Arrival in Paris

France Sightseeing in Paris (Thu 7 June & Fri 8 June 2018)

Weather: 16⁰C min – 23⁰C max, clear and sunny

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“When you ride a bike and you get your heart rate up and you’re out, after 30 or 40 minutes your mind tends to expand; it tends to relax.” ~ George W. Bush

What a relief to finally check-in at my hotel on the outskirts of Paris late last night. The plane was an hour late leaving Cantania in Sicily and then had to circle when we got to Paris because of the heavy rain, so it was after 7 pm when the easyJet plane landed.

It took nearly an hour to get through customs and collect my bike box, which I wheeled on a trolley to a quiet spot outside the airport. Assembling my bike in record time, I set off with my lights on headed for the Ibis hotel at Villepinte Parc de Expositions in Roissy-en-France, about 10 Km from Charles de Gaulle Airport. It was getting dark and pouring rain but I was going great guns, proud of myself for safely navigating the busy, spaghetti-like, overpasses, underpasses, roundabouts, and loopy loops.

Then with my destination in sight a couple of hundred metres away, I was blocked by a boom-gate across the road, manned by an officious gentleman in a military uniform. He was shouting things I couldn’t comprehend, then showed me his badge and waved his arms indicating I had to take a wide detour. Apparently the Exposition Parc was having a military exhibition and when he saw my Australian passport there was no way he was going to allow me to pass through. Then I met a friendly English-speaking Malaysian couple who kindly directed me to the Ibis … unfortunately the wrong one! Eventually I found my way to the correct hotel at 10 pm, dripping wet and starving! Not a good arrival in Paris!

In contrast, the 30 Km ride into Paris this morning was an absolute joy. The rain that was falling most of the night had cleared by the time I finished breakfast, so I took my bike outside and gave it a good service, cleaning the rubber from the rims, adjusting the brakes, and re-lubricating the chain. By the time I checked out at about 9:30 am there were even glimpses of blue sky!

For the whole way into Paris I enjoyed continuous, non-stop, risk-free riding on perfect bicycle paths that took me through forests, alongside the poplar-lined Canal de L’Ourcq, and past several delightful canal-side cafes. Colourful long-boats were gliding silently down the canal, one of them playing an Edith Piaf song rather loudly to attract the tourists, reminding them what city they are in. Cyclists, joggers and walkers were out in their hundreds on what had turned out to be a pleasant, but coolish, morning. There was even a group of a couple of dozen young children being taken for a bicycle excursion by their teacher. Marvellous!

I couldn’t believe that it was only a Km from my destination of the Bastille area in the heart of Paris and still I had not needed to ride on any roads or share paths with any traffic other than pedestrians. Carefree cyclists (like me) were rolling along the paths beside tree-lined avenues, past typical Parisien cafes and bars with their street-facing tables.

The AirBNB that I am staying at for two nights is in a wonderful cobbled, wisteria-covered, laneway running off Place de la Bastille in a very pleasant part of Paris. All around there are lots of interesting cafes, restaurants, and boulangerie patisseries. Deciding which one to eat at tonight is going to be a major challenge.

I think I am going to enjoy my couple of days in Paris!