#i could ride my bike 10 miles along the canals in my neighborhood back then

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Episode 2: Top five Paris must-dos

Bonjour, fellow travelers! Finding Alexx here. On my quest to visit 52 countries in 52 weeks based on the cheapest flight every Tuesday, my first stop took me to the City of Lights – Paris.

From bread and cheese all day every day, to sparkling monuments around almost every corner, it’s just one of those cities that is impressive in every way. Here are my tips and tricks for what to eat, what to see and how to get around –  and how to do it on a backpacker budget if you have to.

The Eiffel Tower

Let’s start with the obvious, the Eiffel Tower! This iconic metal triangle was actually hated by Parisians when it was first opened back in 1889 but has since become one of the most famous buildings in the world. Going up to the top with the lift will set you back €25.50, and you might be waiting a while for your turn, but you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful view of the Champs de Mars and Trocadero on the other side of the Seine.

If you’re really tight for money and don’t want to pay to go up, there are plenty of stunning viewpoints to get a glimpse (and a great shot) of the tower. Visit Trocadero to get a straight-on view from right across the river. Have a picnic dinner in the Champs de Mars and see the tower sparkle every hour from sunset, or take the perfect Instagram shot from Pont Alexandre III or Pont de Bir-Hakeim bridge with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Take a history or art lesson

Culture, art or history buffs will LOVE this city, with museums and galleries of all different types dotted around the city. Say bonjour to the Mona Lisa and thousands of other works of art at the Louvre, dive into Europe’s largest collection of modern art at Le Centre Pompidou, visit Musée des Arts et Métiers to wander around exquisite buildings filled with scientific treasures, or head to Musée Picasso to see some masterpieces from Picasso himself as well as his fellow artists.

Looking for something a bit more obscure? Be sure to check out the Catacombs, a 3000km network of tunnels running under the city, home to the bones of over 6 million Parisians. In the 1700s the city’s cemeteries were getting full, so a bit of ingenuity kicked off the movement from graves to the tunnels underground. Insane? Yes. Incredible to see? Also yes. Not for the faint-hearted, for obvious reasons!

Shop up a storm

Whether you’re into fancy designers, chic boutiques or vintage threads, Paris is guaranteed to satisfy any shopaholic’s needs… But maybe at the detriment of their wallet! If you’re looking to treat yourself to a special purchase you’ll need to check out the Faubourg Saint-Honoré district, you can find flagship stores of all different brands and budgets down the Champs-Elysées, and Le Marais neighborhood is home to some of the trendiest boutiques around.

If your budget doesn’t stretch past window shopping then I’d still recommend paying a visit to the gigantic Galeries Lafayette flagship department store on Boulevard Hausmann in the 9th arrondissement, just to see the exquisite stained-glass dome ceiling. It’s absolutely stunning!

A cabaret show

I haven’t been to Moulin Rouge so I can’t speak for that one specifically, but I can say that it was way out of my budget (at least €100 per person not including food or drink). This was a shame because I was super keen to see one of Paris’ famous cabaret shows!

Then a friend of mine told me about La Nouvelle Eve, a smaller cabaret just down the road from the Moulin Rouge with fantastic reviews and much lower prices. We paid €59 each which included half a bottle of champagne too, plus the venue was smaller and less people than the ‘main’ shows so it felt a lot more intimate. There were the usual cabaret dancers plus some acrobats and other performers, and some hilarious audience participation. If you’re looking for a cabaret show on a budget, La Nouvelle Eve should be on your list!

Seine

The lifeline of Paris is the River Seine, which snakes its way through the middle of the city, separating the Right Bank from the Left Bank. The river brings some calmness to the craziness of the capital, and its banks are hang out spots for locals throughout summer, spring and autumn.

Take a wander along the river banks, grab a drink at one of the many riverside bars, or hop on a Bateaux Parisiens (that’s what the river boats are called) and cruise past all the major landmarks. If you can afford an evening cruise then that’d be even better, as most of the city’s main monuments light up after dark.

