Jared Bloch
Morning clouds on Bassin de la Villette in Paris
PARIS, FRANCE – How long does it take to bike from the Arc de Triomphe to the Eastern edge of Paris? This was the premise of a recent bicycle circuit in the City of Light.
Having covered many of Paris’ 20 arrondissements separately on foot over the course of several visits, I was curious to see them back to back.
What I found was a web of marked routes and dedicated bike lanes stretching from the tony neighbourhoods around Monceau to the positively “popular” areas around Gare du Nord, and further into the banlieus.
The ride (less than 2 hours r/t) took me through Pigalle, past the Moulin Rouge, by a horde of tour buses and Place de Clichy and dumped me at Bassin de la Villette, an artificial lake in the middle of the city built up from the Saint Denis Canal.
"Paris Plage" at Bassin de la Villette
The Bassin or reservoir is surrounded by a series of open plazas and boat piers with tourist cruises running up the Saint Denis and is reason enough to check out this route.
I also happened to catch the last weekend of Paris Plages, a municipal effort converting various waterfront areas in the city including the Bassin, into “beach front” with lounge chairs, water sports and of course, sand.
Jared Bloch
Amsterdam, The Netherlands (GenevaLunch) - When I recently asked a friend in Holland if we should load our bikes on the car for our family visit, he answered hesitatingly and after about two full breaths of silence “Ah jah, sure…” by which I understood the idea of shipping bicycles to the “Low Country” was roughly akin to taking a travel coffee mug on the Paris metro, or… taking coals to Newcastle.
During a few short days on the country’s Northwest coast, I fell in love with Holland’s bicycle sensibility.
To a cycling enthusiast, the country’s omnipresent dedicated bike paths are nirvana.
Mother and child - Sunday shopping on two wheels
Two lane highway, for bikes
Funnily enough, it doesn’t seem to be at the expense of car culture. Read more…
Jared Bloch
Fruit stand on the road from Bogota to Mariquita
Colombia - At least once a day, my Colombian-born wife will say (usually around breakfast time) “oh what I wouldn’t give for a batido de lulo or curuba” or one of any number of exotic fruits native to her home country.
To someone raised in a northern climate, the fruit selection at Migros pretty well represents my vocabulary of sweet succulents: apples, pears, bananas, oranges, and heaven forbid, pineapples and mangoes when they are “in season,” that is when shipping allows.
Jared Bloch
Mer de Glace as seen from trails below Brévent chair lift area
Chamonix, France - Tired of taking all of your out of town guests to Gruyere, Annecy and Yvoire? Chamonix, just one-hour drive away on the White Autoroute, offers a nice change of scenery and great day hikes. And what scenery!
The Chamonix Valley, in the heart of the Alps boasts several world class attractions including Mont Blanc, the highest point in the French Alps (4,810 meters) and the Mer de Glace Glacier.
Jared Bloch
A bakery near Parmentier Metro
Communing with the dead in the catacombs
Paris, France (GenevaLunch) - At an easy three and-a-half hour train ride (TGV), or leisurely five hour drive through rolling farmland, Paris should be on your list of weekend getaways if you live in Geneva.
My family manages at least two trips a year, usually with visiting friends or family in tow. Which begs the question, how many times can you see the Eiffel Tower or walk the Champs Elysée? Here’s a recipe for wandering in Paris guaranteed to change the way you see the world’s most touristy city.
First: Get an inexpensive apartment for the weekend in a low key Parisian neighborhood – Craigslist has a range of affordable listings by private parties willing to rent on a short-term basis. We paid 150 Euros for four people and two nights in a very cool 2-bedroom duplex apartment in the 11th arrondissement (a great local neighborhood previously unknown to us and packed with tempting food joints).
Second: Explore the 11th arrondissement in general. Our apartment was on Boulevard de Charonne, an area full of small cafés, bars, restaurants and most importantly, bakeries. The area in a rough triangle stretching from Nation, West to the Bastille and North to the Parmentier Metro, is a rabbit warren of one way streets and great residential neighborhoods that deserves getting lost in on two feet (or two wheels as it turns out).
Jared Bloch
Jewish quarters in Lyon - Photo ©Jared Bloch
Geneva, Switzerland – It’s officially summer and time for weekend getaways! And at one-and-a-half hours south, Lyon is a great shoestring evasion from Geneva.
Stuff your backpack with a toothbrush and a camera and catch a train at Geneva’s train station, Gare Cornavin. Change trains at Bellegarde, or get the local Poste bus from there to Lyon.
The ride itself is a panoramic plunge into the Rhone river valley, so don’t nap.
Make sure and grab an espresso on the way as the central train station resembled a gladiatorial contest on two recent visits.
More than mere metaphor, the city actually represented the ancient Gallic capital of Western Europe and boasts extensive Roman ruins on the edge of the old city.
Old settlement
Jared Bloch
Inclined towers in Madrid, not an optical illusion
Madrid, Spain & Geneva, Switzerland – The trip to Madrid from Geneva is a quick hop, 1.5 hours by plane, or 14 driving, minus the detour through Bilbao at midnight.
On a recent trip to Spain I was awestruck by the automobile driven megopolis that is Madrid – there are 6.5 million inhabitants in the metropolitan area and with some of the cheapest gas prices in Europe, cars and overpasses are ubiquitous.
I was also happily surprised by a number of noteworthy architectural works breaking up the city scape. Our tour of the City began, with a Priest and friend of the family, driving from the North of the City, South along the Castellana, the principal avenue in Central Madrid. Read more…
Jared Bloch
Islota Bella, Lago Maggiore, Italy
After two years of budget rate hotels my family finally got to experience a night under the stars over the longPentecost weekend.
It was with much relish that I recently dusted off our as yet untested 4 person tent aired out our musty sleeping bags lying dormant and still smelling of desert sand and sagebrush, for a weekend foray into Lago Maggiore, Italy.