The First Full Day in Paris
Yesterday in France ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
After the marathon day of travel yesterday, it was a blessed relief to finally reach our hotel in Paris. When choosing a hotel in this huge city I always choose the location first, then look at which ones I can afford before finally going through the list of possibles to choose the best of those that met the previous criteria.
Our home for the next four nights will be the rather grandly named Hotel Claude Bernard, situated right in the prestigious St Germaine district of Paris. It is only a very short walk from the beautiful Luxembourg Gardens and Notre Dame Cathedral. The location gets a huge tick. And as for the hotel ? The outside is classic Parisian style, Another tick. But what about the rooms ?
For those that have never been to Paris, you need to know that hotel rooms in Paris are usually about the size of a small kitchen. If you come expecting anything more, you will always be disappointed. At least the Claude Bernard has an ancient elevator, that is always a bonus, even when the size of the elevator is not big enough to get both you and your luggage in at the same time. It was certainly a challenge, but it finally managed to get me to the second floor and the very long awaited Room 21. And as for the room itself, although it was tiny, it was very clean. It also had a tiny bathroom, double bed, small desk and chair. It even had very effective air conditioning, something of a rare find in modest priced hotels.
It was a massive relief to finally take my shoes off and settle down in a bed. I immediately fell into a deep sleep. For about 4 hours. Then I woke up. After trying to get back to sleep for some time, I got up and began my first full day in Paris. Another long day lay ahead.
A few hours later I was with the other members of my small group in the underground breakfast room of the hotel. Since none of them had been to Paris before, I thought I would bless them with one of my famous walking tours of the city. Paris is a city that begs to be explored on foot, and it is easy to spend the entire day just walking and people watching.
We began by walking to the Seine and the nearby Notre Dame Cathedral. Notre Dame simply means "Our Lady" and there are actually numerous churches of that name scattered throughout France, but the most famous of all is the ancient building situated on the Isle de La Citie in the middle of Paris. This building is actually so important that it is the point that all distances to other places in France are measured from,
When I was last here in 2023 the cathedral was still in ruins after the disastrous fire. I was very keen to see what it now looked like, after the huge rebuilding project. Well it certainly looks better than it did. Not only has the roof been replaced, but the entire building has been cleaned and restored. They really have done a superb job, even it is not actually finished yet. Much of the rear part is still covered with extensive scaffolding and the previous walking routes are still blocked with security fencing and builders sites.
After the cathedral, our walk continued to the nearby Isle St Louis, home to some of the most expensive real estate in Paris, and probably the world. Then we crossed to the right bank to begin the long walk back to the Louvre. It was about this time that I realised that this was going to be the slowest walking tour I had ever conducted. Time and time again I turned around to discover that my companions were nowhere to be seen. So I waited, and waited, and waited. It became a recurring theme. Then they complained that I was walking too fast. I thought that I had been walking so slowly that it was hard to avoid falling over.
Some time later we reached the famous Louvre, probably one of the largest museums in the world and home to an astounding collection of priceless artworks and other treasures, although its inventory had been reduced lately by a brazen (and very successful) daylight raid that made off with tens of millions of dollars worth of items. As far as I know, none has ever been recovered.
The location outside the front of the Louvre is home to the famous glass pyramids. Although these were very controversial when they were first built, they are now accepted as one of the most iconic sights of the city. I did however notice that something was missing. On every previous visit the area in front of the Louvre had been plagued by groups of young gypsy girls working together to fleece the hordes of tourists of every piece of personal property they could get their hands on. This time, these groups were nowhere in sight. I wondered if the police had finally managed to clear them out of the city. The next couple of days will tell.
Our crawling tour then proceeded through the Tuileries to the Place de La Concord. By that time the group was complaining that their bodies could take no more. They had given up, even though I was just starting. I had to admit that maybe we are all getting old after all. "I think we will end it here", I said. The problem was that we still had to walk back to the (now distant) hotel.
Somehow I managed to get them all back, albeit with a few rest stops along the way. I began to think that I should have brought along a defibrillator, just in case. By the end I had to admit that even I was getting tired as well. It must be contagious. According to the step counter we had only done 28000 steps !
