Paris Navigation (Day 1 of riding)

We had a relaxed start in mild drizzling rain with flawless navigation through the town of Villepinte to the Canal des Ourcqs and the Eurovelo 3 path. 

We rolled along the Canal to the Seine and through big parks, one of which claimed to be larger than New York's Central Park. It featured a large and we'll used outdoor exercise area and several rids for kids including this Jules Vern themed carousel. 

i especially liked the submarine but didn't see it in action so I can't confirm that is rises and dives. 

Next as we stopped in a busy Paris neighborhood, a friendly guy complimented my bike. And then locked his bike and went into the store we were standing by. Turns out, he was riding a Surly Ogre. (He had not heard of the Surly Bridge Club.)

We were standing in front of a camera shop where Mo then changed Mary's flat. It was the tiniest piece of wire, but Mo found it and replaced the tube. 

Meanwhile, Margaret the Penguin took advantage of the sunshine and caught some rays on Mo's saddle. Moments later, the sprinkles started up and we got riding to keep the saddles dry. 

We rode in the bike lane through Place de la Bastile. 

I managed to snap a photo of one of the roads we didn't take out of the circle. We were cheered to see all the flowers of Paris. 

Here's a view of the path along the Siene. By then the drizzle had stopped so we had a delightful picnic lunch. We were near Notre Dame and had meant to ride by but after lunch we opted to not backtrack and headed out of town. 

We crossed this bridge which had a large arcaded path just for bikers. 

We crossed the Seine on a lock, or Écluse in French, that was directly on the path. 

There was an old lock in the far side with 3 lockkeeper houses. Despite being directly on the path, crossing the river involved 5 flights of stairs. I took my packs off and relayed them separately from the bike. While we were crossing 2 locals whipped by one of whom had a delivery bike. Apparently I should have done more weightlifting to prepare for this trip. 

We enjoyed a grove of old giant cherry trees along the way. 

Then we got to Draveil where we expected a campground. Despite our best navigation efforts, it wasn't to be. It was only for residential campers, not transients like us. So we proceeded to a hotel in Viry Châtellon along great paths and through a charming villages.