Stayed near Bastille - and to Marathon de Paris veterans, that's the 5km mark and the first drink station / bottleneck.
Spent most of the Saturday walking around, visiting old haunts - escaping the labyrinth from the chatelet metro via a walk east, with the bastille insight, and out of sight again....the brasseries made commercial via too much word of mouth reviews, the marche at the mouffetard (Left Bank) open on a Saturday afternoon (my mouffetarte shop has given way to a clothes shop!)
The highlight being the evening meal at a lovely little establishment at the Marais, run by 2 (female) lovers - the recommendation of the night being Faux Filet !
My poor French turned suspicion into 'false beef' = horse but lucky it wasn't- a nice protein fix it was (lately I just need meat, don't know why)
What wasn't faux there was: c'est deliceaux!
Of course, how can a Sunday morning not start with a beautiful run (my hotel selection, of course was strategically to facilitate such pursuits).
Late checkout requested (a pattern here) and of course I had to lead the running route (professional run tour guides charge €75 for this luxury!) -
Along the right bank of the Seine we went - a quiet stretch that runners/cyclists/rollerbladers would go on the middle of the road (where available) and where not, the minimalist/barefoot shoe runners would suffer on the cobblestones.
It was nice being there, jogging the memories of 2 Sunday mornings in April few years ago, when we were racing and spectating against time. The only clock this time, was the possible late checkout charge ....so the logical point to turn back was in the jardin Tuileries - as pretty as before...
And some customary stretching with the louvre in the background
And then..a straight run, traffic permitting , down rue rivoli...
Not quite 10kms (would've been if we reached halfway up the champs élysées near George V)...but at least we did it!
***
Things aren't always what they seem, faux imaginations are easily found with a bit more thought, but its the initial idea, and the necessary logistics with a diversion, that gets me out there.
Back home, I've finally tried a day commuting with the bike and train alone..ok, with a lift to my old station with faster trains in the morning.
On the way back, I explored the options of heading home by cycling totally, by using my return ticket and changing to the slower train that will take me a 5 min ride home, or by using the return ticket and cycling the 5 miles home.
I chose the 3rd option, which meant I didn't have the 20 minute dead time on the platform for the train change (I got home quicker than waiting for the train!)
Alternatively, if I had decided to cycle my whole way without interruptions, I wouldn't have wasted time on waiting for the train even.
Faux pedal economy. Real exercise. Just more planning required for a proper workout. But how many balls to juggle?
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