Lester- my new friend, my new freedom

Leaving Lyudmila in Torino after we formed such a strong bond over the Alps was tough to say the least. But yesterday along came Lester. I am happy to report I am back to my cruisin' ways. It happened the other day that a gem with flaming red lipstick who floated away from the Australian coast and washed ashore on the banks of the Seine six years ago had a cycle to spare.

So it was, on a sunny autumn afternoon the other day my new friend Lester and I got acquainted. Not unlike Lyudmila, Lester is packing some weight, although this time it has nothing to do with my excess luggage and everything to do with the stiff steel, which dont get me wrong, has been bent to befriend me during my time in Paris, and I am eternally grateful for the wheels.

Lester and I stop off for an expresso high on a hill that over looks the Parisian skyline

Of course the best reason for a having a bicycle in Paris is the quick and easy access you have to the entire city. Walking is something I take great joy in but a bike combines the ability to see the streets and if need be do it in a timely fashion. I feel like riding the metro in Paris is like closing your eyes at the movies. Too much to see above ground.


I snapped this shot in a tiny park near the Marais. Paris is full of these beautiful parks in the middle of this, at times mad, and massive city.

Having been in Paris just shy of a month I find myself understanding the layout of the city more and more with each passing day. Getting a feel for the arrondissements, all 20 of them, which divide up the city into different sections. Each one with its own personality, its own sense of sytle, be it gruff or hipped out, or historic, or chic, or artistic, or commercial. My hope is that Lester and I still manage to get lost long into November.