I once again stayed away from the hassle of negotiating the airport and caught a three and a half hour train ride from Lausanne to Paris. I sat back in my big first class seat, relaxed and enjoyed the countryside.
Paris is by far my favorite European city. There is tons of things to do here, from checking out the Louvre to walking down the Champs D'elyse. I will be here until the 10th of this month and I will surely be revisiting all of theses sites along with some new ones.
I am here competing once again for Team USA in the DecaNation's meet. In 2005, the first year of this particular competition, was the first time I donned a USA jersey for an international event. In 2005, I came second in the hurdles behind then World Champion Ladji Doucoure. I lost by a mere two hundredths of a second.
The setup for this meet is very unique. They only use the decathlon events and one person per country per event. There are eight countries, U.S.A., France, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Great Britain, Morocco and Spain. It's a team scoring event, 10 points for first, 8 for second, 6 for third on down. Both men's and women's teams come together and the team with the most points at the end of the day wins the competition. So, of course, I am representing us in the 110 hurdles.
I got in around 5:30 ish and met up with the team members that are already here. We went down to the Latin Quarter and enjoyed a very nice meal (thanks USATF), then I had to hit the Italian gellato spot. I love gellato, I had biscotti and tiramisu flavors. That biscotti is the best I've ever had! Wish I could bring some back to the states.
Me snacking as usual
We were right around the corner from the famous Notre Dame cathederal
I have a press conference in the morning, should be fun.Pics courtesy of my Blackberry as usual. The thing is I have a camera in my backpack and never seem to take it out of the bag.
20 comments:
To be in Paris this time of year... Very Lucky!
Good luck in your race..
Thanks for the great video. And the winner is DO!!!! DO, DO, DO, DO sounds like a pretty cool chant to me. That win gave me some wonderful feeling goosebumps. The look on Robles face said it all. It looked like he was in disbelief. You looked so great and so focused in that race and you really did stay tight and just looked flawless over those hurdles. It is just a beautiful sight to see and so much fun to watch. I think Robles saw you in his rear view mirror and got worried thinking about how close the previous race was and he fell apart while you just sailed by him and got stronger and stronger like poetry in motion.
I am sure glad you could take the train to Paris and enjoy all that beautiful scenery instead of all the bufoonery at the airport. I am really looking forward to hearing about all the places that you intend to visit in Paris. All of that awesome food sure is making me hungary. You should see how much food I can eat, especially at a buffet. Nobody can believe how much food I can eat. I always outeat everyone and have fun doing it. I love the pictures too. So, keep them coming. This team concept sounds very interesting and I know you are going to represent the USA well, as usual. Have fun at the press conference like you said you are going to have and have fun with the media no matter what stupid questions or comments the media might ask you. David, you are so intelligent and have such an engaging personality that no matter what they ask you can give a great answer and be funny no matter what they say. I am certainly going to have fun reading what you have to say in the upcoming days and I certainly will be there with you in spirit.
Eric
Have you picked up any languages since you've been racing abroad? If so, what have you learned? Which forgein language sounds the best or is the easiest to learn?
Nice to hear that you had a relaxing and comfortable trip on the train...It sounds like you are enjoying your fave Euro city...Paris is very beautiful... Anyway,I know it is cliche to bring it up, but I can't very well comment on your post about Paris without mentioning it's romance factor...So yeah, I know you're there for a meet and you have to focus and yada yada yada but its PARIS!!! You gotta' squeeze some "French kissing",harlequin romance in before you leave on the 10th! (that is if you haven't already) You'd be doing yourself and the great city of Paris a disservice not to!...so on that note, I'll meet you at the Eiffel Tower in 20 mins! Lol.
P.S...
Random question, since I'm on the whole Paris thing...Do you speak French or any other languages?
You should...Considering all the traveling that you do.
Hey David,
"Train" that's the way to go! Forget all the hassle at the airport. Just sit back & relax
and enjoy the country side. As you look at the country side thank GOD for all your blessing & allowing you to share the world with me and your fans. So glad to hear how fond you are of Paris. Got to add Paris onto my travel list. I was always told that the people Paris were rude and the country was dirty. So much for listening to folks. What an odd set-up for a meet. Don't worry, you'll represent USA in high fashion as you always do. I love gellato and tiramisu. Never tasted biscott & tiramisu flavor, but I'll take your word on it. Thanks for sharing your pictures with me. Think you need to borrow my camera that you fixed at Penn's because your pictures are alittle cloudy
(smile).
