Corsica Part I

We finally had a trip planned to Corsica, a place I had had on my list of places to visit ever since we came to France. Corsica is French island which is 114 miles long by 52 wide lying between France and Italy. Sardenia, which is Italian, is immediately to the south. Corsica through many conquerers and rulers finally ended up being French although apparantly there are radical citizens who want to have their own country and sometimes set off bombs. As late as the 50's it was very primitive and under-developed and the Corsicans were known for their violent disagreements, usually over honor, and the shooting and killing of offenders often as many as 900 in one year being killed. Once 36 people died as the result of a vendetta when a sheep was wounded. I think it is pretty much a thing of the past. Now there are people involved in drug rings usually set up in Marseilles from what I read. It is now a haven for tourists with all sorts of hotels and resorts. There are many rugged mountains with forests inbetween and it is known as The Granite Island. It is also the birthplace of Napoleon although his family had to flee to France during a political uprising there and Napoleon only returned there once on his way back to France from Egypt.




We set off for Toulon to catch the ferry to Corsica. Various ferries can be caught in many places along the coast from France but Toulon was our hopping off point due to last minute tickets. We got in line with other cars and were supposed to be boarded and on our way by 10:30 PM but another huge ferry pulled in first and ours finally did afterwards. They are all enormous, able to hold six to eight hundred cars. We didn't board the ferry until 10:30 and we didn't set off until 11:30. It turned out that this was going to be an overnight trip taking almost eight hours. If we had left from Marseille and gone to the town of Calvi in Corsica it would have been a five hour trip. Sometimes you just can't plan these things in time. Almost everyone in France that I told that we were going to Corsica always replied, “So are we!” It turns out Corsica is a very popular vacation spot for both French and Italians. We didn't have tickets for either rooms with beds or special chairs that reclined into beds. Luckily, we just went to the bar, claimed long couches and, in a few hours, were stretched out trying to sleep. Of course it was noisy, full of bright lights and people walked around for hours. Around 2 AM a little girl started acting up and yelling “No!” over and over. Luckily they took her out. Around 4 AM a baby started crying but hushed up before long. Actually, I didn't sleep much worse than I do on a plane from Paris to the States although Maurice got very little sleep.



Finally we landed in our port of Ajaccio. Imagine two huge ferries carrying hundreds of cars each, both unloading at the same time. It took us quite a while to finally get on the road. We didn't even take time to explore Ajaccio as we had to head north to Calvi where Maurice's son and his girlfriend had to find a space at a camp where they were going to stay for a few days for a music concert and they had to get there early enough so there were still some places to chose from. There are two ways to Calvi from Ajaccio. One is a picturesque, winding road along the coast and the other is cutting across the island, then heading north and then west to finally reach Calvi on the northern end of the island. On the map it looks like the coast road would be best but actually, because of the curves, it takes twice as long. As it was, we twisted and curved our way across mountains across the center of Corsica actually circling the base of what looks like an enormous chain finally reaching Calvi in about three hours. A camp site was secured. The camps seem very nice with huge buildings holding shower stalls, toilets and sinks, swimming pools, trees to camp under, a unit with small refrigerators to rent, and a short walk to a beach.
We then had lunch and set off to have a look at Calvi which has a beautiful harbor full of huge sail boats and yachts and then a climb to the top of the village for breath-taking views of the turquoise and blue waters below. Calvi seemed to me to be a typical French village full of ancient buildings, interesting churches and shops for tourists. That evening we sat on the beach with a bottle of Corsican rose wine and watched the sun set. Nearby a small bar was playing music, a mix of pop and techno and young people were on the beach dancing and enjoying the music. I think I was the oldest person on the beach. We then had a pizza at a little place at the camp before calling it a day.

