May 19, 2025 to May 22, 2025
Paris
Monday to Wednesday
It was bumpy out of Compiegne, tree roots having played havoc with the asphalt. I was following L'Oise River. I quickly encountered my one and only hike-a-bike. After the hill, I found myself on some forest roads, then farm roads. After getting turned around in Senlis, I was riding in an open cut road through the city, which led to the Canal de l'Ourcq trail which guided me straight into Paris.
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The previous evening, I had used booking.com to reserve a room in the Campanile Prime. The hotel came up in a cycle-friendly search. When I arrived, I was informed that I had booked the wrong nights. Marion at the front desk was incredibly helpful at sorting it out and dealing with booking.com. The hotel was nice but a bit removed from the tourist sites. It was in a real neighborhood as opposed to a tourist island. I stayed there for a few nights but ultimately, felt I paid a lot for the location.
Tuesday I did a short tourist loop of some of Paris's big exterior sites. The bicycling in Paris is similar to NYC, with bike lanes and the mix of ebikes, delivery guys and commuters. Cycling in Paris was a bit more chaotic because less attention is paid to the rules of the road. On her Peugeot, grand-mere acts like she did a stint as a bicycle messenger.
On Wednesday evening I rode Betsy to Cyclecoop and donated her. I explained what I had done and how she was a fairly good quality older American bicycle. They appreciated the donation. I kissed Betsy goodbye and walked back to the hotel in the only rain I had in twenty days of spring riding. The rain hid my tears. On the way back I encountered one of my friend BKFoxx's murals. Parisian serendipity.
Today's ride: 70 miles (113 km)
Total: 623 miles (1,003 km)
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