First post

Sorry for anyone who has been checking this... It's hard to keep up on this and im not huge on paying for internet so im waiting for free wifi. But I'm writing everything on paper and it will make it here eventually. Here's the beginning of my adventure in France. Enjoy.

Its still a ways behind, but a start indefinitely.

May 4, 2011

Well I've been neglecting this blog since I set out for my trip and I decided I should probably put it to some use. I've been in France now for just over a week and every minute of it has been both surreal and amazing. 

My flight from Calgary to Montreal then to Charles de Gaulle went very smooth and the Air Canada staff were great. I was planning on catching some sleep, but that did not come close to happening as excitement pumped through my veins through both flights. Upon arrival I quickly exited the plane, cleared customs (which involved only a stamp of my passport and no questions asked) and then grabbed my luggage and my bike box. I knew that Air France offered some some express buses into Paris (I was in the suburb of Roissy) so I took my stuff to the bus that was heading to the Arc de Triomphe, paid my 15€ and hopped on. The trip went quickly and when finally we approached the famous traffic circle around the Arc I got my stuff together and grabbed a taxi to a campsite in the nearby Bois de Boulogne. Once at my camping spot I quickly set up my tent and assembled my bike which thankfully was in the order I sent it in. 
Once settled I decided it was time to get my grips on the French roads and see for my self what the priorité à droite (priority to the right) was all about.  The cars were all whizzing past and with me being jet lagged it wasn't the best combination. But I eventually found a nearby bank, boulangerie (bakery), and a supermarket that would keep my stomach satisfied while I was in Paris. I spent the rest of the day getting my site ready and passed out early so I could tackle Paris properly the next day!

May 5, 2011

I have never had the privilege of experiencing jet lag until this point in my life. I awoke at 4am and was wide awake ready for the day to start. I decided to do some reading on the sites I had planned for the day and then I hopped on my bike by 5:30am. 
I didn't plan an exact route to the Eiffel tour which was my first stop... But I knew the general direction, so I figured that would suffice. After about 10 minutes of biking I saw the tip of the tower appear over the buildings in front of me. I Peddled faster and quickly came upon the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine which offered some amazing panoramic views of the Seine, Madame Eiffel and the city beyond. I was there practically by myself and with the Eiffel tower glowing in the orange morning light it couldn't have been more picturesque. After snapping a couple pictures I realized my stomach was grumbling at me so I found a nearby covered market and grabbed my first crepe and croissant in France. 
I decided that I wanted to see the Eiffel tower from it's base so I whizzed down some of the still quiet city streets and found my way to the base of the tower. The Eiffel tower paired with it's neighbouring Parc du Champ de Mars was great to see. 
Going up an elevator to the top of the tower didn't exactly interest me, (since I knew I was already gonna climb the steps of the Notre Dame) so I moved on. 

The base of the Eiffel tower was the starting point of the Paris Orientation bike outlined in my cycling france Lonely planet guide so I took their directions from there. I headed to the esplanade des invalided and the Eglise du dome (where Napoleon lays) and took in the sights. There was also the musee de l'larmé, but that didn't open for another hour. Before too long tourist buses pulled up and unloaded mobs of people armed with cameras unloading their film on the nearby sites. I decided to move on.

My orientation of Paris then took me through various bus lanes and bike lanes to the louvre. I hesitantly tied my bike up and headed inside. I had already decided what the main sites I wanted to see were so I grabbed a map and with the help of the lonely planet made a quick tour. I stayed for 3 hours and saw all that I wanted too along with a couple surprises so I was satisfied. 
After the louvre my stomach was grumbling so I headed to a small restaurant called Le Hangar (which proved very difficult to find), but I made it eventually. After being seated I asked "Qu-est ce que voussoirs conseillez? (what do you recommend?). The waitress asked me if I liked kidney and I said sure even though I've never tried them. It turned out to be awesome, and i washed it down with some vin rouge.
The next stop I went to was the Notre Dame Cathedral. It is free to go into the world heritage site and it did not cease to impress. It's amazing they were able to build something of such enormity so long ago. I also opted to pay the 5€ to take the steps up to the top of the cathedral. It was worth every penny as I got beautiful panoramas of the city skyline, visited the gargoyles and saw the massive bell. 
The day had been very warm and I was tired so I headed back to the campsite, grabbed some food and fell asleep. 

May 6, 2011

This day was slower compared to the previous one. I decided It was time for me to head out to the rest of France and what else It had to offer. I knew I would see more of it when I return for my flight home. First things first though... To roam the countryside I was going to need maps so I set out to a find a suggested map store. I road through the streets with better navigation and even tackled the traffic circle surround the Arc de Triomphe... That was a rush. When I got to my destination it soon came to my attention that the store I was looking for had been converted into a coca-cola store. I then had to head to my second option close to the Notre Dame. After getting my maps and an average lunch at a cafe I headed back to camp, catching some sights along the way. 
My supper consisted of some baking and a quiche from a nearby boulangerie and of course red wine.
I planned my trip out of Paris. 

May 7, 2011

I lied, there was no chance I was getting out of Paris... At least not without a more detailed map. So I decided to get out to Épernay, France I would take the train. It was a good decision. I biked to the Gare de l'est and bought my ticket for 15€. The train ride was only just over an hour and upon arrival I went to the tourist office and got some local maps and seeked out the campground. The services at the campground were way better than Paris and it was a third of the price which was a bonus. I took the rest of the day easy and planned my next couple days. 

May 9, 2011
Out of Épernay the lonely planet has a couple bike rides laid out. I chose one called the Valée de la Marne which took me through the home of the one and only Dom Perignon in Hautvilliers. I explored the abbey where it is believed he first created champagne and I stood at the foot at his tomb which is just in front of the altar. The rest of the ride took me through rolling scenery highlighting champagne plantations and small sleepy towns. The countryside was beautiful and the trip as a whole was entertaining. I covered about 60km of the champagne region.