EuroVelo 6 (The Rivers Route) Bicycle Tour: In Transit / Paris, France - June 18

Eiffel Arrival - Paris, France

After visiting Christian and Kat in Amsterdam over spring break, I decided to purchase a ticket to France for my summer bicycle tour. The EuroVelo 6 route looked interesting enough to commit the summer months to.

This month has been, as is always the case, busy. With two, five-day backpacking trips to the Washington coast with the eighth grade students to plan and execute, grades and the classroom to clean up, as well as visiting family and friends before leaving, I didn’t get around to any packing until Sunday evening. I’m convinced that I forgot something.

A recurring theme that has, for some reason, cropped up this last twenty-four hours is the KISS tune "Shout it Out Loud." While playing Joust at The Machine Shop in Langley with my boys, the chorus of this show starter was on infinite repeat due to a steady amount of quarters being fed into the KISS pinball machine by several patrons. Later, at two o’clock AM, I found myself watching a live, over-produced version of the song from a 1990’s Detroit concert. I don’t really appreciate the lyrics, and only moderately enjoy the band. Where will I find the connection on this new journey?

Bus Pile - Community Transit Route 113

From Clinton, I hopped the ferry, two busses and the Link Light Rail to SEA-TAC Airport for a grand total of $3.75. Why drive?

I chose Condor Air based solely on price. Early on, the stewards pushed movie packages and alcohol. Later, they pedaled cigarettes in the isle. On an airline, light and expensive is the way to go.

The wait time in Frankfurt, Germany, was longer than expected due to a malfunction in the scheduled plane. Lufthansa bussed us to our airplane and the ride to Paris was without further delay.

Condor Smokes

I didn’t encounter any issues with luggage or figuring out the train system at Charles de Gaulle airport. I credit this to my Airbnb host Nathan. The directions to his small apartment were fantastic.

After lugging my bicycle gear up to his studio, I took a short break, then headed out for a long walk on the Seine River. On a warm Tuesday evening, Paris was in love with itself. I have never been to a city where couples so openly share their feelings for one another. The long period of confinement locked in the Condor quickly vanished. The adventure has begun...