Fat Tires, Wide Paths, and Tons of History

It could take a lifetime to see any of the European capital cities. Seeing just one in a matter of days takes some careful planning and really comfortable walking shoes! Unless, of course, you are on a bicycle. It's a terrific way to see the major sights of the city with a knowledgeable guide who speaks English! You can see a whole lot more with less effort. Only one company is licensed to run bike tours in Paris: Fat Tire Bike Tours.

Our guide, Seth, related an informative history of the Tour Eiffel (Eiffel Tower) as we waited for our group to gather and for any onlookers to join us. We were comprised of mostly Americans from all regions of the U.S., but with a couple of things in common - the ability to ride a bike and a somewhat adventurous spirit.

We visited the Ecole Militaire (Royal Military Academy), which was founded by Louis XV in 1751. Its objective was to make poor gentlemen into military men. Napoleon Bonaparte was trained here in 1784.

Not all of Paris is busy roads filled with micro cars. There are plenty of wide pathways for pedestrians and bicyclists, as well as weekly open markets.

On this particular day, we got a taste of the French proclivity for protests. Unfortunately, we couldn't read the French banners or understand the French chants. Judging by their attire, we guessed they were medical personnel.




Our next stop was Napoleon's Tomb at the Dome Church, built in 1715. The dome is actually double, a fact unknown to the Germans of World War II. Hitler visited and stayed for three hours, apparently communing with Napoleon. At the same time, two Allied servicemen were hiding in the dome, waiting to be smuggled out of the city with intelligence information. Neither knew the other was there!

Next up was Hôtel des Invalides, founded by

Louis XIV to shelter 7000 aged or crippled

former soldiers. A small portion is still used as a hospital. Napoleon's cannons line the front.

After passing over the Alexander Bridge, we arrived at Place de la Concorde, the largest public square in Paris, which is flanked by Champs-Élysées to the west and the Tuileries Gardens to the east.

We made a delightful stop at an open cafe in the Gardens, La Terrasse de Pomone. I ordered a

cheese crepe and hot chocolate. Unfortunately, someone spilled their wine and thoroughly soaked my crepe, so I cannot tell you if was as good as the ones from the crepe stand in Le Marais or not.

Our final stop was the Louvre art museum. I posted about it here. I will add this one amazing fact: if you were to spend one minute with each work of art and did this 24 hours a day, it would take nine months to see everything! It is a true treasure and you should go if you have the chance.

This bike tour was one of the highlights of our trip. We saw so much in four hours!

A treasury of art - Paris!

Paris is a city that contains too much art to see in five days, but we sure did try!

Not only is it in the famous museums, but it is also in the numerous places of worship. Notre Dame is one such place, full of beauty in the form of stained glass, great sculptures and paintings. It is an awe-inspiring place and made me pause and ponder the beauty and majesty of my God.


One of the lesser known museums is Musee de Cluny, a wonderful display of medieval art. One of my favorite rooms was a chapel full of stained glass.


There was another huge room full of altar pieces, all intricately carved from wood.


Trying to cram as much as we could into one day, in between museums we stopped at a sidewalk cafe for a quick lunch and had (gasp) pizza. I'm a people watcher and these cafes are a wonderful location for doing so.


One thing we noticed about Paris is that there are police officers everywhere and that they are never seen solo. The officers are extremely well-armed and protected. They carry a firearm and baton. They are protected by bullet-proof vests and armor on their shoulders and upper arms.
Personally, I like their cute little hats.


We also noticed that their vehicles for the busy areas of the city are vans and usually have five officers in them. I just can't imagine the Parisians getting that out of control! They drive and park wherever they need to. It's a good thing, because in order to park on the street one's car must be this size


This car is basically square - as wide as it is long! They can actually park perpendicular to the sidewalk and still fit.


I am an ice cream fanatic. I freely admit it. Finding good ice cream is one of my favorite travel activities, so after lunch, we sought out an ice cream parlor which I had discovered from my jaunts through the Fodors Travel forum. And, yes, it was good!


