A Feast of French Cycling

An Indian Summer in Paris - Oct 13th
It might have been the evening of Friday 13th, but the only unlucky thing I could think of was the fact that we would soon be leaving this city that we both love so much. On the other hand, after 8 weeks of travelling, we were really starting to look forward to being back in our own home again. Living out of a suitcase does wear a little thin after a while.

For our final couple of days in Paris the weather had made a dramatic turn for the better. The cloudy skies and drizzle had been replaced with unbroken blue from horizon to horizon and the temperatures had risen to a rather balmy mid 20s. Although the autumn trees were now well into their annual change of colour and dropping of leaves, in every respect it felt like summer had returned in all its glory.

After doing our final packing (ie cramming everything in and hoping that the blessed zipper would close) we looked out the window and decided that it was just too nice an evening to spend inside. Although we had declared that we could not walk another step, Paris just begs to be experienced, especially on a balmy Friday night.

We began our final walk with a coffee and muffin and then wandered down the Boulevard St Michel to the Seine. We had fantastic memories of the Isle St Louis from Maggie's extended stay there in an apartment in 2013. Everywhere there were crowds of locals. Many were enjoying a drink in one of the hundreds of roadside cafes, lovers were walking hand in hand along the riverbank, many others seemed quite content to just sit and watch what everyone else was doing.

After walking past the floodlit Notre Dame Cathedral we crossed the small pedestrian bridge to the Isle St Louis. We made our way back to the apartment on the Rue Bude where Maggie had spent her first time in Europe. At that moment neither of us wanted to think about leaving and the long flights that awaited us the following morning.

The brightly lit river boats were busy carrying their crowds of tourists up and down the river and in the distance we could hear the faint sound of guitar music playing. When we walked closer we found that it was a young Australian busker who was entrancing the crowds with his unusual and highly talented playing techniques.

We stopped to listen for a while and noticed a rather eccentric guy on the most amazing bicycle I had ever seen. It was covered all over in a collection of coloured lights, statues, flowers and ....fountains. Yes, I am not kidding, the bike had multiple water fountains fitted front and rear, each one illuminated by LED lights. The owner of the illuminated bike was almost as interesting as his bike. With long tangled hair, a scraggy beard and what looked like a Mongolian coat, he fitted into the Parisian crowds perfectly.

When the Australian had finished the next song I dropped a few coins into his guitar case and whispered "Go Aussies". "Thanks Brother", he replied and we walked on our way feeling absolutely elated. It was a magic finish to an amazing trip.Læs mere