Take Care and be safe.
Aunt Celest
i bet paris is a beautiful city. <3 have fun,take lots of pics, learn some french =P and i know you'll do an excellent job at the race.
be happy for the conference. people want to see your face! =D LOL
Congratulations on your bronze, and again on your win over Robles!
Enjoy your time in the "City of Light" and everything it has to offer. Thank you for sharing your experiences with all of us. Your a talented young man with a bright future. Good Luck & God Bless,
KM Johnson in MPLS
Enjoy Paris! Wish I was there!!!
Avez-wondeful un jour, j'ai l'espoir que sa magnifique comme vous. Je sais que vous êtes sur le point de betteraves Ladji Doucoure ses votre année. Bonne chance beau.
Are you really that handsome?? Yes you are! I love everything I just read... Felt like I was there!! Having a gelato!NOW I feel like I need to travel with. YOU to Paris!! LOL go USA!
Sherri berri...NJ
Morning!! =)
Thrive on challenge
Life will challenge you regularly. Embrace that challenge with a thankful heart and a creative, resourceful mind.
Each challenge has within it great strength. Go out to meet the challenge, work your way steadily through it, and that strength becomes yours.
Challenge can be painful, inconvenient, embarrassing, tedious and time consuming. And that same challenge also gives life much of its meaning, flavor and fulfillment.
One of the kindest things you can do for someone else is to offer a respectful, meaningful challenge to that person. One of the smartest things you can do for yourself is to take on higher and higher levels of challenge.
Challenge sharpens your priorities and magnifies your performance. Lives of greatness positively thrive on challenge.
Choose to see each challenge as the opportunity for growth, satisfaction and achievement that it is. The world is overflowing with challenges, and inside each challenge you'll find truly immense value.
-- Ralph Marston
Train ride along the countryside...I'm sure that was beautiful! Nothing but time to reflect on God's grace and prepare for the next race. Hope you cranked the iPod along the way! And pull out that camera! But if you need a personal photographer I'm available! ;D
I'm officially jealous! Your post reminded me of the short time I spent in Paris. I agree, it's one of the most scenic and enjoyable European cities I've visited.
Enjoy your stay, keep your camera close by, and as always continue to do what you do best on the track.
Blessings,
KT
It's nice to see you enjoying a little down town. I ate gelato everyday (sometimes 2 or 3 times) while in Italy. France and Spain on next on the list.
Your train ride to Paris sounds relaxing. I hope to visit one day! Enjoy the sites and stay focused... God speed..
You're just like me...I LOVE taking pictures wherever I go! Congrats on all of your success:)
Morning Chipmunk! ;)
Depth of gratitude
Abundance and gratitude are inextricably linked. By living with gratitude, you open yourself to life's immense abundance.
If you are a little bit thankful for this, and a little thankful for that, just every so often, you'll have glimpses of abundance. When you enable and allow yourself to be continuously thankful for every big and little thing, your life will be immersed in abundance all the time.
It may seem strange to feel thankful for those events in your life that appear to be negative. Yet it is precisely by being thankful that you can identify the opportunities for transforming the setbacks and obstacles into successes.
You may not think it's worth the time and effort to be thankful for all the little, seemingly insignificant things in your life. However, without the little things there would be no big things.
Seek to develop a depth of gratitude by seizing every opportunity to be thankful. Make genuine gratitude a constant companion to who you are, in all that you do.
As your gratitude grows deeper and more all-encompassing, life's abundance shines more brilliantly for you. Be truly, constantly thankful, and there is no end to the level of abundance that you will experience.
-- Ralph Marston
I have a new found interest in Track & Field courtesy of the Olympics *wink,wink*.
Are your overseas races televised on cable?
I dont have all 60 of ESPN's channels. lol
David,
I love gellatto too. Your going to crave it much when you get back to the states. I toured Italy 10 years ago and I still crave it!
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