Neighborhoods

Paris is made up of 20 different arrondisements, numbered from 1 to 20, which are administritave districts (kind of like boroughs). Then there’s suburbs within the arrondissements. Slightly confusing! Here are some of my favorite Paris suburbs.

Latin Quarter

Located right by the river on the Left Bank, the Latin Quarter is a youthful suburb packed with loads of cheap eats. The Latin Quarter is home to restaurants of all different ethnicities, and most of them offer fixed price menus that will give you a two or three course meal from only €10, sometimes even including the drink. That’s a win! I’d recommend Mobster Diner for a casual dinner, Chez le Libanais for a takeaway shawarma, or L’Époque for classic French fare, and you can’t miss the panini, crepe and soft drink deal for €5 at Crêperie Genia.

There are plenty of delicious eateries that fit a backpacker budget in this part of town, so I’d suggest heading there for lunch to wander the streets and find a menu that tickles your fancy.

Champs-Elysées

More of a main road than a neighborhood, this stretch in the central city is 1.2 miles long and leads from the Place de la Concorde all the way to the Arc de Triomphe. It’s the most touristy part of the city for sure but the wide footpaths make it not too difficult to get around, despite the thousands of shoppers and visitors. You can shop ‘til you drop, refuel with a sugar hit with macarons from Ladurée or Pierre Hermé, then wrap up your day with a walk up to the top of the Arc de Triomphe for a gorgeous view over the city.

Montmartre

This hillside neighborhood has got to be one of the most arty places in Paris, with local sketchers and painters lining the side streets surrounding the beautiful Sacré-Coeur sitting on top of the hill. Pick up a piece for your wall, opt to sit for a caricature if you’ve got the time and funds, or simply wander around admiring the artists’ skills.

Visiting the Sacré-Coeur is free and it’s open from 6am. It’s a fantastic place to go for sunset too, with an unmissable view of the sprawling city and loads of spots for a picnic dinner. Be sure to stop into Crêperie Brocéliande for a Nutella and banana crepe for dessert!

Le Marais

Hands down the trendiest suburb in the city, Le Marais is home to the most stylish boutiques, cafés, bars, restaurants, hotels and even offices! This place is best discovered by strolling the streets with no particular end point in mind, and I guarantee you’ll stumble across something special. It’s also the heart of Paris’ LGBT scene, with rainbow installations scattered throughout the neighborhood during pride month each year.

For a true Parisian experience, dress up in something nice, head to Le Marais in the early evening and grab a patio table and a glass of wine and people watch the night away. Les Philosophes is a local favorite!

How to get around

One of the best things about Paris is that it’s super easy to walk between loads of the key spots, and on the way you’ll definitely come across some gorgeous corner cafés, funky gift shops and ultra-cool boutiques. If you have the time and energy, I’d really suggest challenging yourself to a no-transport day, and see what you discover.

If you’re in a hurry or want to give your feet a break, Paris has a decent public transport system with buses, RER trains and the Metropolitain (underground). You can buy single tickets, packs of ten, or multi-day passes from most train and Metro stations. A single ticket costs €1.90, a pack of ten costs €14.90 and a 5 day pass costs €38.35.

Paris also has loads of bike (JUMP is the main one) and e-scooters (like Lime, Dott and Bird) available for rental, but note that you can only ride in bike lanes or on the road or you could be stung with a €100+ fine.

Taxis can be expensive but there are Ubers available all over the city which are more affordable.

Where to stay

Paris is huge, and with that comes thousands of accommodation choices! The city on a whole is pretty expensive, but there are plenty of hostels that will suit a wallet-friendly budget, as well as some decent cheap hotels.

Generator Paris is one of my faves, right across the road from Colonel Fabien Metro station which means easy transport into the central city. They’ve got modern, functional hostel rooms plus a sweet rooftop bar with views of the Sacré-Coeur. They don’t have a kitchen though and you can’t take food or drink into the hostel, which means you’ve got to spend money on meals out or at the hostel bar.

