Day of Rest

We are alone now again; all guests are gone.  Greg and Lauri left early today; Dayton and Gaye have been gone since Saturday.  Today seemed so quiet.

We both woke up late and had breakfast in the apartment.  I had to dash two buildings down to get a loaf of bread for toast, but that was it for going outside this morning.

This afternoon, I explored the logistics of getting my bicycle home.  It looks like the cheapest way to ship it will be as “oversized baggage” on our plane flight.  That is $150 to $200, depending on how they categorize the bike.  I inquired today at FedEx near Galleries Lafayette, and they said the cost to ship it through them would 850 €. 'Scuse me?  Lufthansa Cargo quoted 375€.  The bike shop just around the corner is going to give me a cardboard bike box tomorrow.  The logistical challenge now will be getting the big box to the airport. 

I also went to the vintage bike shop to buy a few hard-to-find items for the bike.  I got a vintage-style 3 speed shifter (my bike had a modern one; one of the few non-vintage items on the bike), new covers for my curved metal brake lever and a vintage-style lock for the back wheel.  I think I’ll just leave installation on all of this stuff until I get home since I am going to take the bike apart fully to “restore” it and grease it once I get it back.  There are a few dents in the fenders and chain gaurd that need to be pushed out too.  All-in-all, I lucked into a beautifully intact Dutch bike.  I get complements at the bike shops, in fact.

I also went out for a long bike ride to Alfortville.  It was not a specific destination, but rather just where I ended up.  It’s upstream from Paris along the Seine and very much an industrial suburb.  We’re talkin’ cement plants.

Diane spent the day walking around equally unambitiously.  She shopped the Saint Germain area and then the big Galleries Lafayette in the Opera area. 

Tonight we had pasta noodles, broccolli and a half bottle of nice Burgundy for supper.  It was great. 

For the remainder of the night, we do more of nothing.