Bonjour Paris 

Anne-Sophie Mauffré, La Jeune Globe-trotteuse de 29 ans Continue Son Voyage Autour de Monde

Philippe Avice
vendredi 1 février 2002   04:39

Une jeune parisienne de 29 ans est partie seule faire le tour du monde pendant un an. Le 21 septembre 2001, jour de l'automne, et malgré la tournure inquiétante que prenaient les relations entre le monde occidental et le monde musulman, Anne-Sophie Mauffré quittait la gare de l'Est à Paris par l'Orient-Express, en direction d'Istanbul. Un mois en Turquie, trois semaines en Iran, un mois au Népal avec un trekking en altitude, 53 jours en Inde, puis la Thaïlande, le Vietnam où elle se trouve aujourd'hui... Elle poursuivra son tour du monde en direction du Pacifique et de l'Amérique du
Sud, avec la ferme intention de fêter ses 30 ans sur les îles Galapagos. Le but de ce voyage est à la fois de découvrir le monde, en particulier les espaces naturels et de se découvrir soi-même. Anne-Sophie donne régulièrement de ses nouvelles grâce à l'internet et ses récits de voyages accompagnés de photos numériques sont mis en ligne sur un site web au fur et à mesure. Le site internet est un lien puissant qui permet à l'entourage d'Anne-Sophie de suivre ses aventures. Peu à peu le défit personnel d'Anne-Sophie devient un feuilleton dont les lecteurs attendent avec hâte le
prochain épisode, d'autant que ses récits ne manquent pas de piquant! Nous avons posé quelques question à la jeune globe-trotteuse (par internet bien sûr!)
" Mademoiselle Mauffré,

-Pourquoi avez vous décidé de partir ?
Quand j'ai su que les Iles Galapagos étaient menacées de marée noire en janvier 2001, j'ai décidé de partir " aimer ma terre ". Comme un besoin d'amour urgent pour la nature.

-Quand avez vous décidé de partir ?
Le jour du flash d'information. j'ai parlé à mon chef au travail le lendemain pour lui faire part de mon projet qui l'a ému, puis à mon banquier pour emprunter 15000 us$ et il m'a dit que j'étais folle.

-Combien de temps les préparatifs ont-ils duré ?
Environ 7 mois.

-A quoi n'aviez vous pas pensé ?
Combien le manque lié à l'absence révèle les liens profonds de l'Amour.

-Avez vous dévié par rapport à votre itinéraire ?
Etant dépourvue de sens de l'orientation, je suis la direction du soleil levant... C'est plus pratique, et j'écoute mon instinct. Mon itineraire n'a pas trop dévié...

-Quelle anecdote retenez vous de votre voyage ?
Un gros rat planqué dans mes petites culottes au fond de mon sac à dos.

-Montaigne disait que " les voyages forment la jeunesse ", qu'en pensez vous? Qu'apprenez vous ?
J'apprends que la vraie liberté, c'est d'oser...

-Ressentez-vous la solitude ?
Oui, lorsque je suis en compagnie de gens avec lesquels je ne m'épanouis pas.

-Quel pays vous a le plus apporté / ému?
Tous les pays m'ont énormément apporté, chaque pays est pour moi comme une grande histoire d'amour inoubliable, particulièrement la Turquie puisque j'ai pu retrouver les enfants que je recherchais et dont j avais perdu la trace deux ans auparavant... et puis l'Iran, parce que les gens sont hospitaliers et cultivés. J'ai appris qu'il ne faut jamais croire aveuglément ce que les médias disent... Les mollahs ne sont pas des guerriers sanguinaires... ils se forment à internet, aux sciences et ont de l'humour !

-Quel pays vous a le plus déçue
Il m'a été difficile en tant que femme seule de voyager en Inde.

Vous pouvez retrouver les récits d'Anne-Sophie sur son site http://declicautourdumonde.free.fr et si vous ne lisez pas le français vous serez subjugués par la beauté des photos.

