Spinning around Paris is a must! Our spot in the city was in an area which seemed a little run down but we were close to the river with a Velib bike hire station extremely close by.
The Velib system is very similar to the Boris bikes and very easy to use. The only problem we found was that half an hour slots are a very short – we did get bitten once as we kept the bikes for 45 minutes between stops.
The roads in Paris are terrifying but there are cycle lanes. We didn’t go far and made it onto the river path as soon as we could, cycling along the seine to the Eiffel tower where we bumped into lots of people who had just completed the London to Paris cycle along various routes. We had fun splashing around in puddles and taking very yellow selfies! Bizarrely, we were even stopped by a French couple – the wife wanted her photo with us – perhaps she thought we were Minions?!
Despite being pretty soaked, we turned around and followed the path back to the Notre Dame. WOW. Now that is a stunning piece of architecture. It was magical, even in the constant downpour.
I have to say, it was an amazing mini adventure and very cheap on the Velibs. My new jacket from Uncle Clive and Aunty Sarah really proved its worth, with only the cuffs being completely wet through after hours of continuous rainfall. I love it!