Biking (with) Baby in Paris.

Hicham on his bike

Biking has been a big part of Hubba Hubby's life since he was a little kid.  Growing up in Eastern France, he and his brothers would spend summers biking in the Les Vosges Mountains (the twin of the Black Forest Mountains in Germany), racing bikes and he even partook in some of the Tour d' France 'stages' for weeks at a time.  Even now, he bikes to work every day, rain or shine.  Sure, he could take the metro which would take him about 45 minutes, but the bike only takes him 35 minutes.  And he has a shower at work too.  Paris is not the most bike-friendly city like Amsterdam or Portland, but bikes are normalized here and so drivers are more prone to see them.


I was super excited when I got my own bike someone was selling second-hand with a babyseat attached, bike helmets, locks and oh yes, a basket! It is a real old-school bike directly from Holland.  Sturdy and heavy as hell.  It rests here with the other bikes in the "bike cave" which is exactly what it is called. 

My bike is the one on the right.  She was pre-named, Giselle which is fine by me.

Biking along the Seine River

Two blocks up from our apartment.

 

Since I was eager to ride Giselle around, but not that comfortable with Paris traffic, we had been sticking to bike trails and our little suburban roads. 


 But today was the day to meet new, exciting challenges!  Today was the day to bike in Paris proper!











It takes about 30 minutes to go the five miles to the Eiffel Tower from our home by bike.  All that green you see is the infamous Bois de Boulogne, one of Paris' urban forests/parks.   It is really, big and has a horse-race track and two lakes.

Now where?

Today, I went through the forest to the other side!  I met my personal "biking in Paris challenge" and I have a iconic photo to prove it.   I will admit though that most of the trip was tree lined and without cars and the parts that were roads had bike lanes - so, it was pretty smooth sailing for me and Sabine.

And that is how biking should be, easy and fun!