6 months and 6 miles

Today marks 6 months since we arrived in Paris, plus one day extra since we left home. We really do miss you all very very much. Really. But as you can tell from talking to us and reading this blog, we are enjoying our time in Paris, and the constant discoveries of our new and challenging life here.

Today we went for a looooong bike ride through the city - not by ourselves, as we're not THAT bold yet! But every Friday night, and one Sunday midday per month, there's a big Paris Rando Velo through the city. The Friday routes look like lots of fun, but they're too late for the boys. We hadn't made a Sunday ride until today ... and today's included the ride up Montmartre, the highest hill in Paris at 430 feet above the river. I actually don't know the length of the route. I had ambitions to use Google Earth to map and measure it out, but I am totally beat and heading to bed in a sec. The ride was very fun, with temperatures in the upper 60s and occasional sprinkles with the sunshine. I didn't see any of the 250 or so riders younger than Carter, and he was a total trooper, very proud of himself for making it up all but two climbs without walking. The guides block traffic on cross streets, we get to blow through stop lights, it's like owning the city.

Half-way through, we stopped at the base of Sacre Couer for a break and snack, and Calvin and I walked over to find Betsy and Carter. While we were saying hi, the small Montmartre tourist train started honking for everyone to move, so we started shifting bikes over. I failed to understand that the tour was starting back up, and Calvin and I couldn't get over to our bike through the crowd. Then when we got to it, he got on (the trail-a-bike) before I got on, and the bike tipped, he fell on the attached flagpole, snapped it off, and fell on his butt. He started crying - again, the ride's leaving at this point - and I and passers-by tried to console him. We got back on, then got smushed up against a temporary metal barricade and he got tangled up in it. So things are going well now, right? Again, passers-by helped untangle him - I couldn't get off the bike or it would have fallen over - and we got going. Now the ride is just visible heading down the hill, and there are several cars and that stupid train between us and the back end of it. Calvin is screaming that he doesn't feel safe, and it turns out part of why is he has one fist wrapped around a sandwich instead of the handlebar. Calvin, drop the sandwich. No Dad, I made it, I'm hungry. Calvin, drop the sandwich. (OK, maybe I yelled.) No no no. OK, give it to me. He does. I throw it. He freaks. Ride over. We pulled over, sat down on the curb, and chilled out for a few minutes. We found his sandwich, complete with pigeons, so made him a new one from the mashed laughing cow cheese and baguette chunk in my pocket. Problem solved - well, except the flag got lost, and we were up on Montmartre. We found our way home alright through, and weren't even troubled by much traffic since it's Sunday in late August.

Betsy and Carter didn't even notice we weren't on the ride until it got to the end. They made their way back, and we all took naps before going to the 3 euro movie this evening to see Lassie. (Awwwww.) Did I mentioned I'm beat? Good night all.