Repost of old content from old site, new location here.
We’ve seen it all (from the outside)- I’m finding myself a little overwhelmed by the crowds- and this is the beginning of the offseason. Apparently, hundreds of thousands (millions?) of other people found out that Paris is awesome and are here. Parks, parks, Notre Dame, Louvre, Arc de Triumph, Champs, Crepes, Cafe, Foie, Seine- they have all been a great backdrop to Chris and I exploring this grand city through one another’s eyes. We took another chill AM to read, do laundry, chill some more and plan our day. I rented a bike and headed out, stroll-rolled past the Arc d Triumph, the pyramid at the Louvre and the Eiffel tower – all while the thoughts of Edith Piaf played a soundtrack in my head.
The shared bike rental thing here is awesome, once you can figure out how to get those fuckers out of the locks. It must be a running local sport- to watch first-timers struggle. Chris and I did it. It’s fun. Beyond that, I took the stereotype so far that I even stopped to get a baguette so it could sit just right in my bike basket, tied off my scarf so it flowed just right and zig-zagged my way around Paris on a bright, cool Saturday AM. And then the Apres Midi hit and the city came out to play, along with a hot blazing sun. I hit a pothole and my baguette flopped to the ground. When I rescued it I dented it so it was flopping about (it finally broke in half) and it got so hot and crowded (there was a massive music festival to try and bike through) that I sweat through my shirt and I had to use my scarf to wipe up the grease from them my bike chain fell off because of the goddamned cobblestones. Pretty in Paris indeed. If you go out on a bike, go out early or VERY late. And stick to the bike lanes. I do NOT recommend biking down the stairs of one of the ingress spots the river promenade either as you MIGHT just have to dodge lots of other people.
Reconnecting with Chris was great as he took the AM to recover a bit, so we walked the Marais and helped Paris celebrate its parks. Shockingly we found a cafe on a square that allowed for some people watching and cocktails.
Dinner out was at a sweet little spot just around the corner from our flat and I came to the realization that we actually have 23 days of vacation, not 21. Chris had not counted the travel days when planning the trip and I never noticed. What a privileged life! Two extra unplanned (for me days to play) Oh, the selfies I can take!
randy marcotte - uncle randy writes here 