St Christopher’s also has two hostels in Paris, I stayed at the one next to Gare du Nord (a major train station and the arrival point for the Eurostar) and there’s another one next to St Martin’s Canal, a quieter, more residential area.

The Gare du Nord hostel was an ideal location for me as I was catching a train to Beauvais airport, but the area around the train station was kind of seedy and I didn’t feel particularly safe walking around by myself at night. If you’re in a group or pair, if you’re a guy, or if you’re only planning on going out during the day then this spot is probably fine, but for solo female travelers who might be out and about after the sun’s gone down then it’s not ideal.

How much to budget for Paris

My week in Paris was the first week of a year-long trip, and I blew through my budget more than I should have. If you stay at a hostel with a full kitchen and cook your own meals then it’s definitely doable on a budget, but unfortunately for me (and my bank account) I just LOVE French food and want to eat at all the best cafés and restaurants!

Hostels will set you back anywhere from €15 to €30 for a dorm bed depending on the time of year you go, and cheap hotels will start at around €60 per room (but that’s truly no frills and probably no breakfast included).

Breakfast at a café will be between €5 for a coffee, juice and croissant through to €14-ish for a full cooked breakfast in the fancier parts of the city, and a sit down dinner is likely to cost at least €15 unless you get a fixed price menu in the Latin Quarter.

Picnics are a great choice for Paris on a budget, and you can get bread, cheese and deli meats as well as a bottle of wine to share for between €10 and €15.

Expect to spend around €4-6 per day on transport if you’re taking two or three trips, and you’ll need to budget extra if you’re planning on visiting museums and galleries.

Some extra tips for your Paris trip

If you ever have the chance to visit Paris for Bastille Day, you HAVE to go. The fireworks are the most incredible display I’ve ever seen! They start at 11.30pm and go for half an hour, and they’re set to an epic soundtrack too. You can see them from any high vantage point in the city but I recommend getting a spot in the Champs de Mars (the park right under the Eiffel Tower) for free. The gates this year opened at 4pm and there’s a security check, but if you get there early you’ll be sure to get a decent spot pretty quickly. You can bring food and drink but no glass bottles, so pour your wine into a Dopper bottle, an eco-friendly drink bottle that comes with a makeshift wine cup! Paris has some of the best parks in Europe, so if you need a break from sightseeing during the day then you probably won’t be far from somewhere to rest your legs. Jardin du Luxembourg is on the Left bank and is home to a stunning palace and gardens, definitely one of my favorites. To get photos away from the masses you’ll probably need to wake up early, I was there in summer and took all my photos at the key tourist spots between 6am and 8am. Some of my favorite photo spots in the city are Pigalle basketball court, the columns at Palais Royal, and the view of the Eiffel Tower from Pont Alexandre III. If you want to explore outside of Paris for the day, consider a day trip to the Palace of Versailles, Monet’s Garden in Giverny, or the castles in the Loire Valley You’re never too old for roller coasters! If you’re keen to visit Disneyland Paris I’d suggest trying to visit on a weekday outside of school holidays, for obvious reasons.

And after all that, now I want to go back! I hope this Paris travel guide has helped you plan your upcoming trip, and if you’re keen to follow all my adventures over the next year you can see.

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They “Biked The Bay,” And CRUSHED It

November 27, 2018

They “Biked The Bay,” And CRUSHED It

Editor’s Note: Back in the dog days of summer, Bicycle Coalition Regional Planner Leonard Bonarek posted what was essentially a dare to cyclists in our region: See if you can bike around the Delaware Bay. It was one of our most popular blog posts, and several folks took advantage of the resources we highlighted to complete at least part of the adventure. One couple, however, got pretty serious about summer fun and completed the entire journey in 48 hours, beginning and ending in Chester County. What follows is their account of the journey. May their sunny adventure brighten our dark days of late autumn. Click here for their photo album from the trip. 

