Monday, 23 October 2023
More walking around. I headed first to the east side of Saint Ouen for lunch. When I find an Indian place in France called Marie Curry, I can't resist. Awesome name, and fantastic food!
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| Marie Curry |
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| Chicken vindaloo at Marie Curry |
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| Zoé |
After lunch I headed to the cemetery to see if the old section was open, or if I could figure out what the signs said. If it is permanently closed, I can update Openstreetmap.org to indicate that and the streets will be removed from CityStrides. But if it is open even one day a week, I'll have to figure out when I can walk those streets.
The doors to the old part of the cemetery are still closed. Hmmmm, but are they locked? ... Yep. 🙁 There is a sign -- let's see if I can figure out what it says. Something about "for access, see the attendant behind you". So I walk over to the new part and find the attendant in the gatehouse. I asked him if the old part is closed. He said that yes, it is closed. His English was only a bit better than my French, but I managed to ask him if it is permanently closed, or only on certain days. "Oh, you want to get in?" "Yes, please." "Oh, I can unlock it for you."
He grabbed his umbrella and walked across the road with me. He unlocked the door in the wall. As I walked through the door, before he closed it behind me, he said "Just ring that bell when you want to leave and I will come over and unlock it for you." And then he locked the door. And that's how I got locked in a cemetery.
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| Inside the wall of the old part of the cemetery. The door (right) that the attendant unlocked for me; and the bell that I should ring to get "released" |
As I walked around the old cemetery I contemplated what would happen if the attendant went on a break when I wanted out. Or if the bell didn't work. Or if he had a heart attack. The wall was nine or ten feet high. I didn't see any gaps. It didn't appear to have any protrusions that I'd be able to climb easily. No sign of any ladders. I guess I'll climb that wall when I get there.
I found another monument for several members of the Guy family. Probably not the inspiration for the Fox sitcom, but perhaps Seth McFarlane also walks around French cemeteries. Let's see if a close zoom makes it readable.
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| Famille Guy |
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| Famille Guy |
I finished the streets in the cemetery and rang the bell. The attendant let me out promptly. No need to figure out a way over the wall after all.
I walked some more of the area near the cemetery, then went back to the hotel for a while. Later in the evening I walked some more streets.
I completed 28 more streets of Saint Ouen today, and a few in the neighboring towns. 70-ish remaining.
...doug
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