You are probably familiar with The Louvre, home to the "Mona Lisa" and thousands of other great works of the masters. You could spend days in this museum. We spent hours and only caught the highlights.


It is an amazing place full of priceless art....thus a plethora of guards. This picture looks like it is of me, but it's really of the guards in the background. Don't mess with their art!

No wonder they revolted

After our transportation mishap, we arrived at Versailles in the very late afternoon. Fortunately, we had purchased the Paris Museum Pass, so didn't worry about paying so much for so little time.

We stopped at the information desk to inquire about what we could see in the hour and a half we had until closing. When asked which language guide pamphlet we would like, I responded, "English! I've been trying to speak French all day."

"Would you like to practice right now?"

What a dear man he was. The French have gained a reputation for being snooty, but I just didn't see it in anyone we met. He was willing to put up with my attempts to speak his language, but I very politely told him, "No, thank you. My brain is very tired." He chuckled, handed us our pamphlets, and off we went in search of the Hall of Mirrors, one of the most famous rooms in the world. This is where the treaty of Versailles was signed in 1918 at the close of World War I.

One could spend hours just in this hall. The paintings, the sculptures, the chandeliers, the window latches are all just breathtakingly beautiful.

Window latches? Yes! I've never seen such an ornate latch. And of course the view out the window is just as beautiful!

The gardens are extensive and would take hours to explore. I found myself wishing for a bicycle. You can see in the photo how far they stretch.

We got some stares as we tried to do a self-portrait in the mirror. You know how it is. One member of the family is usually the one behind the camera. I'm that person and Kevin was behind the video camera.

Beyond the Hall of Mirrors are various other chambers, salons, waiting rooms. libraries - all fixed with sumptuous furnishings and art. This photo is part of the Queen's Chamber - just the top of her bed!

The site began as Louis XIII’s hunting lodge before his son Louis XIV transformed and expanded it, moving the court and government of France to Versailles in 1682. (You can bet they weren't all too happy about that!) Each of the three French kings who lived there until the French Revolution added improvements to make it more beautiful.

The opulence is astounding. I found myself thinking more than once,"No wonder the French revolted!" Louis XIV built it as a symbol of royal absolutism. Unfortunately, the people disagreed. According to the Chateau de Versailles web site, "The château lost its standing as the official seat of power in 1789." Quite an understatement, I think.

The kings of France placed their treasures in possessions. I won't presume to know their spiritual status - let God be their Judge - but they definitely had earthly riches. So I find myself thinking about where my treasure lies. And I'm going to continue to do some soul searching to be sure they lie in heaven.

Dog Syndrome

A dog will sit and listen attentively to every word you speak. It will understand very few words, but will cock its head when it recognizes one. My dogs' vocabulary consist of: sit, stay, down, up, out, inside, off, breakfast, dinner, treat, walk, ride, mail, crawl to me, only on Friday, dance, pretty, come, and on the rug. And maybe a few others which I've forgotten.

Not very extensive.

Neither is my vocabulary outside the English language.

As we strolled the streets of Paris, we found that we heard a lot of languages: French, Dutch, German, and Italian mostly. But once in a while, our ears would catch English.

"Did you hear that?! English!"

We were thrilled to find a bookstore in Paris called Shakespeare and Company. A lovely young English woman runs the place. I believe her mother ran it before she did. It was so refreshing to hear my native tongue again and to chat with her about restaurant recommendations.



We began to refer to this phenomenon as Dog Syndrome and this would be our joke in every country in which we traveled. Communication with those who didn't speak English was the biggest challenge of our time in Europe. Read my other posts for some amusing stories of our experiences!

Sometimes in my relationship with the Lord, I find myself struggling to understand what He is saying to me. I have to listen intently to hear His voice speaking to me. Sometimes I find myself hearing what I want to hear and other times something I don't want to hear.

My prayer is that God would give me dog ears - to hang on every word of my Master.