21 Aug 2012 – Beauvais-Tonnerre

Sun: 1hr+ train ride from Beauvais, southbound to Paris/Gare de Nord connecting on the Metro to Bastille, Gare de Lyon and Bercy to catch another train and 1hr+ to Tonnerre, arriving 1726hrs (EUR38/S$60). Met by Keith at the station and 17km by car to Etourvy~157km S from Paris with a pop of 215 in Aube in the Champagne Ardenne region of France.

His beautiful place is a 1787 barn converted to a summer country house in the neighbourhood of the champagne district. Imagine feasting on champagne everyday for nearly a week in this place with a grand piano and a pool… 7th heaven is where I am now 🙂

Keith crossed my path in Dublin early 1970s and only last year did we manage to locate our whereabouts! Those 30yrs of missing links, he has worked in France and Brazil and now lives in Switzerland with his Danish wife, Marianne and their adopted Brazilian son, Arthur.

He has also published two books, Pipe Dreams & Crude Behaviour which are now on my list to be read before heading to Brussels on Fri…!!!

Took us 2 days to fill in the missing links! Tomorrow and Thu will be a tourist before heading on the train again!

No matter how carefully you plan your goals, they will never be more than pipe dreams unless you pursue them with gusto – W Clement Stone