Riding through Paris

They have a set of scales in the hotel room. It is a fancy set that actually says your weight.
I stepped on them and it said to me “would one of you please get off?” Perhaps all that bread, cheese and wine was having an unwanted effect.

So it was time for some exercise. We set off on our bikes to ride through Paris.
We had no idea where we were going. That is different to the adventure in Singapore, where I thought I knew where I was going.
Riding in peak hour traffic through large roundabouts is a real buzz, but the drivers are very courteous.
At one stage 2 lanes were merging into one, and a truck braked heavily to allow us free passage. We’re not used to that, but we also realised it is important to aggressively claim the privileges. Otherwise the drivers get annoyed. At one stage we had to cross about 3 lanes of traffic to get back to the correct side of the road, and the drivers just let us drift through. That was fun, although I’m sure Rel has a different term for that experience.

Not long after that we were riding through a large open area. I remembered this as the ‘Place de la Concorde’, or however it is referred to in France. I finally knew where we were. We were about to enter the Champs Elysses. Visions of greatness flashed before my eyes, I glanced down to the speedo to see how fast I was going. 15kmh. I shouldn’t expect a call from any teams just yet.

But the ride through Paris was exhilarating, and an unexpected treat.

Rel battles the traffic. Love the guy in the suit on his bicycle.




Rel rides the Champs Elysses. Note the smooth section on the very right hand side. No wonder the cyclists in le tour prefer that part.




John battles the traffic on the Champs Elysses. The drivers were all very courteous though.


We rode next to the Seine for most of the way back. Nearly as good as Brisbane’s own river ride.



Nearly home. Our hotel is just around the corner.



So then it is time for breakfast. The kitchenette also makes for a great place to store the bikes.


After that, we went and explored a bit more of Paris.

Had lunch on the Champs Elysses. ( just a fancy way of saying we had a cold drink at McDonalds)
Dropped into the Eiffel Tower.
Wandered around the Notre Dame. This area was being worked over by the gypsies, and I had been ignoring them.
But I really got under the skin of one of them. Instead of the polite ’do you speak English’, I received an exasperated shriek of ’do you speak English!’ when I wouldn’t pay any attention to her. Made me laugh, but sad that they have to resort to their activities for a living.

On our way home we saw a big press conference for the lady who was rescued from kidnappers in Colombia.

So once home it was time for a home made feast. I love Paris!