We eventually made it back to the hotel, where I immediately went to have a little nana nap. About twenty minutes should be enough. You could imagine my surprise when I awoke to find my watch telling me it was 6:45 pm. I must have been in a coma. Upon contacting the others, we discovered that Mark O'Connor really was in a coma. It took some time to wake him up.
All that remained was to find a nice place to eat. A short distance from the hotel we found a lovely street, alive with cafes and entertainers. It was the perfect place to end a memorable day.Read more
Two Icebergs followed by a Great Surprise
Yesterday in France ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
Anyone who knows me well might already know that I am regarded as something of a micro manager. I do like paying close attention to details, and trying to make sure that all the proverbial bases are always covered. Perhaps that is why I always like to arrive early for appointments. I just like to think that, with any complex task, I have always done everything I can to make sure that nothing is omitted. Sometimes it works.
This particular adventure has been almost two years in the making, At times it looked like the logistics were just going to be too complex to be able to put together successfully. A couple of times I came close to giving up, however eventually all the details started to come together and the final plan was formulated. With such a long lead time, I would have absolutely no excuse for not having everything perfectly in order when the day of departure finally arrived. And I really thought that was the situation.
My bag had been packed and repacked several times, weighed, labelled and secured. I even put it just inside the front door so that it would be ready when the airport driver arrived to pick me up about midnight on Saturday night. Throughout the day I paced around the house, watching the clock slowly mark off the passage of time. I just wanted to get going.
At 9 pm, for some strange reason I decided that I should do one final quick check of everything in the case. After all I could think of nothing better to do in the final three hours before departure, I started pulling everything out, just to make sure that I had not missed anything. Shirts ? Tick. Underwear ? Tick. Socks? Tick. Trousers ? Trousers ? Where was the special pair of lightweight travel pants that I had bought just for this trip ? (And just in case you were thinking that I was wearing them, no, even I am not that stupid). They were missing. How could that possibly happen?
I frantically went through everything again, No pants. I started to think that maybe I had forgotten to pack them. I went through my entire wardrobe, just in case they were still hanging there. No pants. The clock was ticking. This was making no sense. I was starting to slightly panic (in fact, maybe more than slightly panic). There was just no sign of them. How could a pair of pants just disappear?
After about twenty minutes of frantic searching, I had an epiphany. I knew where the pants were. They were in my luggage all along, except I had packed a small selection of vital clothing in my carry on, just in case my main bag was delayed in transit. In hindsight it was a simple mistake. But at least I knew where the pants were. All I had to do now was to repack the pcase and wait for the driver. Simples. Actually it turned out to be anything but.
As I was zipping up the main case for the twentieth and last time, disaster struck. The zipper suffered an aneurysm, just at the worst possible time. Now my heart really started to pound. I struggled and fought to try to rethread the slider, but to no avail. What was I going to do now ? Pack everything into a plastic garbage bag? Of course I called for Maggie to solve the problem. We both battled without success. The clock was ticking steadily. The only thing I could think off was to unpick the end of the zipper to expose the end. Hopefully it would then be possible to rethread the slider.
So out came the pliers, scissors, thread cutters, etc and we both set about destroying the case. It was not my finest hour. It is never pleasant to see a grown man cry. I won't go into all the details of what transpired over the next 30 minutes, but somehow we managed to get the little fellow back onto the zipper and the case secured again. Maggie had to then hand sow the end of the zipper to make sure it could not come off. It was not how we planned to spend the final evening.
After the great zipper catastrophic, I still had an hour or so to wait before the driver arrived. I was not going to risk further disaster by doing anything at all. The driver did arrive right on time, the luggage was loaded and I was finally underway. Fortunately there was little traffic and I arrived without further incident. I was soon met by the other members of Group 1, Tim O'Connell, Mark O'Connor and Mark Madler-Edwards. We were soon checked and began the wait for the plane to depart at the ungodly hour of 5.15am.
At this point I have a confession to make. After putting together so many of these trips and after spending so many hours sitting in sardine class at the back of long haul flights, for the first time in my life I had lashed out for business class. I had been looking forward to the unfamiliar experience of actually having lots of space and comfort on the flight. It certainly did take some of pain out the long 14 hour leg to Dubai.