Dijon and Beyond

I have often been asked, “What are some good areas outside of Paris to visit?” There are many, many possibilities such as Giverny; Epernay and the Champagne region; Chartres; a trip to Normandy is even possible. If the person asking has more than one day available I often recommend making a trip to Dijon and some of the other villages and cities nearby. I made my first trip to Dijon by train from Gare de Lyon and arrived there in a little over an hour. The old city is a short walk from the train station and the tourist information building is passed on the way — so a map can be picked up. Walk through a nice pedestrian area, with a stop at a Maille shop if you want some mustard from the area and a cute little mustard jar to put it in. Cassis, a sweet liquor, is also made in the area and is seen in many of the shops along the way.
One of the distinctive things about architecture in Burgundy, the section of France in which Dijon is located, is the wonderful rooftops decorated in colorful argyle-like designs. There is also a wonderful delicate outline around many doorways shaped in a gothic design — seen in many castles and buildings throughout the region. The cathedral is an interesting one to wander through and the outside is loaded with statutes on the roof. I loved the museum, Musée des Beaux-Arts, a one time palace, full of great artwork and the very dramatic elevated tombs of Dukes of Burgundy: Philip the Bold and John the Fearless surrounded by hovering angels. Burgundy, or Bourgogne, was once a separate country from France and the dukes were the royalty there. They were often in disputes with France and even sided with England at times.
If you are lucky enough to have a car there is a wonderful town nearby to see called Chateauneuf. My husband and I had passed this village many times on the way to southern France and had wanted to visit it. It sits on the top of a high hill topped with a castle. Finally, we made plans to stop over night. It is a charming village where fewer than 100 inhabitants live and it is small enough to see in an hour. We walked around looking at old buildings with ancient carvings above the doors, some with those gothic outlines. There is a huge round tower not far from the center of the village and a rather magical walk through a forest leads to an old chapel and a moss covered wall with a bench in front made of huge slabs of rock. There are several view points of the valley below which are breathtaking with rectangular fields spread out below gentle hills and vineyards in their soldierly rows. We walked through the castle free of charge seeing 3 or 4 different centuries of work. I liked the chapel in the castle the best with a replica of the tomb of Philippe Pot, one of the rulers there. It is unusual in that eight black robed monk statues stand around it. The real tomb is in the Louvre and the monks there support the tomb with the "body" of Philippe on their shoulders. We learned some curious local history. The last remaining member of the original family was put to death when she poisoned a husband she had been forced to wed. The title was then passed to Philippe Pot.
In the village, there is also a sixteenth century church with a carved wooden pulpit, some remains of a cross and ramparts, where there are stunning views of the Burgundy Canal and countryside. We stayed in a nice hotel right next to the castle, the Hostellerie du Chateau, run by a young couple. It was very clean and there is a nice restaurant for evening dining. A great lunch was available right across the way at the Grill of the Castle. We just had steak and frites — but they were great, followed by an ice cream sundae chosen from a huge selection of flavors.
The next day we drove on a small road that followed the Burgundy Canal for a while and we decided we wanted to do a barge trip someday. We passed freshly tilled fields waiting for the spring crops to be planted and some growing what looked like green grass to me. Even in the winter it was a beautiful area with gently rolling hills to drive through as we made our way to the little city of Beaune. This is yet another interesting place to walk through. It has its own little Arc de Triomphe and many parts of an old city wall remain. And, of course, the argyle tiled roofs can be seen in many places. It's a great city to walk around with pedestrian areas and lots of great shopping.
And I didn't mean to forget to mention the wine — those wonderful Burgundy wines. This is the area to stop and try some really great vintages. There is a hall in Beaune called the Marché aux Vins where close to 40 wines can be tasted and bought. And, they ship overseas, if you are lucky enough to live in a State allows it. We did all of these stops in two days with one overnight stay in Chateauneuf and were back in Paris in time for dinner. It's just one more wonderful area to see close to Paris.

Hostellerie du Chateau
Chateauneuf, Bourgogne, France
Telephone: 03 80 49 22 00

Marché aux Vins
Rue Nicolas-Rolin
Beaune

Finding Europe in America

Few of us would consider Washington D.C. one of the side roads of Europe—but it can be thought of as a New Rome. I have spent the better part of the year in the D.C. area, becoming acquainted with a city that can hold its own with any of the European capitals in its cultural richness and its multiethnic diversity. What has been not only surprising to me but a fact of some chagrin is that I am more familiar with many areas of Europe than I am with this corner of the United States. And I certainly did not expect to find myself in France, as I did last night.

The French Embassy in Washington offers to visitors, which it welcomes in a particularly charming and very French way, a cultural program of exhibits, performances and concerts that showcase French culture. Last Sunday all the European embassies held open house. Our visit to the French Embassy introduced my companions to wonderful French wines, pastries and cheeses, the varied programs of the Alliance Française, and intrigued a gaggle of children with a display of French aviation achievements sponsored by Air France. French music playing in the courtyard and the Embassy staff greeting visitors made it indeed a step across the Atlantic to French territory.

