In Paris

Your correspondent is sitting at an outdoor table in a cafe on the corner of Place de la Bastille and Boulevard Henry IV drafting this update. It is 7.30 am and Paris is waking up, be it somewhat slowly.

This update is substantially less about the bike and more about the place.

Our transfer to Paris yesterday was uneventful. Phil S and his trusty Garmin had few if any problems finding their way back to our Paris hotel and the rest of us had a pleasant train trip.

In Paris, Craig made his way to the Australian Embassy to finalise his temporary passport while the rest of us walked to our hotel, checked in, lunched and cleaned and packed bikes.

Peter and Phil dropped off the car and Colin and Ern delivered Mick’s bike.

It was time for beers.

It was a perfect Paris day – warm and with bright sunshine. We all wore shorts and after a time it dawned on us that despite the genuinely warm conditions, we were the only males wearing shorts – the only males. What is it about warm weather and Paris males?

We had our usual walk around looking for somewhere to eat and stumbled upon a little place with room for six to eat outdoors.

It seemed to be that Paris was alive and happy. Couples of all combinations were out and about, chatting, laughing, eating and drinking in the many bars and eateries.

Traffic was plentiful and cycles, always cycles, were the preferred means of transport for many people including superbly attired business people. But there are always people commuting by bike.

After dinner, it was decided to go back to our hotel and clear up the last of a wine collection.

However Colin decided that sitting in a hotel room drinking wine on a perfect Friday night in Paris was a waste so he headed out to see if he could get lost and to continue to provide the French with a unique approach to their language.

Colin’s strategy was simple. Stop for a glass of wine in every bar that had a vacant front row seat looking out to the street. Over the next couple of hours, eight or so bars and many (often short) conversations later, a few things became obvious.

People in Paris present themselves superbly. They are happy to talk to strangers and will try very hard to do so in English. It appears that the most common group numbers two and this can be any combination of the sexes. There were few larger groups and this is interesting.

Colin observed that people in Paris do not easily laugh out loud but are always smiling and appear to be happy and relaxed. There is no rush to drink a glass of wine, a beer or a coffee. It is savoured over time.

And there was always movement. At 2 am or so there was traffic in the street and naturally, cycles, always cycles. There is also little if any sign of drunkenness. Not sure this would be the case in a Friday night Brisbane crowd at 2 am?

More to come..........