Bike The Bay 2018 By William Welch

When a challenge has been set, what happens in between the conception and execution? I have learned throughout the years traveling via bike that the goals you set cannot be secured by expectations. My girlfriend Kera and I have been bikepacking together for about 4 years. Our philosophy is simple; use what you have and every adventure starts at the front door. When the Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia posted the Bike The Bay Challenge, we were both immediately consumed with the challenge. We knew we could leave our front door in West Chester, Pa and complete the challenge in 48 hours. That was the goal. It is hard not to laugh when you start thinking about the logistics of that goal. Luckily this trip we were going multimodal: bikes, trains, and boats!Our trip started out on August 3rd at about 3pm. Kera had to work at Center For Families in Malvern from 4pm-7pm. We rolled down the alley and started our journey heading North on business rt 100. Our ride down rt 100 is fairly safe, it has a wide shoulder and some cool neighborhood shortcuts that bring us to the head of the Chester Valley Trail. The Chester Valley Trail takes us right to Center For Families. While Kera went to work, I took then next 4 hours to make some last minute adjustments to the bikes and gear. Also, I meditated and took a nap in the sun. Kera took her clients rock climbing for adventure therapy and when she got back around 7, we packed up and headed for 30th street train station to catch a 10:50 pm train to Atlantic City.

We have both done this section of the trip many times at night, so we knew we had 34 miles and just about 3 hours to make it there! The timing would be close but, if we missed the 10:50 pm train, there was another at 12:15 a.m or so. We really needed to make the 10:50 train if we wanted any chance to make it to southern NJ by sunrise. The C.V.T. trail takes us up through Valley Forge Park, over Sullivan’s Crossing bridge and onto the Schuylkill River Trail. Riding the S.R.T. at night is magical! Kera and I both bike a lot at night, we always have three NiteRider headlights. We usually just run one at a time on the flasher mode because they last upwards of 30 hours each. The flashers make you very visible, some people but most cars think you’re a cop so they give you lots of room! We both also ride with two tail lights each as well as 2 safety triangles per person. Safety is so important, especially riding at night! As we traveled down the S.R.T. under the flash of the strobe we were both super happy to find out they repaved what was the worst section of the trail (after the Norristown train station all the way to Conshohocken). What a feeling after having endured the choppy pavement for so many years! We were really crushing the miles at this point, we knew we had a chance to make the train. We chose to take the crushed gravel section of the S.R.T. that leads down to the Manayunk Canal Trail. What’s an Adventure without some crushed gravel, mud, and puddles at night?!

“Downed Tree!” Wow! Looks like the storm had brought down a giant tree that fell right across the trail! There’s no way we were back-tracking, definitely no time for that. We had to carry the bikes over, under, and through the tree. That moment was our first rest. Manayunk was alive with people as we passed through onto East Falls and finally down to the Art Museum and at last we passed under Market Street. As we started making our way up to Market Street from the S.R.T., we both heard something unusual that sounded like a gang of motorcycles on the trail. Well, it was. Actually, it was a bunch of dirt bikes and A.T.V.’s on the trail. It’s such a shame that a few individuals can be so careless and ultimately put peoples’ lives at risk. We were fortunate to be off the trail and onto the ramp before they came through.

We made it to 30th Street Station with 30 minutes to spare! Neither of us knew where the train terminal was and where to buy tickets. So we roll into the station with all eyes on us! We scrambled frantically. We found the kiosk and bought the tickets and had time to use the bathroom and load up on as much food as we could carry and eat on the train. As we loaded onto the train, we had little trouble finding the space for our bikes. The only problem is that the bike parking on the train is also the handicap seating. As our adrenaline subdued and we both stopped shoving popcorn, chips, and some energy drinks in our faces.

We both realized what lied ahead. The train ride would take about 2 hours. We would arrive in A.C around 1am and then we had to either make it to Stone Harbor where our friend lives or make it all the way to Cape May to sleep for the night. Either way, we both knew we were in for something special. As we arrived in A.C. we headed straight for the boardwalk. We didn’t ride all the way to N.J. not to ride next to the beach! The breeze was amazing and as soon as we passed all the casinos, we had the whole boardwalk to ourselves. We both took this moment to get into the aero bars and crush some more miles. Eventually our boardwalk ride ended a few block from Margate and we took to the road. By this time it was about 1:30 am and there were signs of some drunk people all around. We knew we had to keep pushing. Lots of miles to go.