29 Year Old Parisian Globe Trotter Anne-Sophie Mauffré Keeps Trekking around the World

Translated by YAD Staff

All alone, a young 29 year old Parisian woman left on her voyage around the world. It was an autumn day, September 21, 2001,  and inspite of the worrying turn of events between the West and Muslim world, Anne Sophie Mauffre left from Paris' Gare de l'Est (East Station) for the East, towards Istanbul. One month in Turkey, three weeks in Iran, one month in Nepal with a trekking en altitude, 53 days in India, then Thailand, Vietnam where she is today. She will continue her world tour towards the Pacific and South America, with the strong intention of celebrating her 30th birthday in the Galapagos Islands. The aim of this voyage is to discover the world, in particular the natural habitats, and at the same time discover herself. Anne-Sophie regularly sends news via the Internet and her stories with photos are posted online little by little. The website is a powerful link that allows those around Anne-Sophie to follow her adventures. Little by little Anne-Sophie's personal challenge becomes a series on which the readers imaptiently wait for the next episode as much as  her stories do not lack spice. We have asked the young globe trotter a few questions (via Internet of course!)

Ms. Mauffre,

-Why did you decide to leave?
When I knew that the Galapagos Islands were threatened by oil slick in January 2001, I decided to go "love my earth."It was like an urgent need of love for nature.

-When did you decide to leave?
The day of the news flash. I spoke with my boss the following morning to tell him about my project which moved him then my banker to borrow $15,000US and he told me that I was stupid.

-How much time did it take to prepare?
About seven months.

-What did you not think about?
How the lack linked to absence reveals the deep links of love.

-Have you deviated in regards to your itinerary?
Being deprived of all sense of direction, I follow the direction of the rising sun... It's more practical, and I follow my instinct. My itinerary has not changed too much.

-What anecdote do you retain/remember from your trip?
A big rat hiding in my undewear at the bottom of my back- pack.

-Montaigne said that "traveling forms youth." What do you think? What have you leanrned?
I think the real freedom is to dare.

-Do you experience lonliness?
Yes, when I am in the company of people with whom I do not open out.

-Which country moved you the most?
All the countries moved me, each one is for me is like a big unforgettable love story, particularly Turkey because I could find the children whom I researched and had lost contact two years before.... and Iran, because the people are hospitable and cultured. I learned that one must never blindly believe what the media reports.... The mollahs are not bloody warriors... they come together online, and have a sense of humor.

-Which country disappointed you the most?
It was very difficult for me as a woman to travel alone in India.

You can find more stories from Anne-Sophie on her website delic autor du monde and if you don't read French you will be captivated by the beautiful photos.

PARIS - The City of Love

PARIS: The capital and gem in France's tourist crown, Paris is a glutton for superlatives and travel clichés. As a result, visitors often arrive all moist and runny with giddy expectations of grand vistas and romance along the Seine, of landscapes painted on bus-sized canvases, of phenomenally haughty people, of pick-an-ist types in cafés monologuing on the use of garlic or the finer points of Jerry Lewis. True, you can usually find whatever you expect or hope to discover. But an equally effective way of enjoying your stay in the city is to leave your expectations in the hotel, wander aimlessly around the backstreets and avenues, and just see what you see.

Both the capital of the nation and of the historic Île de France region, Paris is located in northern central France, 265km (165mi) south-west of Brussels, 295km (185mi) south-west of Luxembourg and 510km (315mi) west of Stuttgart. The city centre - known as Intra-Muros, or within the walls - is bisected by the River Seine. The area north of the river, the Rive Droite (Right Bank), includes the tree-lined Avenue des Champs-Élysées, running west to the Arc de Triomphe. East of the avenue is the massive Musée du Louvre, the Centre Georges Pompidou and a lively district of museums, shops, markets and restaurants. Immediately south of the Pompidou Centre on the Île de la Cité is the world-famous hunchback hangout, Notre Dame. The area south of the river, the Rive Gauche (Left Bank), is home to the city's most prominent landmark, the Eiffel Tower. To the east, in the Saint Germain de Prés and Montparnasse districts, Paris' famous academic, artistic and intellectual milieus waft in and out of focus through a haze of Gitanes smoke.

Paris is at its best during the temperate spring months (March to May), with autumn coming in a close second. In winter, there are all sorts of cultural events to tempt the visitor, but school holidays can clog the streets with the little folk. August is usually hot and sticky, and it's also when many Parisians take their yearly vacations, so businesses are likely to be closed.

