Days 25 – 33 (July 17 – 25, 2012)

Days 25 – 33 (July 17 – 25, 2012)

            We took a break from long-distance cycling and spent the past week in Paris.  Eiko flew in from Libya – a wonderful treat for all of us to spend time together.  We had the good fortune to stay in the home of Sandra Souillard and Chris Michael, friends of my sister Becky.  They are traveling in the U.S. now and generously let us use their house.  It is stately and comfortable, over 100 years old and located in a quiet suburb of Paris.  Each morning, I walked to a nearby fruit vendor and bakery to pick up breakfast – luxury! 

As we visited the famous sites of Paris, Sho and Saya conducted a few impromptu tap dances.  I’ve included two short clips below.  We explored the Orangerie Museum, where Sho and Saya created their own impressionistic versions of Claude Monet’s Water Lilies.  And I checked off an item on my Lifetime To Do List: watching the final leg of the Tour de France live.  If you watched this on TV, you might have noticed a ferris wheel in the background.  That is part of a carnival at the Jardin des Tuileries (between the Louvre and Champs-Elysees).  Sho and Saya both agreed that this carnival was the highlight of their visit to Paris!

It was hard to say goodbye to Eiko as she flew back to Tripoli, but we’re distracted at least by the final week of our trip.  We’ll travel by train to Calais, take a ferry to Dover and cycle for a week through southern England before flying back to NYC on Aug 2.

Here are some pics & videos:

Eiko taking a shot of Sho at the Louvre:

At Pont-Neuf:

Saya enjoying the carnival at the Jardin des Tuileries:

Eiffel tower:

Notre Dame:

Saya's water lilies:

Sho's water lilies:

Final stage of Tour de France:

Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins in the yellow jersey:

Sho tapping at the Louvre:

Saya tapping with the Eiffel Tower in background: