Each week I am going to ask the kids what there favourite experiences while travelling have been so far.
This week I asked Jasmine ( 19 years old).
What have you loved the best so far?
The bike tour around Paris. It was crazy riding along the road with all the traffic in the city but fun at the same time.
Why should other people do it?
If you don’t have much time, the bike tour is great. You get to see alot and learn about the city in a short time.
Walking through the city early in the morning, we were in a jet lag haze. The market holders were setting up their wears, the bright colours of the fruit and vegetables in stark contrast to the grey metal steel of the train lines in which the stalls were tucked under. At the meeting point, slowly people from many differing countries on many different journeys, gathered eager to start the 4-hour bike tour around the city of Paris, with a company aptly named, Fat Tire. Picking out the perfect bike for us and deciding not to wear a helmet (ahh!) were the hardest decisions we had to make on the bike trip and soon we were off to “dominate” the roads of Paris!!!
Riding along with the buses and commuters, weaving in and out of the lanes, the blasting of horns and the yelling voices of the drivers in a language that is unknown to us, made the journey by bike exhilarating, if not a little dangerous! Our tour guide, though, made us feel safe, always looking out for us, while sharing with us the sites, heritage and somewhat bloody history of this city, that has so much to offer.
Riding along the Seine happened to be an experience in its self, not as peaceful as I would expect it would normally be, as we negotiated participants and coloured powder bursting everywhere in the annual city colour run. While riding in front of the Eiffel tower with its tall spire reaching up into the atmosphere was awe inspiring, learning that it nearly was to be a huge guillotine, was very disturbing! Making our way through the Tuileries gardens to our lunch break, we listened as the Parisian children giggled and chased each other around the ponds, following their tiny boats, with sails flapping in the wind and the older folk enjoying their time together over a heated game of bocce.
The four- hour tour took us to all the sites that Paris is known for and gave us a history lesson we will not forget! Highly recommended for everyone from young to old.
Where?: The streets of Paris, meeting point listed clearly on tickets.
Where to buy tickets: We bought ours on Viator.com before we left, very reliable site, never had a problem.
How much?: from $51
Need to know: Bring you camera and water bottle, wear comfortable shoes, they do have helmets if you want them, it’s an easy ride so you don’t have to be too fit but you do need to know how to ride a bike!!!
Where we stayed?: Ibis tour Eiffel booked via Booking.com
