Mysteries

I am having problems sleeping but still have a few hours before. I set out on my first leg so will have a last go with the free wifi to document a few things that puzzle me:
*toilets..here in the Seminaire they are all set at waist height..my feet dangle in the air
*french women..so thin but you wouldn't believe how much cheese they can eat after dinner
*why is it that so often the only thing that people know about NZ is something I don't know?..conversation at dinner last night with lots of miming about rugby balls..all about Tony Marsh..I had to later check Wikipedia to find out who he was
*Push button showers...how could I have forgotten how awful they are?

And even more low pixel photos

But don't worry..I suspect that this is probably the last wifi for somee time so will probably revert back to other camera and wait for internet access.
In the relative cool of the early evening I have just been to climb St Michel d'Aiguilhe, a stone chapel built on top of a volcanic plug or "puy". It was a good workout. for my calf muscles climbing. up...like the catedral it is built over the stone remains of an earlier pre christian church , possibly roman..noone knows.
Thank you everyone for your texts.Please congratulate Abdi for me!

More photos

Apologies for the quality of these...taken. from and posted with my new android phone using the free wifi at the Grande Seminaire. I have spent the afternoon getting happily lost in le puy, watching the lacemakers at work and exploring the catedral
. The weather is hot but bearable.

Pilgrim mass @ catedral

Got up early this morning to go to the pilgrim mass this morning at 7. About 150 people, mostly french, but one other english speaker, an american called  Jane. Neither of us was starting out today so we followed the others out of the catedral and for a few hundred metres and then came back for s leisurely breakfast.

Grande Seminaire St Georges, Le Puy en Velay

A long day of trains and stations but I am finally here. Luckily someone always turned up whenever I needed help and managed to understand me. The Grande Seminaire is amazing..very big, dark and gothic feeling..I had to use a torch to find my room and it is still light outside. Very surprised to find wifi and a power point for recharging.I am very tired and hoping for a good nights sleep..didn't get much last night.

Not the Eiffel tower

View from my hotel window

Paris

Arrived safely at paris but very tired..off to hotel to sleep

Hong Kong airport

I had a 12 hour flight here...sleeping pills are my new friend...and I love airline meals..embarrassing. but true..I just like lolling around while people bring me trays of food at regular intervals. Hong kong is cool and misty (smoggy?) in the early morning and I am lying stretched out across several seats using the free wifi on my tiny phone keyboard. The airport is huge but does't seem crowded. Will have to look for some food soon, before my next 12 hour flight to Frankfurt

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go!

I leave tomorrow evening and will take about 36 hours to get to Paris, and then the next day take the train down to le Puy en Velay... a bit daunting but I am relieved that the volcanic ash issues seem to be resolving.. and that the French heat wave also seems to be cooling off a bit.  I am not expecting to find as much internet as I did in Spain so will probably settle for texting G so he can update this blog with very short posts. If I find wifi, I have a new phone that might allow me to post directly, but again, I don't expect that will happen often. All going well, I should start walking about Tuesday.