Paris 🇫🇷 25km🚴‍♀️

 A lie in and then family calls and some logistics planning time this morning and then this afternoon I headed out on my bike. 

I created a 25km sightseeing loop and took all afternoon to complete it as I soaked up the atmosphere, revelled in the sights, smiled at all the proud nationalities wearing their team colours. 
I cycled a section of the road race route for tomorrow as all the scaffolding for the crowd control was nearly finished being installed.  Saw a few cyclists in their Olympic team kits out for training rides along the course. 

All the media hype seems to have scared people away (saw the same for Gold Coast Commonwealth games) and it's the traditional summer fortnight where Parisians go to the beach for holidays.  The streets are mostly empty and a delight to cycle and so many tourists on city cycles, cycle lanes everywhere too.  There are tourists at the attractions but it seems way less than my memory of previous visits.  Many would be in stadiums too.  Chats with other visitors and we all say it's the best time to visit!!

I cycled to:
Notre Dame (due to finish the reconstruction Dec 2024)

The Louvre

The Champs Elyse

Arc de Triomphe
The Plaza de Concorde

Bit of a story about the Arc de Triomphe.  I decided I wanted to cycle round the cobbled roundabout road which has 15 entrances or exits.  I crazily decided to video it too.  I made it but you've got to have your wits about you as cars drive at you from every angle as there are no line markings 😂.  So I decided I wanted one of my jumping photos in the middle.of the roundabout and so saw a break in the traffic and made a dash across where all the tourists were.  I set up my phone and timer on a bollard and did my jump and was feeling pretty pleased with myself and then a group.of Gendarmes came over and started speaking quickly in French.  I murdered English and he said that the centre of the roundabout was for feet and not bikes and to leave immediately.  I had to cycle across all the lanes again with them watching 😂😂😂. I hadn't thought about getting back to the other side when I saw my gap and went for it.  All's well that ends well and I got my photo lol.

After that excitement, I stopped at Place des Voges and relaxed on the grass for an hour with my picnic amongst Parisians having a Friday afternoon chill out.  A couple of guys playing guitars added to the atmosphere in the shady park surrounded by a Palace 🥰

Then I rode through gorgeous leafy cafe streets to a Paris 2024 fanzine and watched on the big screen some of the boxing, fencing and then swimming with the French Marchand delighting the French with his 4 medal form.

Back home for my leftovers for dinner.

A delightfully Parisian touristy/live like-a-local and go for a ride around town kinda day.

Tomorrow I am aiming to be at Montmartre to watch the cycling road race as they do their cobble climbs up the steep hills and then on to the Women's soccer 1/4 finals.