Last night I visited the Embassy once again to hear one of the last and surely one of the best of this year’s series of concerts offered at La Maison Française in the Embassy itself. The Suspicious Cheese Lords, a male a cappella ensemble, enthralled a packed house with a program of little heard and previously unrecorded works of the Renaissance master composer, Jean Mouton. I was unfamiliar with Mouton, despite the fact that a large population of families by that name live in my Louisiana home town, all descended from a 17th century immigrant to Acadia, now Nova Scotia whose came to Louisiana in the great expulsion from there in the mid-1700s, an early example of ethnic cleansing. This earlier musical Jean Mouton, perhaps related to the Acadian and Louisiana families, was probably born in northern France in the mid-1450s. He is first recorded as a singer and a teacher in a church in Nesle, moving to the Cathedral in St. Omer by 1494 and becoming master of the boys choir at Amien Cathedral in 1500. He ultimately became a prominent member and Master of the Chapel for Queen Anne of Brittany from 1510 until his death in 1522. He compositions were widely influential in France and in other parts of Europe; he was praised by the Pope and celebrated by other European musicians. Now, more than 400 years since they were written, his major compositions are being recorded, performed and re-published.


The Suspicious Cheese Lords


This was a spellbinding concert. The Cheese Lords—their name derives from a corruption of the first line of one of their standard Latin motets—first coalesced in 1996, when Clifton (“Skip”) West III invited some of his friends to join him for food, friendship and singing. They continue to have dinner together during their rehearsals, and their focus on food extended to the cheeses served with wine and good French bread after the concert. The cheeses alone took me right across the Atlantic. An exhibition of Delphine Perlstein’s paintings enlived the atrium for the reception.


From Deborah Perlstein’s Tisse Sa Toile.


If you can’t get to Europe but you can get to D.C., think about a “vacation” in France—or Germany, or Britain, or Finland—attending the cultural programs at their embassies. The Open House at the German embassy last Sunday was particularly good fun as well, with bratwurst, free beer, a Bavarian band and an Alpine horn concert on the patio.

The special exhibition at the National Gallery on the Mall offers another taste of France. In the Forest of Fontainebleu: Painters and Photographers from Corot to Monet displays some 100 nineteenth century paintings, pastels and photographs made in the forest near Paris before 1870. Tracing the development of French landscape painting, it leads the viewer down a romantic road at the very dawn of new technologies as they led to a modern vision.


Claude Monet, Walking in the Forest of Fontainebleu

Europe’s side roads extend farther than we normally suspect! Next week, I think I’ll visit Britain. Until I can get back to Europe, I will seek European experiences here at home, and Washington isn’t the only place to find them. Wherever you live, you can travel a European cultural road until you can actually get there, even if you’re housebound.

Citroën: A French Legend

I am not a person who pays much attention to cars. When my son says, "Wow, did you see that car?" I never have. I'm not too picky about what kind of car I drive. I just want it to be dependable and easy to park. But all of that changed when I saw my first Deux Chevaux here in Paris. There is just something special about it:it has personality, spunk. Just the fact that its name means “Two Horses” is spunky, even though it only means it has two cylinders. I would love to have one but as they are no longer making them and as we already have a car, I probably won't ever get my wish. There is an antique car show the first Sunday of every month in front of the Chateau Vincennes — and there is always at least one Deux Chevaux. I am hoping to talk one of the owners into giving me a ride. I want to see what it is like inside.
I found out that the Deux Chavaux was made by Citroën, a French company. I had no idea that Citroën was somebody's name until I was strolling through the Montparnasse Cemetery and saw the name Citroën on a gravestone. I have since found out that Renault and Peugeot are also family names. It wasn't until I met a young Australian who was absolutely crazy about Citroën and it's suspension (something about hydro-pneumatic suspension) that I got curious about the company. There are clubs all over the world of Citroën fanatics where they must spend a lot of time discussing where to find spare parts for cars no longer being made. There are 60 registered clubs in Paris alone.
It was an André Citroën, an engineer, who started his own company and by 1919 was the first to mass produce a European car that was unlike others. It came with electric lighting, a starter, a hood, and a spare tire. Citroën was a marketing genius who hired the Eiffel Tower and advertised his car on the side with a sign 30 meters high with 200,000 light bulbs. He talked the French government into letting him make safety signs that said things like, "Dangerous Bend — Slow Down — Thanks to Citroën". He did the first mass mailing of car catalogues to customers and started his own printing company. Josephine Baker sang at a car show, "I have two loves: my country and my Citroën."
The first documentary films were done by the Citroën company when a caterpillar car did an expedition from Beruit to Peking crossing the Himalayas and Gobi Desert. When the Deux Chevaux was dreamed up most cars in Europe were far too expensive for ordinary workers and farmers to buy. In fact, when the Deux Chevaux model was first introduced in 1931, it was not supposed to cost more than '2 cows'. This meant it had to be light with special suspension and could only go at slow speeds. It was, in fact, a type of bicycle with four wheels, although watertight, and able to roll along at 60 kph if the terrain was flat and there was no wind. There is also the story that it had to be able to be driven across a field by a farmer wearing wooden clogs, with eggs in the back seat that would arrive at his destination unbroken.
Eventually, in 1935, the company started having financial problems and Citroën handed over his shares to Michelin who had previously helped him. He then retired and just a few months later died. 1948 was the year the car itself got it's famous shape, the one I like so much. In 1976 Peugeot bought Citroën although the cars made by them still say Citroën and still have the little double chevron sign, which has always been the logo for Citroën.
There are many legends about Citroën. Supposedly two of the latest models were buried during W.W.II to save them from Hitler's hands and dug up after the end of the war. Charles de Gaulle escaped an assassination attempt while driving one; when that famous suspension allowed him to escape even though all four wheels had been shot out. Citroën has turned out to be yet one more thing about France that I had no idea about. I see them parked here and there in Paris and have whizzed past them on highways without a clue to their history. Ask most Frenchmen about it and they say "Yes, it is a French Legend."

