Paris by Foot
That old lie about Maupassant eating his lunch under the Eiffel Tower every day, because it was the only place in Paris he couldn't see the Eiffel Tower from–that really can't be true. I walked around Paris for hours yesterday, and I still haven't seen it.
I did see some other cool things, though. Like barge that posed perfectly for me:
Barge, birds, bridges.
After crossing this bridge, I found Notre-Dame. I got a rare chance to see the famous cathedral's stunning yellow crane:
Notre-Dame's world-renowned yellow crane.
I was on my way to Au Vieux Campeur. It's like an American outdoors shop (eg REI), except split up amongst several buildings. So if you need shoes, that's in a separate store from the bike supplies. This is actually a really positive thing for a guy like me, who can't walk into REI without walking out with a backpack full of gear. Let's face it, new gear is cool. It's hard not to buy.
I left my isobutane fuel in San Francisco because it's (unsurprisingly) illegal to take on a plane. Because I like my camp stove, I was just hoping that the same fuel type was available in France. Luckily, it is. I spotted it immediately in the store. I managed to limit my camping purchases to just that and some dehydrated food. I almost bought a 30 Euro waterproof iPad case but talked myself out of it when I realized it was a glorified plastic bag.
On the way to grab some falafel, I found this:
Miles, and miles, and miles.
I was awed by all the miles this must have been ridden. After I took this picture, I stood and wondered what the number would look like and it was inspiring. Then I showed it to R. and he said, “you know there's a bolt to tighten that saddle?”
Fair enough, and anyway I had my own bike to build. I walked halfway back to R.'s apartment. I only stopped once, to duck into a church. That's where I took this:
Jesus!
I don't know the name of the church. Taking pictures in old churches is like shooting fish in a barrel. You almost can't take a picture that isn't dramatic and reverent. And I guess that's sort of the point of churches in the first place.
Then I got home and built this:
I am here for a bike tour, after all.
