Paris: Day 2--with bikes!

Tina and I just finished a bike tour through the city. Doing this tour was possibly the best choice we'll make the whole trip. Bike About Tours is fantastic. It's a small company founded and run by just two guys, both expats. Our guide, Paul, is from New Zealand, and his partner, I think, is American. They both live in Paris now, which means they know all sorts of off-the-beaten-path places and city history but can conduct tours in English with no language problems. We biked with about eight other visitors through the city for about four hours and saw some icons, like Notre Dame, and the Louvre. We actually got to cycle through the Louvre courtyard, which was fantastic. The great thing about this tour, though, was finding secret gardens, hidden courtyards, and narrow cobblestone streets that we'd never discover on our own. We could find the Arc or Eiffel Tower on our own if we feel so moved, but Let's Go would never have lead us to these places. It's a small company and needs to grow, so if anyone is planning a trip to Paris, please set up a tour with Paul. He was a great guide, and this is an exciting and new way to see the city. Bonus: Paris is pretty flat, so you won't even be huffing and puffing!

After the tour Paul gave us directions to the internet cafe we're in. We couldn't find it, though, and had to ask four other people along the way how to get here. All gave similar directions that varied in very important ways (i.e., four of the five sets didn't get us here). The fabulous thing, though, is that at each turn we discovered a wonderful little boutique, beautiful side street, or window bursting with chocolate for us to gorge on. I'm loving Paris!