We took our second rest at the Wawa right before the Ocean Drive Bridge into Ocean City. We ordered Milkshakes for some reason and took a nice little 10 minute nap along the side of the building. The new bridge into O.C. is amazing! The protected bike lane is just the best. We did scare a bunch of seagulls, actually they scared us as we were bombing down the backside of the bridge. Finally, we made it into Ocean City. The quiet and dry town seemed like a milestone but really it was just the beginning of the suffering.

Google said we had 27 miles to Stone Harbor. Google didn’t say we would be riding into headwinds the whole way while we hit every mental wall you could ever think of! We stopped again in Sea Isle across the street from another Wawa. There were people, lights, and a fine beach to take another nap on! We continued on, the bars had just let out, it was about 3:00 a.m, and we needed to find sleep before day break. Two hours later we finally made it to Stone Harbor. Our friends house was all locked up. Luckily they had some nice lounge chairs we could sleep on. Autopilot took over and we ripped the bivys out of the dry sacks and cuddled up to the sounds of the bay. Within 5 mins of getting settled and almost asleep, the skies opened up with a nice shower of rain. Out of the bivys we crawled. We drug the lounge chairs up next to the house where we had a little bit of cover. Good enough for sleep.

A few more hours passed with some wonderful sleep and we heard someone open a screen door. He looked very confused as to why there were two people in camo bivys sleeping on the deck. It is hard to imagine what he thought about as he looked at as. Our conversation was super awkward, until finally he broke the silence. When he listened to where we had come from that night and that we were actually expected at the house, he loosened up. Our friend finally came outside and welcomed us inside to say hello to everyone. Here we told them of our adventure the previous evening and that we had to get to the Cape May Ferry by 3 pm. Everyone looked at us with that crazy “you’re going where by when?” stare! That’s when they offered us a ride to Cape May. Usually, we do not take rides on our journeys, however, the ride was in a boat that would dock at The Lobster House for lunch.

Immediately, we jumped on that wonderful adventure. We just needed some sleep. Upon awakening from our morning nap, we promptly loaded our bike on the boat. The sky, a beautiful blue, with tall fluffy clouds enabled our minds to get lost in all the activities on the water from Stone Harbor to Cape May Harbor. En route we did travel through the inlet in search of dolphins in the ocean. We didn’t spot any dolphins but we did have a hell of a time riding the 7 foot swells being produced by the winds that day! As we docked the boat and off loaded the bikes at The Lobster House, we realized we had to take our bikes through the restaurant so we could lock them up on the street. Nothing to see here, just 2 straggly bike riders! The food, service, and ambience are top notch at the Lobster House. Kera and I order as much food as we thought we could eat in the hour we had until the ferry departed from Cape May. We scarfed down our food in just about 20 minutes, leaving us about 30 minutes to ride 5 miles to the ferry. Kicking it into high gear on a full belly we rode hard. The leftovers strapped to the bikes stayed secure during the jaunt.

We arrived at the ferry, loaded on before all the cars and took our leftovers and sleeping pads to a shaded spot on the bow. After scarfing down the last of the leftovers, we laid down the sleeping pads and passed out for the next 60 mins with fellow ferry riders standing all around. As we both woke up from our summer slumber. we were just passing the breakers to Cape Henlopen State Park. We enjoyed the last 20 minutes of the Delaware Bay from the top deck of the ferry. From this vantage point we were eye level with the resident Ospreys who nest atop the vessel docking slips. This year marks the third consecutive year the couple have returned to greet travelers with their new family of raptors. Still groggy from our nap and lack of sleep, we decided it was time for a dip in the Delaware Bay in Lewes.

