And Then We Were in Paris

June 18, 2024

As nomads, we seek new places to explore.  After spending two months in Dallas, we were itching to travel.  So we jammed our (>80kg) bikes and gear into boxes and bags, all carefully weighed and measured to comply with the airline rules.  Our good friend Stephen drove us to the Dallas airport, and then we dove in.

I say ‘dove’ because this is Sharon’s first real open-ended bike tour, meaning we don’t have return tickets. We have only a vague idea of our path forward beyond two weeks. 

  Also, this is Sharon’s first time in Europe.  By the time we had boarded the plane, Sharon had only finished about 40km on her new fully loaded bike.  She was still getting the hang of it.

Earlier this month, our shakedown near Dallas went well. We carried a tent and sleeping bags and spent one overnight in the sweltering Texas heat.  Enough to figure out if we had forgotten to pack some critical gear.  But not enough to get a taste of the full nomadic experience in a very different climate.

Since childhood, Sharon dreamt of going to France.  Growing up, she had a picture of The Notre Dame on her bedroom wall.  She studied French in school and practiced speaking with her  sister.

When the plane touched down at Charles De Gaulle airport; I told her, “Welcome to France.”  She immediately burst into tears of joy.

At the airport, we assembled our bikes and loaded our gear onto them. We rolled our bikes onto a commuter train.  We then rolled onto the streets of Paris for the short ride to our Airbnb.

Riding a fully loaded bike in Paris traffic was stressful for Sharon. She can make the bike move well on an open road. The chaos of reading traffic and how to get across complex intersections is a totally different ride, especially on a fully loaded bike.  She understands there is a learning curve.

So, we locked down the bikes at the Airbnb and spent the next four days as ordinary American tourists in Paris.  The weather was cool and it rained frequently.  Though we managed to find moments at an outdoor cafe or up on top of a tour bus. 

There were many times that Sharon explained how special it was to be here in Paris.  Even just shopping in a grocery store. I had not expected this.

Paris is a good place to relax and become adjusted to the new time zone.  We gave ourselves four days there, and it was wonderful.  It felt like we had only scratched the surface of what the city had to offer.

Beyond Paris

On Tuesday morning, we woke up very early and rode to a different train station.  There are many in Paris.  The roads were quiet in the dawn light.  It was easy going.

We arrived at the train station with our fully loaded bikes with enough spare time to have some coffee.  I studied the arrivals and departure information as it flashed up on the big board.

I purchased tickets the day before at a ticket counter. There, I was assured that the trains we wanted would take our bikes without having to put them in a box.  In France, there are TER trains that allow this when there is room.  Some require that you reserve a spot for your bike.  The rules are complicated

But French trains are wonderful.  We rolled our bikes on and sat down.  The train departed on time. We headed out into the countryside of the Loire Valley.