Seven am on Wednesday morning usually finds me on the line at God’s Love We Deliver, across from Neil, ladling soups. With no boiler, we now have no soup for our clients so it makes this ride in France all the more poignant since the funds I raise will go to the GLWD new boiler fund.

This Wednesday morning finds me landing in Paris after an overnight flight. My goal today is to try to stay awake all day and reset my internal clock to French time. It is a crisp, clear day so a walk from the Arc De Triomphe along the Champs de Elysees to the Place De La Concorde is invigorating.

Adding to the delight of the day, three of us go to Angelina’s. Listed in the book, A Thousand Things to Do Before You Die, Angelina’s is a century old cafe once frequented by the likes of Coco Channel and Proust. Here we indulge ourselves with a pot of hot chocolate that is like one of Chuck’s brownies, only in a melted liquid form. The array of pastries is as decadent and rich as the hot chocolate.

The evening ends with an incredibly generous gift. I invited friends who live in Ireland to come to Paris to join me for dinner next weekend when the ride is over. Their adventurous and spontaneous nature makes me think they would do something like that. Their response was inspiring. Instead of flying to Paris, they are taking the money they would have spent on the flights and donating the $400 to my ride effort, thereby ensuring I will raise $10,000 from this ride to go toward the new boiler. Many thanks to Faye and Richard from Waterford, Ireland for helping me reach my goal. I am humbled by your generosity.
Do I hear $11,000 out there?
Tomorrow to the chateau, our base of operations for the next 10 days. Will it be “enchanted castle” or more “Addams Family” chic?

Sending love to the Wednesday crew and everyone at God’s Love,

George

For more on George’s ride, please click here and please click here.