authors of all time, teenage Marcel Proust (July 10, 1871–November 18, 1922) filled out an English-language questionnaire given to him by his friend Antoinette, the daughter of France’s then-president, as part of her “confession album” — a Victorian version of today’s popular personality tests, designed to reveal the answerer’s tastes, aspirations, and sensibility in a series of simple questions. Proust’s original manuscript, titled “by Marcel Proust himself,” wasn’t discovered until 1924, two years after his death. In 1993, Vanity Fair resurrected the tradition and started publishing various public figures’ answers to the Proust Questionnaire on the last page of each issue. In 1998, they asked Bowie.” -Maria Popova

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Reading.

What is your most marked characteristic?
Getting a word in edgewise.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Discovering morning.

What is your greatest fear?
Converting kilometers to miles.

What historical figure do you most identify with?
Santa Claus.

Which living person do you most admire?
Elvis.

Who are your heroes in real life?
The consumer.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
While in New York, tolerance.
Outside New York, intolerance.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Talent.

What is your favorite journey?
The road of artistic excess.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Sympathy and originality.

Which word or phrases do you most overuse?
“Chthonic,” “miasma.”

What is your greatest regret?
That I never wore bellbottoms.

What is your current state of mind?
Pregnant.

If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?
My fear of them (wife and son excluded).

What is your most treasured possession?
A photograph held together by cellophane tape of Little Richard that I bought in 1958, and a pressed and dried chrysanthemum picked on my honeymoon in Kyoto.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Living in fear.

Where would you like to live?
Northeast Bali or south Java.

What is your favorite occupation?
Squishing paint on a senseless canvas.

What is the quality you most like in a man?
The ability to return books.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?
The ability to burp on command.

What are your favorite names?
Sears & Roebuck.

What is your motto?
“What” is my motto.

Thanks to Maria Popova, Brain Pickings, for the post.

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