The sleepy old fishing town of Lewes provided us with the cold salt water, soft sanded bath we both were in need of! Floating around in the water felt great, except for the few crabs our toes got entangled with! At this point it was about 5pm on Saturday and we had somewhere in the range of 24 hours to travel 100 or so miles back to West Chester. From this point on it became a matter of how much food and drinks could we strap down to our bikes. We were hungry! We biked down to the Weis Market on Rt. 9 and Rt 1. We both kinda just let our bodies tell us what we want as we walked around the store. Apparently, we were very thirsty. We walked out with two Monster Energy drinks, a GT’s Kombucha, and a 52 oz Boathouse Farms Berry Smoothie. Outside the market, we relaxed on a patio swing that was for sale as we downed an energy drink and the kombucha. As we relaxed, while others shopped, we looked for real food. We found it in the form of the Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop. Kera and I both have an affinity for Capriotti’s because of their vegetarian options. We ordered the 20” Veggie Cole and a 20” Veggie Cheeseburger. I don’t remember eating the sandwich as much as I do the flood of emotions that are usually released at some point during long rides of this nature. It’s like at a certain point the body dumps everything it does not need to hold on to because the body is just wasting that energy when it knows it needs to ride on.

After a good emotional cleansing we plan the next 7 hours. We had to keep heading north into the night. We set our sights on Milford. It was 20 miles away. We had no idea what to do when we got there, but it was our destination. By the time we set out, the sun was going down. I imagine it was about 7 or 8 pm by the time we got moving again. Dusk – it is the most wonderful time to ride. The magic of the sunset and the cool breeze full of summer smells keeps all the pains in the back of our minds. As the sun sets, we both settle into the aero bars again and get into a rhythm of the strobing headlights. At this point we were riding in and out of farms and forests and up and over the Delaware hills. I started noticing some trail markers on the road, yellow painted frogs, I guess they led to Killian’s Pond. We really enjoyed spotting them along the way!

In a few hours time, we rolled into Milford, De. Looking for a place to camp, our options were limited. We are no strangers to rogue camping, but as we sat outside a closed bike shop and consumed the last of our bounty, we started calling hotels. We found a Motel 8 only a few miles on the North side of town and made the trek northbound. As we arrived the man at the front desk was on the phone and told the person at the other end that he just rented the last room. How relieving it was to hear that we had the last hotel room available that night. Our room required us to carry our bikes up a long flight of steps to the second floor, which at this point didn’t matter, there was a comfy bed, a shower, and A/C that I was cranking down as low as possible. After showering and getting cuddled up in bed, we ate some bedtime snacks and planned our return route home.

The next 90 miles to home would be interesting. There was the direct route up Rt.1 to the St. Georges Bridge or we could snake our way through the country roads to cross the Delaware Canal at the St. Georges Bridge. Sunday morning we woke and slowly moved from our cold room of comfort. First things first, we needed our food. Luckily there was a Capriotti’s in town. The ride to Capriotti’s brought us to the west side of Milford. Everyone was busy about their Sunday routine, but we had a deadline of getting home before I had to work on Monday and Kera started class a West Chester University. Suddenly we crossed over a lot of glass in the road. Hopefully the Continental Gatorhard Shells hold out. Kera went inside to order our morning sandwiches and everyone that passed had to know what we were up to. Some people wished us luck, others offered up directions and one guy really loved the 32mm tires on Kera’s Fuji Jari. Eventually the sandwiches had been loaded down and a Monster Energy consumed. We were ready to roll, we would head up Rt.1’s wide shoulder until Dover and then cut back into the farmland for a more scenic route. As I rolled away, I realized Kera was not behind me, she had a flat. Riding along Rt.1 seems crazy and maybe it is. It is a marked bike route and the shoulders are huge! All the beach traffic kept the speeds of the cars down and we made it up to Dover in no time.