Most museums and shops are closed on France's jours fériés (public holidays). When a holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, expect to see a lot of shuttered storefronts on that Monday or Friday as well. The doors of banks are good places to check for announcements of long holiday weekends.

France's national day, 14 July, commemorates the 1789 storming of the Bastille prison, the event that kicked off the French Revolution. Across the country, the holiday is celebrated with serious abandon, especially in Paris, where the day ends with a massive fireworks display and throngs of people in the streets.

Public Holidays:
1 January - New Year's Day
late March or April - Easter Sunday, Easter Monday
1 May - May Day
8 May - Victory Day
May (40th day after Easter) - Ascension Day
7th Sunday after Easter - Pentecost or Whit Sunday
8th Monday after Easter - Whit Monday
14 July - Bastille Day
15 August - Assumption Day
1 November - All Saints' Day
11 November - Armistice Day
25 December - Christmas Day

source: lonelyplanet.com

Disclaimer: Although we've tried to make the information on this web site as accurate as possible, we accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by any person resulting from information published on this site. We encourage you to verify any critical information with the relevant authorities before you travel. This includes information on visa requirements, health and safety, customs, and transportation.

Nightlife:
When the Lights Go Down in the City

There are several thousand different ways to get your groove on in this city, and luckily, a couple of them are legal.  One of the best ways to find out is to buy a Pariscope for three francs at a newsstand, or save a franc and buy an Officiel du Spectacle (the latter does not have the ‘Time Out’ section in the back).  Generally two hundred and a bit pages long, they’ve got just about everything going on anywhere in and around Paris.  Give yourself plenty of time to figure out how to use it and how to find what you want.  There is also a concert listing called Lylo, but you'll have to scout them out.

You're going to hear a lot about clubs and bars here, because it's AUP and it's Paris and you didn't really come all this way to study that much did you?  As for clubs, the glamour and wanna-be crowd will need VIP on the Champs-Elysées (look for the herd of people waiting to get inside and the 120 franc drink prices - the music is great, the old men in suits aren't), Cabaret (rue Pierre Charron, just off the Champs - more of the same, the drinks are cheaper and the men are younger - but notice I didn't say young), and Les Bains in St. Denis (rue du Bourg l'Abbé - the most down to earth of the three, it's still in the upper reaches of the troposphere).  Bars you'll be looking for are Man Ray, Barfly, and Buddha Bar.  If you decide you can't spend enough money at any of these places, head for the nearest restaurant/bar with the word 'Costes' written on it, and they'll be happy to test just how serious you are about your expenditures.  Guys, your best bet is to either go with a regular, reserve a table, or get some good looking female company, else you risk being turned away from just about any establishment around.  Even karaoke bars.  Really.  And sometimes even the good looking company won't help.  A doorman may tell you that the girls can go in but you can't.  Welcome to Paris.

For those seeking the feel of a sweaty night in Manchester, the Long Hop (M° Maubert-Mutualité) or the Oz Bar (M° Châtelet) are for you.  Dark, hot, and cramped, they are the equivalent of the Batcave with liquor and music.  Chesterfields (rue La Boétie) and the Firkin (rue de Berri, both M° Franklin D. Roosevelt), a tad brighter and with less of that humid-like-the-inside-of-one's-mouth feel, may be more accommodating.

For those in between, looking for some casual cool, you are also well served.  Check the Marais (M° St. Paul, rue Vielle du Temple, Trésor, Lizard Lounge), M° Mabillon/St. Michel (Café Mabillon, rue de Buci and surrounds, Café Richard), and the 16th.  Salsa is dished out at Monte Cristo and Latina Café (Champs-Elysées, M° Franklin Roosevelt) and Barrio Latino (M° Bastille).

If you want to hang out with French people, Bastille, République, and rue Oberkampf in the 20th (between M° Parmetier and M° Ménilmontant, Cafés Charbonne and Cithéa) are for you.  The popular places are quite  small and crowded, the bars especially, because they're packed with chairs and tables (and people), but the more quiet places have ample space to move.  The only question is whether you'll want to hang out with the, how shall I say, "charming," regulars.

For any Goths, the scene is just as black, smoky, and rubber clad as it is in any other civilized country.  It's in French too.  But I  can't help you out with this one.  The nature of the beast is: you know where to find it.  Or you don't. 

Source: --The Planet (the AUP Student Newspaper)

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