The bicycle tour of pain
- John Springman
- Mar 7, 2016
- 2 min read
So, for family home evening, we decided to take a bicycle tour of the major attractions in the city. It sounded like a good idea at the time. We made the reservation with a tour company called Fat Tire Tours. The weather app said it would be sunny and warmer. It has been very cold and rainy the whole time we have been here, so I don't know why I believed the weather app. We let the girls work on their school work most of the day, and then headed out about 4:00pm for the tour. The metro ride was unremarkable.
We were told we would be met at the metro exit, but when we got off, no one was there. We were very early, as is usually the case with our family. But Kat got out her cell phone and asked it for directions and we started off. After a few false steps, we finally called the tour company and got directions..we were on the wrong side of the building. Chris tried out her bike, and despite her trepidation, she soon found that it is "like riding a bike"...it comes back to you quickly. Still, she was a little worried about falling, and it was raining lightly, so she decided to take advantage of the offer of a free helmet.
The tour company is run by Americans, so English was the language du Jour. Our guide was a young aspiring actor from New York...I thought it was ironic that he left New York to come to Paris to pursue his acting career. But he was an engaging and witty young man.
There were 12 bicycle touristas total, and once we were assembled, and dressed in our bright yellow vests, and received some safety instruction, we were off.
We rode down some very narrow streets, and some wide boulevards that were busy as all get out. We stopped but seldom, except for stop lights and letting people catch up, for about two hours.
Then we stopped at a little sweet shop and went in to get warm. We ended up ordering three dishes of ice cream (of all things...it was so cold out), and one hot chocolate (guess who ordered that?...your right!...it was I). We enjoyed the rest and the treats, and the atmosphere, and then the bill came. It was $36 (euros)! I guess that is the definition of a tourist trap!
We toured around for another hour. Chris didn't think she could make it any further, and, just in time, we stopped for our boat ride. This was part of the tour, and we expected it. We had packed some bagette sandwiches and fruit, and bottles of water for just this occasion. It made this part very enjoyable. We rode the boat up and down the Seine for about an hour, out of the cold wind, and we watched the city of lights get switched on. Beautiful.
We then had about another hours ride back to the tour headquarters. By the time we got back on the metro for our ride home, we had forgotten the pain, but would never forget the beautiful sights we saw.
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