There was only an hour of transit before we boarded the second flight to Paris, much of that that was making our way from one side of the enormous airport to the other. It was at that point my luck changed dramatically. Just as we were boarding the plane, the steward took my boarding pass and issued a replacement. I looked at it and could not believe that it had FIRST CLASS printed very proudly on the top. I don't understand what happened, but I certainly wasn't going to complain. Never in my wildest dreams had I thought that I would be hobnobbing with the rich and famous in First Class, but here I was.
So how was the First Class Experience ? It was a bit overwhelming to be honest. The sheer amount of food and sweets was enough to give me a blurby feeling in my stomach. At least it was something I could tick off my bucket list, even if it was not something I would ever have put on that list in the first place.
The plane touched down at Paris CDG Airport right on time at 8 pm. We were met by a driver waiting for us with a prominent sign and we were soon being unloaded at our home for the next four nights - the Claude Bernard Hotel in St Germain. Needless to say I wasted no time in getting straight to bed. It had been a long and very eventful day.Read more
More Bumps in the Road
July 29 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
With the final countdown now down to just over three weeks, it is time to get more serious about my packing. To that end, I have now reduced one room in my home to a state of extreme disorder. Whenever I remember something that I require for my trip, I immediately collect it and add it to the ever growing pile. The rationale is that I would rather know where everything is that I need, rather than go looking for it at the last moment and then discover that it is not where I thought it was.
So where am I up to ? According to my estimates, I am probably about 90 to 95% ready. When the time gets a little closer I will have a "dummy pack" to see how everything fits into the case, and then to weight it to see what the final weight is. I am hoping for a final weight of around 17kg, but it could go a little more. I have to keep reminding myself that, for every extra kg I add, that is another kg I have to lug all over France with me.
What about the status of the others in my group ? Some weeks ago there were some serious concerns about the medical condition of a couple of other team members from Group One. At one stage I was a little concerned that I was going to make a group of just one. Fortunately those concerns have now abated, as the two doubtful starters now seemed to have made a good recovery. There will be four males in Group One of the Prologue Ride, so I think that I might christen the phrase "The Four Amigos" to describe our team.
Added to the medical concerns, we had the added uncertainly of war in the Middle East. That would be bad at any time, but takes on a whole new degree of relevance when our flight over is planned to go right through the conflict zone. In spite of the ongoing skirmishes, daily flights are still taking place, so hopefully my trip won't come to a premature end in the Straits of Hormuz.
Added to these concerns, there is now a new challenge that has arisen. Europe has been battling the hottest summer on record, with temperatures regularly exceeding 35 and even 40C. These elevated temperatures have continued, almost continuously through the entire European summer. Unlike in Australia, where we get a few hot days, followed by a cool change, there has been no letup. Not only have the temperatures been remarkable, but this has also been accompanied by a drought which has dried up many of the major rivers. The latest addition to this unfortunate mix are widespread forest fires in France and Spain. These are so bad that the French president described them as the biggest disaster to hit their country since World War II.
At this stage the French fires are to the south of where we will be cycling, but we may be impacted by smoke and other disruptions. Travelling is always interesting and the challenges that we face are amazing ways to test our resolve and mental toughness.
This may be the last update before I head off, so it is possible that the next footprint will be posted somewhere in Paris.Read more
One Month to Go
July 19 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
There is no doubt that the most famous multistage bike race in the world is the Tour de France. Each year in July the world's top cyclists battle it out to secure the coveted yellow jersey and the fame and fortune that goes with it.
For three long weeks the riders battle heat, head winds, mighty mountains and pouring rain, before they finally reach the finish on the streets of Paris. Although this year's Tour is only half over, the winner has almost certainly been decided already. Tadej Pogacar has demonstrated over and over that no other rider can match him when it really counts. On the steepest climbs, when all the others are hitting the proverbial "wall", Pogacar simply switches up a gear and rides away.
This year the race had special significance for those soon about to set off on our own version of the Tour. On Stage 11, the tour passed through Decize on its way to the stage end in Nevers, and then on the next stage, it started on the outskirts of Nevers and rode back through Decize for a second time. Since both of these town feature in our own tour, it was a great feeling to watch the race, knowing that we will soon be in that same area, albeit riding at a much slower pace. I wonder if we will be greeted by the same sized crowds when we arrive ? Probably not.
