Paris

The Lourve
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The first morning in Paris brought much needed sunshine. We packed our tent and enjoyed breakfast on the bank of a lake in the park. Fully loaded we hiked to the Arc du Triumph and along Champs du Elyses to see the sunset against the Louvre a good 15 miles from our departure point. We rested our bodies as the sun set and the Louvre pyramid began to glow. I happened to run into another traveler I had met on the metro into the city the night before and the three sat comfortably under the heat lamps of Cafe Marly as the wait staff shot glares our direction. Nate went out in search of a good nights sleep and after wandering the busy streets of Paris found ourselves at the tourist info center where we acquired some out of date information and a direction for next. Standing on a street corner, full packs on our backs, trying to decipher the map we held attracted a woman visiting from Canada. She pointed us to a great hostel and after only a few more miles of confusion we shuffled to bed. We had a great room with big windows and a good view of a street across the alley.

Arc du Triumph
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Morning brought inspiration to cruise the city free of burden. We left our packs and meandered through the city, making a much-needed stop at the Notre Dame Cathedral. The place was absolutely gorgeous and full of Asian tourists snapping photos with their high-tech digital cameras. I understand better now why many churches don't allow photographs, it steals the magic. I am guilty, I took my fair share, I guess it was kinda contagious. From the Cathedral we made our way to Gare du Lyon to buy train tickets for our next stop Joigny - success, and affordable! With no real plan in mind we began hunting for Nate's new bike. He had decided to sell Lord Pancake (the name of the trusty mountain bike that carried him and the cart over 5,000 miles) in Manchester and invest his hard earned cash on more reliant transportation. We didn't find anything of consequence but began to get a feel of the options. On our way home we got a couple tasty brick oven pizza and a bottle of wine to enjoy for dinner.

masterful artwork on the Arc du Triumph
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The next morning we got up early to take advantage of 'free museum Sunday'. We made our way to the Picasso Museum and enjoyed every minute of the endless rooms of amazing artwork. I don't like to take photos of paintings, they just don't do justice, but there were some pieces there that took my breath away. We enjoyed sandwiches of cured meat and wonderful cheese and wandered back towards the hostel. On the way we discovered an exhibit of hand painted vinyl covers that were absolutely amazing. After purchasing our first pastry we got back to the hostel where we regrouped and headed out towards the Eiffel Tower with aspirations of watching the sunset from above the city. We made it, or we would've made it if we ‘d been in the right line. Most people take the elevator up but Nate and I flew up the 1826 steps skipping every other on the way. Almost to the first platform we saw the orange globe setting into the horizon, we continued up to be astonished by the beauty of the city below. We waited for the full moon to take center stage as we watched the romance of Paris unfold before our eyes. We ambled down the staircase and set out to explore a new part of the city. We hiked through Montparnasse, a big spender quadrant with a skyscraper that dissolved into the fog above, and onto the shimmering Palace Hotel. A good nights sleep in the hostel had us ready for our next big day.

The hat sees Paris
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We packed up our gear and signed out of the hostel with a quiet park in mind for the evening. We enjoyed the luxury of public transit as we immersed ourselves in the bike hunt. First stop was on the edge of the city and was closed until the next day; our indulgence had already saved us 4 hours of hiking. We continued the search again with only adequate findings, nothing worth spending our precious euros. We decided to take advantage of our travel pass and made our way to Moulin Rouge. We hiked up to the Sacre Coeuf, an amazing church with an amazing view. We discovered the metro station hiding underneath some construction and zipped to the Pompidou Center. It was beginning to get cold, and we were tired and a bit disappointed by the absence of a new bike. I was cheered by a street performer that demonstrated his tough skin and daring when he "swallowed" 5 razor blades, 5 lit cigarettes and 4 burning matches. Hunger began to dominate our thoughts and we set out in search of sustenance. I happened glance up and spotted a bike shop still open. Without many expectations Nate left his pack with me outside and went in to get a look. After 30 minutes of people watching I began to hope that he'd found something worth looking at. Soon after he came rolling out on a pearl colored Pegasus with front and back racks and great dynamo lights. A test ride had him jittery with excitement and in another thirty minutes we'd purchased the bike with two sets of panniers. The shop was kind enough to hold the bike for us until our Paris departure date on the 9th and we set out with new inspiration and loud stomachs. Luck found us and we enjoyed a full meal at a wonderful Japanese restaurant. Our day passes treated us to a last ride and we settled in a park on the edge of town.

Fountain near the Oblisk at the end of Champs du Elysees
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I always prefer mornings after having slept out doors; it's mine to enjoy. We set out on foot again with a couple goals for the day. Nate had succeeded in scoring us a place to stay in Paris through the couch surfing network. We made our way to the Jardin dus Plantes where they had enormous gardens lined with great museums. We climbed the spiral walkway to a gazebo atop a hill and listened to a man play his beautiful wooden didgeridoo as we soaked up the sun and enjoyed the view. For lunch we walked to our favorite part of the city - the Latin Quarter and ate a fairly decent meal in the sun. After sipping on a tiny cup of espresso we walked to the Jardin du Luxemburgh where we sat in French lawn chairs and wrote in the sun. I took a little walk and looked at some Kevin Kling photos that were on display: "Childhood from around the world". Inspiring and compelling photos of the lives of children in Mongolia, Tibet and China. A search for a phone connected us with our to-be host Yann. We made our way out of the city and met Yann at a metro station. He treated us to a solid meal, good conversation, new music and a very comfortable bed. We stayed up late, lured by the possibilities of free Internet.

Nate kisses the Oblisk
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November 8th we had set aside for a Louvre tour, the last thing on our must-do list. Not the best day for it. We were worn down by two weeks of urban insanity so we strolled at a relaxed pace to Venus du Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, the coronation crown of Louis XIV, and of course da Vinci's La Joconde, also known as the Mona Lisa. We ventured out of the food court to find lunch and headed back in for another round. We hit the Eastern European art and began to shuffle our feet. A consensus decision put us back on the metro towards Yann's where we enjoyed a good nap. We stumbled out of slumber to the dinner table for another wonderful meal with our gracious host. Nate and I decided to spend a night in and Yann went to a local Jazz concert.

Statue in the Jardin des Tuileries on the way to the Lourve
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The last morning in Paris we made our way back to the bike shop to pick up Nate's new bike - Pearl. I had one last Parisian indulgence of a freshly made crepe, mmmm. We walked Pearl to the train station and set up for a couple hours wait. The train ride was a beautiful picture of France outside of Paris. I enjoy trains, second to bicycles of course, but they have a good pace and are a comfortable form of public transport.

Overall I enjoyed Paris very much. There was an enormous sense of culture everywhere we went and I was thrilled to view the city on foot. As the end of the week drew closer I was glad to be headed out of the urban center. Though I do enjoy the variety provided by larger cities I feel that real culture is found in the rural areas.