March 17, 2018
I grabbed a baguette and Velib (bike) and rode downriver from L'ile de la Cité towards the Eiffel tower. Shortly after starting my ride, a cold rain started, which soon became hail.
There was a detour on the bike path on the south bank of the Seine. Too late, I realized there was a small curb, and I went down in slow motion. While it was only about a 3 on a ten point wipe-out scale, a number of passers-by stopped to enquire about my condition. "Ca va" I replied, having just a scrape on my left palm (1).
The clouds cleared and the sun appeared while at the Eiffel Tower (2). The ride back upriver on the north bank was less busy and more pleasant.
I found a small place for lunch near the Pantheon. A number of people were coming down the hill carrying Irish Flags with shamrock painted on their cheeks and bagpipe music drifted in when the door opened. I realized it was St. Patrick's Day.
(1) The baguette was in my right pocket and was therefore unharmed.
(2) A statistic came to mind that I had learned while visiting Moldova a few years ago: the Eiffel Tower has more visitors on an average day than all of Moldova has in an average year.
Notre Dame at Night
Eiffel Tower, after the hail
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