Mardi (Tuesday)

Bonjour!

Today we rode up Montmontre, to see Sacre Coeur and where all the famous artists lived and worked. It was very commercial and some of the reverence I expected to feel was not there. The Artist’s Park was nice but from what I could tell, it was mostly filled with a restaurant with artists around the perimeter. The view of Paris from that high was amazing, with the George Pompidou center the only visible landmark.

I ordered a sandwich and Expresso, the outside waiter asked me to follow him. I did, to the door of the restaurant, and stopped. He walked up the stairs and disappeared into the resturant. I stood at the bottom of the short flight of stairs. He reappeared and motioned me to follow. Into the restaurant, with my bike? “Oui.” So, I went into the restaurant with my bike and he motioned for me to put it against the wall, opposite the bar. They sure do think about bikes different over here! Standing there in the brassarie, in my cycling gear, created the usual stir. “Tour de France” and “competition velo” I could hear clearly, from the waiters and kitchen staff that suddenly came from nowhere! One older waiter walked up behind me and reached down and poked my calf with his index finger. He indicated he was impressed. I said "One second" and this time I flexed it fully. He poked it again and he made an even more impressed reaction, and laughed. Another waiter walked up to my bike and picked it up. “Tres bon!, very light” he said. "Oui", as I put up one finger to say “wait” and removed the 2 full water bottles. He lifted it again and it eyes got wider. One waiter said a long sentence to me I got none of and another waiter smiled and said “Oui!” I got my baguette and espresso and went outside, juggling things just a bit. I went to a bench and sat and ate in the shade. Lovely. Ric appeared shortly after his hunt for a route to the top.

Ric and I stood in the milling crowds by the shops, one English-looking young woman walked right up to us, to our side and took a picture of us, an artistic angle, I could tell from the angle. Another young man whipped his camera around as Ric rode up the hill past him. I heard the click of the shutter as I passed into view. Everywhere, people looked at us. I tell you, being a cyclist in Europe is certainly different than in America!

We rode back down, and stopped a the location where St. Denis preached in 273 AD!! Wow. Now a park with a Deco structure. We continued our decent and soon the island of peace and tranquility above Paris was replaced with traffic, people, activity everywhere. We rounded Paris to the west and south and suddenly, looming in the distance in great magnificence was the Arc de Triomph! I swear Napoleon himself was standing there. I could really feel it.

We criss-crossed the Bois de Bolonge again, this time searching for the circuit they ride around daily. It is about 2 miles around the racecourse, closed to traffic completely! Ric jumped in with the fast group and I shot some video and then did laps myself. Much fun! Hearing all that French in the peleton sure makes you feel like you are, well, in France!!

We stopped at Le Carouse right on the Rue de Rivoli, right at the Louvre, directly, on the way home. The large glass of French beer disappeared very quickly! Spagetti Bolognase was completely excellent; the sauce VERY much like my own families 80+ year old recipe, right down to the carrots and the NUTMEG! I love the French even more! Ric had veal medallions with the required fantastic sauce. Raspberries on a bed of ice cream – delicately flavored with pistachio – on a light, crunchy tart shell, ended the meal! A short ride back and the day concludes!

Ric is now working to set up his replacement on-board camera he bought this morning from a stock of 15 on hand!!!! You can only mail order it in the US. You can buy ANYTHING in Paris! So, he will be able to document London by bike tomorrow!

London! Tomorrow! WOW!

Bonsoir!