Paris on a Saturday

Despite last night’s festivities, we all made an early and enthusiastic start to our Saturday in Paris.

Your Blog editor took his computer and went and found a cafe to write something at least approaching sensible about the day and night before. The locals are not used to someone taping away on the computer in a cafe at 7.30 on a Saturday morning.

The remainder found a cafe and had the usual breads and jams and coffees before gathering again as one to sort out our various days.

Peter and Ern had their own walking tour of Paris planned while the rest ventured by train to see the amazing Chateau de Versailles.

After just a little trouble working out the ticketing system at the station, progress was made after some 20 minutes and trains changed they arrived safely at the destination.

There is a security alert in place for Paris evidenced by the presence at stations and major attractions of army personnel brandishing automatic fire arms. Coming from Australia, the less experienced travellers among us found this to be a little unnerving however Damian assured us it was not a problem.

What was a problem however was that the security alert meant higher security and longer and slower lines to get into the Chateau.

The Chateau was magnificent and disturbing all at the same time. The sheer audacity of the interior and the gardens is almost obscene and our visiting party all imagined the despair the French people would have felt at the time of the revolution as the masses starved and the royalty splurged on self indulgent, self fulfilling extravagance. The water feature is huge and the story goes that the river was drained dry to fill it leaving Parisians without water during the summer.

This place is however amazing and is a must see for anyone visiting Paris. We all have some knowledge of the Revolution and this is effectively where it happened – and our visiting party understood why. It is magnificent and obscene all at the same time.

With the exception of Ern, our visiting party have all grown up and lived in city environments; and Ern has lived his adult life in the city including some years in London. We are used to crowds.

The Chateau was crowded and as Colin, Damian and Phil S moved through the interior they were surrounded by very many people. After the last 3 weeks of being free in the country, they all found this experience to be most disturbing and restricting. It was an interesting feeling and group dynamic.

In the meantime, Ern and Peter were breaking the record for the most kilometres travelled by foot around Paris.

Their highlights included a visit to see the Toyota concept cars and the Nestle coffee house where individual beans were available for smelling and tasting. This was spectacular and Peter managed some great photos before being reprimanded by security. It is a strictly ‘no photo’ zone. Be sure to speak to Ern and Peter about this and catch Peter illicit photos. It is a fascinating story.

In the afternoon, Phil had a sleep and Colin went shopping for family gifts and watches but to no avail. He did manage some shirts and ties plus a pair of shoes to replace some destroyed in the big wet of a few days ago.

The Catholics in the group plus the almost converted Ern made their way to Notre Dame where they caught up with Phil H for the 5.30 service. Colin met them at 6.30 after a navigation miracle and it was then off to the final and formal tour dinner.

In honour of the 2006 tour and because it is damn good, the venue of the dinner was La Taverne du Sergent Recruiter. (look it up at http://www.lesergentrecruteur.com/).
Over an extraordinary feast, good beers and fine wine, we all re-capped our tour and what it meant to us.

Phil H – just being here after missing 2006 was fantastic and experiencing the hurt and exhilaration of the big climbs was amazing. Phil also commented about the inspiration that was Mick, getting to know Ern and the fabulous role Phil S has played in looking after us. Phil wants to return again fitter, lighter and to experience riding in Europe again. Phil also commented on the unexpected highlight that was Switzerland. Ever the optimist, Phil had lost his passport, phone, money and computer coming into Bordeau causing him extreme inconvenience however he made the point that if not for this, he would not have been able to attend the final dinner.

Colin – A first time tourist to Europe, he just enjoyed the atmosphere and all that was France. He was thankful (for the 10,000 th time) to Peter for the March phone call to see if he was interested in coming. Colin referred to the hell that was Madelaine in the snow and Damian’s reference at the time of how we all looked after each other. In doing so, he acknowledged the group looking after him after the accident by way of just the right amount of ribbing and support plus the allowances made by his struggle with the handling of the new bike downhill and in the extreme winds. Colin also thanked Ern for the cycling tips and Phil S (Director Sportiff) who he described as being 50% annoying, 50% helpful and supportive in every way and 50% caring when it was needed and conditions were tough (even extreme) And yes, that is 150% of a great Greek.

