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Monday, March 09, 2009
Paris trip
 I've finally finished writing up notes and organizing photos from a recent trip to Paris. I visited many museums and rode the wonderful Vélib' bikes during a week in February. While it was cold, there was little rain and there were several mild days. It was very easy and inexpensive to get around Paris by bike. See notes on the final day about purchasing a short-term subscription and which credit card to use.(0) comments Monday, February 02, 2009
Bicycling in Paris
 Back from a week-long trip to Paris to visit museums and try out the bike sharing system Velib. Had a wonderful time visiting the Musée Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Musée National Picasso, Centre Pompidou, Musée national Eugène Delacroix, and the usual Paris sights.Velib is wonderful. We purchased a 7-day subscription for €5, about $6.50. If your trip is less than 30 minutes, it's free. Since there are bike stations located throughout the city, spaced about every 300 meters, it's feasible to use the system on a regular basis and pay very little. I timed most of my trips to last for 30 minutes, and if I needed to go further, I would just walk to the next station and ride for another 30 minutes. If you leave a bike and want to take another from the same station, there's a 5 minute wait.  We rode to Fat Tire Bike Tours to use their Internet station, purchase phone cards, and speak English. Knowing no French was a definite disadvantage during the trip. One can get around and do most everything without knowing the language, but with me there was always a feeling of uneasiness when doing most simple, everyday tasks.We also experienced a typical Paris scene; striking workers. Members of eight labor unions went on strike on Thursday, Jan. 29, the day before our return flight. They were protesting the government's handling of the economic crisis. While we're sympathetic, we were not pleased that the one museum we hoped to visit, the Musée de l'Orangerie, was closed for the day. Most of the collection of the d'Orsay was closed off, although admission was free. The Louvre was still charging €6 even though most of the galleries were closed. So we rode Velib to Montmarte and followed a walking tour past Van Gogh's former residence and up to Sacre Couer for a great view of the city below. We'll post more photos later. (0) comments |