Ride your bike from Paris to London, use your iPad in the metro and beware of birthdays!





Here are just a few of the topics that caught my attention on Twitter recently:

The Green Way Paris-London (Avenue Verte Paris-Londres)

Thinking about going to the Olympic Games but don't want to fly, take the train or drive a car? Then you'll be pleased to know that there's a newly opened bicycle path between Paris and London. Standing at Kilometre Zero in front of Notre Dame, French and British officials inaugurated the Green Way on Saturday and waved goodbye to a group of cyclists who are pedaling their way towards London for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on July 27.

At the moment, one third of the route is on cyclable green paths while the rest is on minor roads. Plans are to create a fully cyclable route using old rail lines and available land. 

Just how far is it from Paris to London? 295 miles (474 km) via Beauvais and 254 miles (408 km) via the Epte Valley.

Avenue Verte Paris-Londres, official website in French
Itinerary Avenue Verte Paris-Londres
One man's account in English of cycling the Green Way when it was first conceived in late 2010.

Free Wifi in Paris Metro

As of today, travelers can surf the web for free while riding the metro. Still in its testing phase, a total of 66 hotspots are available in the transportation network. People wishing to use the free service should connect to the portal GOWEX and enter their details to receive a password to access the internet. Just remember to use your devices with caution and to be on the alert for pickpockets.

Additional information in French.

Birthdays aren't good for your health! People are 13.8% more likely to die on their birthday than on other days of the year.

Stephane scoffed at this bit of Twitter news until I told him that it's based on a Swiss study that set out to determine the relationship between the day of a person's birth and the day of their death by analysing the death records of more than two million people over a period of forty years. It turns out that 13.8% more people die on their birthday than on other days of the year, which indicates that “birthday blues” is a real phenomenon.

And speaking of birthdays, be sure to get your free ticket to Disneyland Paris. It's valid on your birthday or on one of the seven days immediately following it.

Last but not least, there's a newly opened Chipotle in Paris. As they say on their website, "Vive la révolution"! Burrito revolution, that is! I know where I'm going to have lunch in the near future.
Summer? Even though it doesn't feel like it, the Ferris Wheel has already made its seasonal appearance in the Tuileries Garden.

Comments

  1. Free wifi in the metro? In the same place they've got loud speaker warnings telling people not to take out their smart phones because of theft? A little schizo, me thinks...

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    1. It does seem like an odd concept. I can see the pickpockets rubbing their hands together in glee at the thought of all the people too absorbed in surfing the web to notice that someone is ready to grab their iPad.

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  2. As you know I cycle evrywhere, but recently I have become more enthusiastic, cycling not just for transport but also for pleasure. A london th Paris bike ride sounds fantastic......Plane Jane, are you up for it?

    Get the good weather ready Mary Kay....4 days to blast off!

    .. and I hope you have SAFE plans for Sunday!!!!!!

    Love Denise

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    1. I'm IN, Denise! Now, that's my idea of a good time! I'm at the airport now, on my way to St Malo in Brittainy to begin my 6 day bike tour! It,s the best way to tour IMHO!

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    2. I'm working on the weather, Denise, but it's not cooperating. I hope that it's better by the time that you arrive! Right now it's overcast and humid. See you soon!!!

      Planejane, Welcome to France! By my calculations you must be in Brittany cycling right about now. It reminds me of how you kept saying, "Im living the dream!" when we went biking along the Marne River with Sylvia and Bruce. I can't wait to hear about your 6 day (sore bottom!) tour! If you like seafood, St. Malo is a great spot to get some.

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  3. I love the Green Way to London! I've never undertaken such a long ride, twenty miles is as far as I've ever gone, but I know I could do more. I'm going to have a look at the English blog about it.

    And I love the Ferris Wheel photo, so perfect.

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    1. While I love the idea of biking from Paris to London if I did a bicycle trip it would probably be somewhere with lots of good wine and food along the way. I'm thinking either the Loire Valley or Tuscany. I look forward to hearing what PlaneJane (see above) thought about her 6 day tour of Brittany.

      Thanks for commenting about the Ferris Wheel photo! I was pleased with how the statues near the Louvre lined up with it. They look as if they would like to have a spin if only they weren't so immobile.

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  4. I always thought birthdays were bad for you. That's it, I'm cancelling mine from now on ...

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    1. Now there's a good suggestion! The only drawback of canceling them is that we would miss out on the cake and the presents!

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  5. I didn't know the Ferris Wheel was out in the summer too! My birthday is in a month.. I'll be in NYC and highly doubt I'll have birthday blues!

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    1. Here's counting down to your birthday and being back in NYC! I'm sure that your family and friends have lots of stuff planned for your special day. Maybe there's even a Kale Cake in the works!

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  6. Loved learning about the Paris/London bike path, Mary Kay. I really enjoy your blog – amongst other reasons - for educating me about wonderful things like this bike path, which I would never have known about otherwise. I would love to ride it some day! What a wonderful vision these originators had...

    On the linked article, I loved the part about the Brits desiring to avoid “urbanizing the countryside” by paving routes, but enjoyed even more the response from The Continent: "It seems to be a peculiarly British concern. In France, Germany, the Netherlands hard surfaces are the norm. They cannot understand why we are different."

    That last line made me smile and almost laugh out loud!

    p.s. Was I the only one trying to imagine how they would bicycle across the Channel? I’m blaming this on not yet having had my morning coffee!

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    1. Thanks, Peter, although I have to admit that I learned about all of the above on Twitter. It has become somewhat of a joke between Stephane and me when we share the news of the day. His comes mostly from the proper channels (newspapers, radio, tv) while mine comes from social media.

      After reading your p.s., I'm envisioning bikes flying across the Channel like hovercraft. Come to think of it, I wonder if they still exist. That's the way that I first traveled from England to France right after I flew to London on Sir Freddie Laker's inexpensive airline.

      Perhaps we should plan a bicycle trip somewhere in the near future - that is if you're still not set on dogsledding!

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  7. Can't wait to try out that greenway! I have a bike trip planned for later this summer, hopefully I get the chance to ride it.

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    1. The Greenway looks like a great ride. For some reason your embedded link doesn't work but bicycle enthusiasts may wish to visit Alex's website: http://www.montaguebikes.com/folding-bike/

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