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People met on my backpacking 216 - Sleeping in a 1000-year-old guesthouse.

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Wow!!! That's fantastic, Korean folks!! As of 10 a.m. on July 31, Korea was ranked fifth in the medal standings for the 2024 Paris Olympics (5 gold, 3 silver, and 3 bronze). This is the same rating as Korea, which is now ranked among the world's top five industrialized countries. That's awesome, Korea!!! The proud sons and daughters of Koreans who continue to wear medals around their necks will amaze the world by raising the Korean flag. The Taegeukgi and the loud cries of support from Koreans in the stands reached my ears. The more I view this scene, the happier I feel.

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Meanwhile, when I watch the Paris Olympics, I recall all of the sites in France that I have visited. I enjoyed Paris, but I preferred the regions. I'll never forget the great kindness and openness of the numerous French folks I encountered back then. They are among the most important memories I still have.

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At the time (1984), I visited to see small and medium-sized cities in French provinces (Roy, Amieng, Rigieux, Luang, Alang Song, Bash, Ttal Mong, Cognac, Russong, Normandy, Lourdes,

Mont-Saint-Michel, etc). One of the locations I'll never forget was my stay in Roye, a little rural village. The lodging was a timber structure over a thousand years old. The accomodation was still in practically immaculate original condition. How did the monks utilize meterial, and how did it persist so long? What was the secret? I couldn't help wondering. Of course, it still makes me wondering today.

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It was time for me to walk downstairs to the restroom in the middle of the night. I was quite frightened as I walked down each step. Every time my feet struck the wooden stairs, I heard a slight whisper. Could this building be collapsing? (It's a pity to think about it. Because if I had known that the wonderful Internet world that I enjoy now would exist, I would have shot many pictures of those lovely sites and the residents at the time. It was because Europe at the time had such a pure and natural landscape and humanity that people could not compare to today.

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Thanks for reading.

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