Turning right at Dover Air Force base, we stopped at the entrance to the museum for lunch in the sun. I was not a big fan of eating in the blistering heat, but Kera loves the sun and enjoyed every second. Soon we were back on the bikes and had a nice ride winding back and forth through the farmlands. Around 2 pm we stopped right before Duck Creek. There we saw an elevated wildlife viewing platform. We hung out in the shade of the platform and took a nice mid day nap after watching the Ospreys chase each other around. Neither of us really wanted to get up from the nap but we had to keep pushing forward. Just a few miles up the road, Kera was riding lead as we crossed Smyrna Creek. She screamed back at me “Watermelon!” Needless to say, I became very confused. She stopped ahead of me and told me there was a watermelon on the concrete rail of the bridge. Curious and hungry, I turned around. Honestly, I fell down because I was clipped in and did not make a wide turn. She was right! There was a watermelon. After a quick inspection, I balanced my new friend between the handlebars and aerobars and found the closest tree to sit under. It smelled fresh and had no bruising. Kera gave me the knife and I ripped into the watermelon like a hungry zombie. Some of the melon was definitely a bit sour. I did not care. We ate about 3⁄4 of that melon and drank lots of the sweet juice. What a mess we made. The gods had rewarded our hard work!

The road to home was getting shorter and shorter as the hours passed by. One of the highlights of the Bike the Bay route that we were really looking forward to was the heritage greenway trail and the new Jack A. Markell Trail that runs from Wilmington to New Castle, DE. Kera and I both knew that once we hit New Castle and eventually Wilmington the road home to West Chester, Pa would be smooth and easy. As we all know when you set an expectation that is smooth and easy you are setting up for failure. This was no exception. The trail started out great and it felt so nice to be off the road and onto a trail. We rode the trail for a little less than 10 miles and we felt the bridge over the Christina River getting closer and closer. We passed the prison as the sun was setting. In the distance we saw two cars parked up ahead on the trail. The State Troopers had the bridge blocked off and we could not cross. They had no alternative route for us to take either. Time for Google Maps.

Google had no idea how to get us home. It ended up taking us on Rt. 141, a major highway, for about one terrifying mile. Maybe we made a wrong turn somewhere or it was late and we were tired, either way. We really welcome the opening of the Jack A. Markell Bridge. After recovering from our highway stint at a local gas station with a gatorade, we stored the second on board and rode off into the night. As we approached Greenville, Delaware, Kera and I realized this was that last 30 miles of the trip. Honestly, we knew it was going to be full of hills which we rode without for the past 48 hours. The first set of hills were tough. They progressively got easier as our breathing adjusted. As Kera led the assault home, I watched her light lead the way in front of me. Suddenly, I saw a silhouette of Kera’s body leave the bike and then in the same moment slam back down. She had hit a huge hole in the bike lane. She stopped no more than 100 feet later, gasping for breath. The moans of the lungs searching for air soon subsided and as she regained composure, we searched for what to do next. It was 12 am on Monday. The bike was alright, just a flat tire and displaced aero bars. Kera, on the other hand, wouldn’t be able to go on. We were fortunate to have a few very nice people stop and make sure we were alright. Relatively, everything was fine, we just needed a way home. Kera placed a call to her sister who lives in Kennett Square. Thankfully, she was on her way home from the beach and was able to pick us up and take us the final 10 miles back to West Chester. Next year we will have another go at the Bike the Bay Challenge. We both wanted to thank everyone who made the ride possible.

Ride completed by: William Welch and Kera Passante Bikepacking Adventures Follow us on Facebook @epicbiketours

Bikes on boats: The Cape May – Lewes Ferry

1,043 total views, 64 views today

Posted by Bicycle Coalition at 3:42 pm

Topics: Biking in Philly, Biking Outside The Region, Biking the Suburbs, Connecting Greater Philadelphia Bicycle Network, Featured

Source: https://bicyclecoalition.org/they-biked-the-bay-and-crushed-it/

[bike42]

