Cakes: 1.5 pain au chocolat each; Coffees: 2 each
It was a long flight and even managing to sleep pretty well, we were both in that strange woozy state that is a mix of jet lag and trying to sleep in a near upright position. My ankles are now the size of small melons, but hey!
We retrieved our wonderful bikes pretty easily, and marvelled at how the 'professional' baggage handlers had done such a stirling job wrecking the boxes...again. We'd reinforced them after the first leg to Kuala Lumpur. Luckily the bikes inside were fine, and we were really impressed at how easy they were to get sorted ready to ride off. I was particularly impressed by the track pump that fits in the seat post. Works a treat.
After we had escaped on our bikes from Charles de Gaulle Airport, no mean feat in and of itself, even with the incredibly useful directions John had found on the Internet. Even that had some lovely moments, such as the splashes of colour from the wild flowers around the place. Once we made it to the suburbs of Paris, we were fine, especially once we made it to the track beside the Canal Ourcq.
It seemed to be a day of amazing aromas - elder flowers, honeysuckle, bonfires; remembered experiences - fresh croissant, pain au chocolat, blackbirds and thrushes singing; and long, long avenues of trees fringing the canal.
We stopped for lunch in Lizy-sur-Ourcq, a pleasant little market town with some lovely old buildings, and flowers everywhere. Sitting on a bench eating our baguette and cheese, it was neat to be wished 'bon appetit' by two passing ladies.
The bikes have been a joy, even on the gravel surface of the canal path, so we're really happy. We were even happier to have timed our first day just right, and arrived in Meaux just as it began to rain. We are just about to go off to sleep, but I wanted to start with a first blog post :) I think tomorrow may be less cycling, and more exploring. We'll see.
No comments:
Post a Comment