The Idiot — after a whirlwind tour of the French Riviera, Vienna and Berlin to celebrate his 75th birthday during the end of July and the first half of August — didn’t even bother trying to sell copies of The Idiot and the Odyssey trilogy of travel narratives during the second half of the month.
Instead he enjoyed an empty Paris (82.47% of the French population still leave town and close up shop in August); explored numerous tourist-filled monuments (he was given a one-year pass to visit 92 monuments in France as a birthday present); continued his 600-kilometer (373 miles) circumnavigation of the French capital on the Grand Randonée 1 blazed hiking path; and hung out with his grandchildren (5.92-year-old Baby Gaga and 3.3-year-old Baby Gogo) despite their current boycott of social media.
The Idiot used an annual pass to 92 French monuments, which he received as a 75th birthday present, to be the first one up the Arc de Triomphe on August 18.
Paris is empty of the French in August but tourists love lining up to be the first customers at French boutiques, from Louis Vuitton and Hermès to lesser-known spots like E. Goyard.
The Idiot, who is gradually hiking around Paris on the 600-kilometer (373 mile) Grand Randonnée 1 blazed trail, studied lavoirs (“wash houses” where clothes were washed on riverbanks back in the day) on the Orge River in Dourdan.
The Idiot used an annual pass to 92 French monuments, which he received as a birthday present, to study the pendulum in the Panthéon in Paris.
The Idiot gave his award of the “Best Temporary Facade At A Paris Fashion House in August 2023” to this Longchamp outlet on rue Saint-Honoré.
The Idiot continued his ongoing 600-kilometer walk around Paris on the GR1 in August.
The Idiot used an annual pass to 92 French monuments, which he received as a 75th birthday present, to revisit Sainte-Chapelle in Paris.
The Idiot and long-time friend Jim Bittermann had no trouble finding an empty table for ice cream at Girotti during August to discuss why the French are so friendly to Americans these days. (Photo: Jim Bittermann)
The Idiot simultaneously ate breakfast and bought cheese for lunch while walking through the market in Dourdan during his circumnavigation of Paris on the GR1 hiking path.
The Idiot used an annual pass to 92 French monuments, which he received as a birthday present, to revisit the Conciergerie in Paris.
The Idiot loves the anti-litter ads introduced in Paris, where there are still a lot of smokers, this summer: “In theory you’re strong enough to carry this to a trash can.”
The Idiot loves discovering châteaux like this during his 600-kilometer walk around Paris.
The Idiot used an annual pass to 92 French monuments, which he received as a 75th birthday present, for a first-time view of a cenotaph to honor American-born dancer Josephine Baker, the first black woman with a crypt at the Panthéon (her remains are in the Monaco Cemetery).
Paris may be empty of the French in August but those who remain tend to hit the banks of the Seine.
The Idiot tracks his progress on the 600-kilometer (370 mile) circumnavigation of Paris on this map of the GR1.
The Idiot used an annual pass to 92 French monuments, which he received as a 75th birthday present, to climb to the top of the Panthéon on a cloudy day in August.
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