Bonjour, Paris!

Roughly a year ago there was this little surprise. It took me a good long while to figure out what to do, but after careful consideration I came to the conclusion: with such an awesome wife I could possibly negotiate a trip to Colorado should a "guys trip" present itself, and having already extensively travelled through Asia, I should add another continent to my travel list. Europe it is, but where should I go to find the best cycling has to offer? Italy? Spain? France?

In the end, after talking to several sources who have experienced all that France has to offer, I settled on making the classic climbs of the TdF my motivation for training through the winter and spring. And if I played my cards right, I could sneak in witnessing a live TdF stage or two. 

Well, today, I'm lounging in the apartment I rented with Larry located in the heart of Paris. The next couple weeks have a lot in store. There's going to be some sight-seeing, lots of riding, and probably a healthy helping of cheese, baguettes, and wine (okay, that's already become a reality). A third week in Spain with my wife will probably not be detailed here.

Check back later for more as this trip unfolds. For now, here are a few photos from a brief exploration, all within a 10 minute walk of our apartment.

the Seine...like the one in Winnipeg, but wider

some old art museum people were making a big deal of

nobody's going to steal this bridge

Larry's new favourite store

one of our neighbourhood streets