To rent a bike and ride along the canal in Paris

10 July 2012 / No Comments

A couple of days ago nostalgia gripped me. I love cycling in Paris and have often rented push bikes and tandems from a really funny little place along the Quai de la Marne, near the Bassin de la Villette. It looks really odd, a little intimidating with it’s old gate and the fact that the bikes are stored under a bridge but the people there are so helpful, so warm and the bikes in really good shape.

So I treated myself to riding down the canal and straight out of Paris, towards the unkown. I found beautiful green parcs, big industrial areas with a homely and not intimidating vibe (here, along the canal on the 19th, there are lofts and old warehouses turned into flats and houses) and the most beautiful street art ever. The graphs were immense and very artistic, striking in their colour and the pure escapism they provide. Larger than life art, just a bike ride away!

I came back tired (the ride took me 3 hours) but so happy. As a(nother) reward, I treated myself to a Croissant aux Amandes (Almond paste filled croissant), it tasted even BETTER than ever. Ahhh, life’s little rewards!

Hope you hop on your bike after this and don’t forget to look around, there is so so much to be seen on your way! xxx