A new obsession

Now that I am beginning to feel really comfortable in my knowledge of the main streets of Paris, and the directions of everything in relation to everything else, I finally worked up the courage to try taking a Vélib. The Vélib system is a bike share that serves the entire city of Paris. The stations are just as densely placed as the metro stations, if not more so. I couldn't benefit from them two years ago because I didn't have a French bank card. I have always been terrified at the thought of biking through the streets of Paris, for several reasons: 1) the roads don't really have lines on them, 2) bikers have to bike right on the roads with cars, 3) the roads are narrow, 4) parisian street signs confuse me, and, 5) you really have to know your route because its a lot easier to stop and look at your map when you are walking than when you are biking. But this time, I decided things would change.

With encouragement from some friends, I finally rented my first Vélib and braved the roads of Paris. And it was amazing! When the weather is nice but you don't feel like walking, bike riding through Paris is the most wonderful thing. I have titled this entry "a new obsession" because it really is like an obsession; once you are on the bike, all you can think about is where else can I go to make this ride last longer. I feel completely addicted to bike riding. Even though I don't need to, I have been taking them in the mornings on my way to work. So I take a Vélib for about twenty minutes, and take the metro another 30 minutes the rest of the way to work. Riding along the Seine just as the sun is coming up (at 8 am, it rises really late here) when barely any pedestrians or other bikers are around, with a few of Ile de la Cité (where Notre Dame is) and the Hotel de Ville and the beautiful bridges and bateaux-mouches, I feel like I'm in a tourism commercial. What an absurdly fantastical way to start off the work day.

In regards to my previous qualms about riding bikes in Paris, it is not nearly as intimidating as it seems. After the first ride, most if not all of them disappear. In most roads, the bike lane is the same as the bus and taxi lane, which is separate from the rest of the cars and motorcycles, so you really don't have to share that much. It also helps that Parisian drivers are so used to having bikers share the roads with them, that they are very understanding and comfortable driving with them. The most you would ever get is an impatient honk, but I have never ever felt in danger when riding on Parisian roads. There is one thing, however, that I still haven't figured out: how to make a left turn. Even when you are in the bus or taxi lane, the bikers still ride on the right hand side of the lane. So you either have to cut in front of traffic, and possibly be stuck waiting in the middle of the intersection for the cars coming from the other direction to stop, or, wait and walk your bike like a pedestrian (which I do more often than not, though I feel judged by the other bikers. Or I just avoid the routes where I need to take a left. It's easier than you'd think). I'll keep you updated on whether or not I discover the definitive etiquette for taking a left turn on a bike in a busy intersection. Until then, its all rights for me!