With only a month to go before I climb onto to the big plane that will take us on our way, I have started to get a little serious about packing. Well thinking about packing, at least. I have prepared my list and have started putting important items aside, ready to pack them into my case. I know where my passport is, and I have started buying a few Euros. This year I have even invested in a brand new Garmin Edge 1050 GPS. We have received the GPS tracks from Randovelo and these will soon be loaded in the GPS, ready for our ride. In the "old days" we had to rely on paper maps for navigation. This necessitated frequent stopping to ascertain where we were, followed by much discussion and confusion about where to head next. I have to admit that it is so much easier and better with a GPS.
And, as for the question as to who will be wearing the yellow jersey when we cross the finish line in Le Croisic, the answer is simple. We all will be !Read more
Captain Mainwaring and the Crew
June 22 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
Back in the 1970s there was a popular TV comedy called Dad's Army. Every week we would chuckle at the inept exploits of the bumbling and pompous Captain Mainwaring and his motley assortment of geriatric Home Guard volunteers as they tried to prepare Walmington on Sea for the imminent German invasion.
Little did I know then that, fifty years later, I would find myself in the role of the doddering Captain, trying to get my floundering peloton of ageing cyclists prepared for an epic ride across France, I have been doing these sorts of rides for the past 20 years, but it seems that with every passing year, my team find new ways to injure themselves before the ride even starts.
Over the past few years we have had three women who broke their femurs, two in the shower (but not at the same time) and one on an escalator. Others have caught various illnesses, including shingles, Covid and assorted others too horrible to mention. It would appear that riding a bike is actually the safest activity we can engage in. Much more dangerous are common activities like showering, sightseeing or shopping.
Although we haven't had any broken limbs this year, we have had several "preliminary complaints", including blood clots and pulled muscles. We have even had a manic ruler in the White House who did his very best to start World War III. What else could possibly go wrong?
At least I am feeling relatively well, considering my great age. Most of my arms and legs are working, and I can still (sometimes) remember what day of the week it is. In nine weeks time I plan to be in Paris, with what's left of my cycling team. I sincerely hope we have no more dramas before that date,
I read in the news today that France is suffering an extreme heat wave. That is becoming more and more common in Europe with each passing year. They have even taken the extreme step of banning alcohol consumption in all the worst heat affected areas. They may have a hard time enforcing that one. Temperatures across much of France will be exceeding 40C today. That is pretty extreme at any time, but today is the FIRST day of the European summer ! I hope it cools down a lot by the time we arrive.Read more
Three Months and Counting
May 25 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
The final three months before any big venture is when the action really starts to ratchet up a step. After the long time of planning and anticipation, we finally reach the point where the reality hits home.
Last weekend we conducted our final special group ride before we head off to France in August. Although it was not possible to get the entire team together, it was still exciting to see so many happily riding and chatting together about the adventure we will soon be sharing together.
For many this will be their first time in France and for many others it will be their first overseas ride with the Ghostriders. I can't wait to introduce them to my favourite country and show them just how incredible it is to cycle hundreds of kilometres along the beautiful backroads of Europe.
I think I have now reached the point where all my own personal arrangements are complete. My air tickets were purchased months ago, and I have now completed all the extra hotel bookings I will require. My transport to Melbourne Airport is booked, as is my pickup from Charles de Gaulle Airport to our hotel in Paris. We have also completed all our train bookings. The relevant booking information has all been printed and stored in my ever growing travel folder.
Based on advice from other travelers I have also taken out a WISE card and loaded it with some EURO, all ready for spending France. At the same time I purchased an eSIM for use in Europe. I even have my French phone number already.
Now that all my personal arrangements are in place, all I need is for my ageing body to hold together for a few more months, so that I can really enjoy my riding. On my previous few trips, it seems that a different physical ailment or pain manifested itself just in time to accompany me the whole time. At the moment, I am free of any evident health problems, and I really hope that it stays that way.Read more
Bumps in the Road
May 12 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
After putting together almost 60 previous Ghostrider overseas adventures, I have learnt one thing - that it isn't over till it's over.