Ern – Commented that this trip has been a dream of his since he commenced cycling a few years ago. Ern added that he loves cycling and loves his bike and appreciated the experience he has had with a group of people he did not really know all that well previously. Ern commented on his puncture rate (easily the highest) and his tyre attrition (again easily the highest) but added his pride at being the one of us who rode every single kilometre of the trip. (Editors Note: Ern is also the oldest)

Phil S (Director Sportiff) – Phil said he did not really understand cycling at all and was blown away by the mental and physical effort of the climbs and particularly the potentially life threatening performances into the snow at Col de la Madelaine. Phil said that before the trip he only knew Damian and was thrilled by the way he had been accepted as part of the team by all members of the tour. He said that while he desperately missed his Maggie, he was buoyed by the experience and felt he had a group of great new friends who he looked forward to teaching some fishing too.

Damian – Reference was made to this trip being a life changing experience and it sure has been just that. He commented that it was the longest time he had ever been away from his family and that this has had a profound effect on him. As a key instigator of the tour, he mentioned that it has been two years in the making and that all the early starts to get fit for it and to experience the change his body has undergone has been an experience in itself.

Craig – Has acknowledged that he does not really follow the tour or the sport of cycling and is very much a social cyclist. He said that as a result he did not really understand the big climbs, the challenge of riding repeat 100 k days or the culture. It has therefore all been a huge cycling culture shock to him and one that he has relished, enjoyed and at times suffered. He now has a different perspective of what it is all about and this has changed his outlook to the sport forever. He commented on the challenge of Madelaine and the extreme weather we faced and in retrospect just how threatening the situation was and how it bonded us all together.

Peter – This has been completely different to the 2006 experience. It hasn’t been easier and it hasn't been harder but it has been different. 2006 covered more kilometres but the extreme weather conditions of 2010 were unique. He said that the two years of planning and preparation had been challenging and many times he woke early to train only to hope there was rain and a chance to sleep in. Peter acknowledged the inspiration that was Mick and Phil in that they came here with limited preparation and simply did it all through sheer guts and perseverance. Peter also mentioned his pleasure at seeing the enthusiasm of Colin and Ern each day and how this made his trip even more satisfying. He mentioned the incredible job of Phil S in the van and his ability to deal with constantly changing situations. Peter also was thrilled by the images captured by Craig by camera and video. Peter took great care to also acknowledge the work of others in putting this trip together and particularly the work performed by Greg M in structuring a fabulous route which we largely followed to the letter. A toast to Greg M was proposed and resoundly responded to. Thank you Greg. Peter said his highlight was climbing Ventoux side by side with Damian and crossing the finish together. Finally, Peter mentioned the importance of family support for all of us being able to do such a trip and that his experience from the 2006 trip is such that the family becomes even more important to each individual due to the time away, the experience we have had and everyone missing each other.

What started 3 weeks ago in Paris has come to an end and we begin our departures on Sunday afternoon with Phil S and Colin being the first to fly out.

We all agree that the last 3 and a bit weeks has been a most wonderful experience. I wont call it the trip of a lifetime - there are many years to come for the trip of a lifetime. It has however been the trip of a life time to date and one that those participating will live and re-live forever more.

Now for a catch up. A very happy birthday to Andrea C for the 7th. It should have been mentioned previously however I can assure you Andrea, we were all thinking of you and drank a toast to your honour on the day.

Photos for the last couple of days are up to date including today and this evening.

Thanks for reading and we will all see you again soon – some of us have the Thursday friendship ride in our diaries. But please, take it easy on us.

Thank you for also making allowances for the spelling and grammatical challenges faced by only being able to access the French version (German in Switzerland) of the Blogger site. Thanks to Mick’s perseverance, hopefully this has improved in recent days.

There will be a final updates in the next few days.

In the meantime, from Paris, France, Bon qui