Day 556 – US – Illinois [Rest Day in Chicago]

12/10/21

 Rest day in Chicago (Illinois, North America)

A welcome rest day in a city I have gotten to really enjoy over the course of the past three days

Chicago skyline from my balcony…

Following the festivities of the Chicago Marathon, then the Lycee Francais and Consulate welcome… I felt spoiled enough! But it was not to stop there. A friend of a friend in Singapore had just recently relocated to Chicago. “Les amis de mes amis sont mes amis” is a french saying, so I gladly accepted her invitation to come over for dinner. What a treat yet again!

With Fred and Simone – photo taken by Marie who cooked the meal!

On this “solo” journey of mine, these times spent in the warm company of people who welcome me in their home like I belong… are so precious and so rewarding. Marie & Frederic had cooked a homemade meal of indian food. A friend of theirs, Simone, popped in for dinner, having heard of my journey. We enjoyed some nice italian and french wine. The joy of being in a household, having the kids come down to kiss us goodnight before going to bed and the home cat resting on my lap for its nap..! It felt very homely.

Chicago under bright blue skies – after the storm

I had quite a lot of work to catch up on today. Among other things, I had to re-work my route to NY to arrive the day before Thanksgiving. It sounds like a small problem. But to cut 1 day off my journey was a near impossible task, unless I wanted to venture in the 70km+ for a day, which I was not willing to! So I had to cut a rest day… And that means I look at only 3 rest-days before I conclude the North American crossing: Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Washington DC… It seems very near now!

Chicago is such a refreshing city to spend a rest-day in… For the first time since I started the US crossing, here is a big city with a city center where people walk around, with shops and cafes and restaurants, a true “city center” like I have not seen since.. Europe..?! It felt a bit like walking in New-York City… City life! I very much enjoyed it, and as I took breaks from my work, I went on little tours of the neighborhoods downtown, as the sky cleared from last night’s storms to give way to bright blue skies again.