Paris– day 2 - by bike

Just to sweeten the trip for Jeff I planned an awesome biking tour of Paris for day 2.  This is Jeff’s idea of a moving nightmare. 4 adults all towing one child, lots of heat, lots of people and lots of following this guy:

who persuaded us that we didn’t need to follow the guided tour because he knew where all the bike paths were.  Hmmm.  We spent a lot of time stopping and starting and trying to keep up while being lost on sidewalks darting between pedestrians until we finally reached the nice strip of bike path that runs down the Seine.  It was an adventure and I truly enjoyed most of it (can’t say the same for Jeff, but he was an awesome sport).  I mean seriously, biking through Paris?  It was a spectacular way to see a lot of stuff and the kids were thrilled most of the time.  But, there were some moments of sheer terror as one of us nearly got swiped by a car or crashed into a group of tourists or couldn’t get a hefty trailer up out of an intersection as traffic approached.  It was a challenge and an adventure of a day. 

But, riding around the Eiffel Tower, through the Louvre, the Tuileries Gardens,  around Notre Dame Cathedral past tons of amazingly beautiful sites, along the Seine river ….. I thought it was worth those few minutes of panic.  It was a day none of us will forget.Somehow little Peter who was on the back of my bike evaded all of these pictures.  He really was there, and he really did fall asleep sitting up with his head bobbling with his helmet on.  He is a champ.And the big kids really did pedal hard in their tag-a-longs.  Until the bike behind my moms bike broke its chain.  My mom was then the trooper dragging a free loading kid.  I certainly had it easy with Peter behind me.

We stopped at Notre Dame and soaked in the majesty of it all.  That is a spectacular piece of art crafted with detail and care that seems pretty much extinct these days.   We ooed and awed at it’s flying buttresses and intricacies as we caught our breath and cooled down from all that biking.   We stopped for a perfect Paris lunch at a café right across the road from the Cathedral.  Hazel fed some humming birds.Peter was even in Awe seeing all that grandeur.My mom and I took Hazel and the little kids in while Jeff and Charlie inspected the architecture from the outside.  Peter stretched his legs and chased some pigeons.  Seriously, he is one amazingly good baby.

This is how we all felt after we made it back to the bike shop.  Exhausted.  Hot.  Weary.  Another unforgettable adventure under our belt.