April 12, 2018. Haarlem-Keukenhof-Noordwijk-Oude Wetering

Combination of fresh air and exercise and adjustment to time change made for a better nights sleep and less of a groggy feeling in the morning. Up early for breakfast and ready to ride before 9am as instructed. We still ended up standing around waiting for the group - just part of the deal I guess. San & Matt, and Jeff and I went out with Sandra's smaller group - those that opted for the longer loop (53 km), and except for an older French couple, we were probably a faster group too. Another overcast morning, and again a moist feeling that made it feel colder. We started out riding bundled up again. Geo opted for staying on the boat today, along with a few others. We rode back through Haarlem, and the city square was different with full cafes and people milling about. Just garbage trucks and delivery vans, and people cycling to school and work. We even saw a women with a baby in a sling, feeding it a bottle while she blindly sped her bike through a red light! I'm always taken aback in awe when I'm in a European city center like this. I try to imagine the history that went on there before North American was even "discovered." From there, we rode a circuitous route through an amazing wooded park and neighborhoods with beautiful manor-like homes. It added some distance, but got us off the path that paralleled the busy highway and was much more enjoyable. We rode on paths dedicated to bikes and scooters over these past two days, hardly on the road at all. We had some experience with scooters on the paths last summer biking in Slovenia and Croatia - I don't like it, but you generally hear them coming so you're not surprised. After about an hour of riding, we had our first glimpse of a field of flowers. I was so excited, I was giddy! Sandra gave us a break and we ran up a little hill to get a glimpse through the trees. We traveled a little further and stopped at a cute little place for a coffee / pie break. As we set off in the direction of Keukenhof (an amazing spring flower display venue) we started seeing more and more fields with yellow daffodils and hyacinths in all shades from white to pink to purple (who knew there were so many variations of pink and purple). Not only would the site make me gasp in delight, the smell of a field of hyacinth is indescribable! There were also huge fields of tulips, some that were just beginning to bloom - next week they'll be spectacular too. We arrived at Keukenhof, and our group had 90 minutes there to enjoy the flower displays - which were amazing. The crowds though were harder to deal with after enjoying the flowers all to ourselves this morning. It's only open for 8 weeks, and they'll have two million visitors during that time! We covered about half of the displays, then ate our lunches and headed back to the bikes to meet Sandra. Jim had riden with mom and Cris in the morning, but at this point he jumped to the longer ride and joined us. It had gotten colder and windier, so we bundled up again as we headed out. We traveled west and south towards the North Sea resort town of Noordwijk. Along the way, many more flower fields and several cute villages. Soon we started seeing campgrounds, with what looked like seasonal campers already in place. Then dunes. We rode for several miles through the dunes, parallel to the sea, but never able to see the sea. It was a beautiful natural area with many trails designated for walking and off-road cycling, and a nice wide paved trail that we travelled on. We had approached a developed resort area with hotels and restaurants before we could see the sea. We took a 45 minute break there to check out the area and grab a snack. I took my shoes off and stepped into the sea, which was quite cold of course (it probably always is). As we left the beach area, it began to rain. We stopped to add more layers. The ride from Noordwijk to Sassenheim started out delightful. School had just gotten out, and it was fun to see the teenagers riding towards us, chatting animatedly as they rode. Some hanging onto each other too! Clearly these were kids that cycling was part of their DNA. The rain got heavier. We were on a nice path that paralleled a busy road. The traffic there felt frantic, more scooters joined our path, and we had to negotiate about 10 roundabouts. On top of that, Sandra seemed confused about our route. By now, I'd figured out the map and I'm pretty sure she missed our turn, which ended up being a short cut, but we had some not so savvy riders in a long chain negotiating those roundabout crossings - not so good. Finally we crossed under an autobahn kind of road and she got her bearings. We had to do a cloverleaf kind of path to cross over a barge lock / canal, and then we were back to peaceful riding looking at boats parked along the canal and cute little houses and the occasional restaurant. The rain let up, but our French couple was falling further behind, which slowed Sandra down too. We'd just get warmed then we'd stop. I asked permission to bust out ahead. She was worried about us getting lost, but I knew I had it figured out. The 5 of us plus a couple from Colorado sprinted off. Felt good to push it and move. We stopped for a photo of nesting swans, other than that raced all the way back to the boat. Gotta admit I breathed a sign of relief when we turned the corner and saw it just where I though it would be! Fun day. We expected rain on this trip, so what we had today was nothing to stop our mojo! Hot shower felt great and I'm ready for dinner!