A Fat Tire Bike and Boat Tour

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Monica asked me if I wanted to take the night time Fat Tire Bike Tour. It was the last day of August and the days were noticeably shorter. 2006 was the last time I wrote about the tour. It was time to go again! Still lots of fun and laughs; light on history, big on sights!

The cycling group was much more diverse this time around: Germany, Mexico, Florida USA, Canada …. A wealth of travel information was exchanged among the group on the boat. Listening to strangers with a mutual Paris interest sharing tips was an added treat of the tour.

Riding our bikes through the Paris streets and monuments allowed for a minimum of chat. Our heads were turning toward the sights, “dominating” traffic and buses and following our guide, Valley.

It all began when we arrived early to the south leg of the Eiffel Tower. We saw the Fat Tire placard bobbing its way through a side path of the Champs de Mars.

The two guides had four sets of colored rectangular card packets. First come, first served. When 20 cyclists had arrived at the tower, off we set for the Fat Tire offices. (Other cyclists went to the office directly.)

The logistics on arrival at Fat Tire are to pick out and try your bike with a name (good idea). After two failed attempts at the right bike, “Christian Dior” and I made the tour without a hitch.

There are potentially four groups for a night tour. All four groups that night were paced to leave at a different time. Each group took a different boat and each group ended its tour at a different time. We were on the 10 pm boat tour and ended our evening around 11:30 pm.

This historical anecdotes along the way were “light”; big on the fun, laughs and sights. For the boat ride, drinks are provided. I would recommend drinking water or one of the other drinks on offer versus the wine. You might “feel” the wine the next day!