It seems that just when you think that all the little ducks are finally all lined up, then we are thrown some sort of a late curveball. In the past this has taken all sorts of forms. Sometimes it is a surprise failure of a part of my body that has never given me trouble before. Sometimes it is one (or more) of our participants having a medical emergency.
Just before our 2023 European rides, one of the ladies fell over in her own shower and broke her femur. Her trip was over before it started.
On our 2024 Epic Elbe Ride, another of our riders fell over while sightseeing around Hamburg. She never even got to get on a bike. She spent the next several weeks in a hospital having surgery to repair her broken leg.
This trip has actually been almost two years in the making, and I have repeatedly instructed our participants to take care. The last thing I want is yet another, pre trip casualty.
And yet here we are, with a little over three months to go till we finally get underway, and we find that the biggest threat comes from the inept, orange faced muppet that is occupying the White House in America. For some reason his senile ego decided that it was a great time to start a war in the Middle East, thus ushering in a period of global uncertainly and fuel shortages.
While I still have no doubt that our adventure will go ahead, it has added a level of stress that we could all have done without, especially when my plane tickets remind me that I will be travelling through the very epicentre of the conflict. Who was it that once made that famous statement that "Life was not meant to be easy"?
Of course sometimes we need to be reminded that the things that cost the most (not in money, but in time and effort), bring the greatest rewards. Putting together this trip has taken almost two years of blood, sweat and tears (metaphorically at least), so I can't wait to finally reap the pleasure of seeing it all finally come to pass.
This morning I rechecked my numbers to discover that we will have a total of 38 riders, some doing multiple sections and some only doing a part of the total ride. Our riders will be divided into three subgroups, each starting two days apart but following the same itinerary. This makes for very complex logistics. In fact, it will probably be the most complicated trip I have ever put together, rivalled only by our 2016 Odyssey Ride from Bruges to Budapest. Now that was a trip to remember !
Is that a baguette I can smell?Read more
Four Months to Go
April 26 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Three years ago I had the privilege of being part of a group of Ghostriders exploring the Nivernais Canal from Decize to Joigny. We had already completed a challenging ride around the Five Countries, a bike and barge tour along the Moselle, a ride along the upper Danube from Donaueschingen to Ulm and finally a ride around Lake Constance.
The ride along the Nivernais was something of an afterthought. None of us knew anything about this route, other than the fact that it was well off the so called "beaten track". It turned out to an absolute highlight and was a very welcome change after the much busier routes we had followed earlier.
After our 2024 ride along the Elbe and Danube from Hamburg to Vienna, I looked for another epic ride to follow it up with. Since this ride would almost certainly be our last extended ride in Europe, I wanted it to be truly memorable. I had already ridden the Loire from Nevers to Le Croisic in 2013, 2015 and 2019, so I already knew how special that ride was, however I wanted to add something extra as a prologue to the main event. When I studied the map, I made the discovery that Decize was actually only a day's ride from Nevers. That meant that it would be easily possible to combine a ride along the Nivernais with a ride along the Loire. Each of these rides could be undertaken separately, or combined together to make an unforgettable journey across the centre of France.
Many months were then spent planning the itinerary and seeking out a local partner who could handle the complex logistics for us. At times It looked like the plan really was going to be a "bridge too far", however eventually all the pieces came together and I was able to announce that yet another cycling adventure was available to anyone who wanted to share it with me.
It is customary to choose a name for every adventure, and this one was no exception. In fact I came up with, not one, but two names. The first section (The Prologue) from Joigny to Nevers would be called The French Connection, while the main ride along the Loire from Nevers to Le Croisic would be called The Nevers Again. This name was a play on the fact that we would be returning to Nevers, and also that it would be our final long distance ride in Europe.
When I released the plans to the group, all the places were quickly filled. In fact, we formed three groups, all of whom would be following the same itinerary, but starting two days apart,
Now that we only have four months to go till we finally get underway, the long period of planning is almost over, although the past two months have thrown us a few unexpected challenges, as I will explain in the next footprint.Read more
TravelerFeel like I’ve been on the Paris walking or was that crawling tour with you. Thanks for the travel story - very engaging.
The World on Two WheelsThanks for joining the walk