Chartres

There are many treasures to be seen outside of Paris--interesting villages, imposing châteaux, and magnificent cathedrals. One of the most breathtaking of these is the cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres, whose two towers rise majestically to dominate the wheat fields of the surrounding countryside. A Gothic masterpiece built eight centuries ago to honor the Virgin Mary, Chartres cathedral is only an hour's train ride from the Gare Montparnasse in Paris.

 Crowds of visitors come to Chartres to see the cathedral and peer through the dark, vaulted space at the world-famous stained glass, admiring especially the "Chartres blue," which has not been duplicated in modern times.


 
The town of Chartres was a center for the cult of the Virgin throughout the Middle Ages, as it possessed a statue of Mary reportedly carved by St. Luke, as well as the "Sacred Tunic," supposedly worn by the Virgin at the time of the birth of Christ. Now it is one of most famous cathedrals in France, a splendid example of the "High Gothic" style of architecture. (The facade, however, is early Gothic; it was rebuilt after a fire.) Visitors will see that the floor of the cathedral slopes down near the front entrance; pilgrims slept at the cathedral, and the floors were washed off afterwards, the water flowing out the door.

Embedded in the cathedral's stone floor is one of the world's most famous labyrinths, a winding path that stretches the width of the cathedral's nave and twists and arcs through 11 concentric circles. The labyrinth at Chartres was built around 1200 and is laid into the floor in a style sometimes referred to as a pavement maze. The original centerpiece has been removed, and other areas of the labyrinth have been restored.

This labyrinth was meant to be walked. In the past it could be walked as a pilgrimage and/or for repentance. As a pilgrimage it was a questing, searching journey with the hope of becoming closer to God. When it was used for repentance the pilgrims would walk on their knees. Sometimes this 11-circuit labyrinth would serve as a substitute for an actual pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and as a result it came to be called the "Chemin de Jerusalem," or Road of Jerusalem.
 
In walking the Chartres style labyrinth one meanders through each of the four quadrants several times before reaching the goal at the center: a rosette design that is rich in symbolism, including that of enlightenment. The four arms of the Christian cross are also visible. Those interested in walking the labyrinth today must do so on Fridays, when all of the chairs that cover it are removed.
 
Visitors can also explore the subterranean chapels and crypt; tickets for guided tours are available at the bookshop outside and toward the back of the cathedral. Just beyond the bookshop are the cathedral's apse and a pretty garden overlooking part of the old town.
 
 One of the best ways to see the cathedral is to take one of two tours offered by Malcolm Miller. An Englishman, Mr. Miller has lived in Chartres for many years, making the study of the cathedral his life's work. He has been conducting tours for more than four decades, enlightening many thousands of visitors about the cathedral's history, archicture, and treasures. The tours, which run an hour and a quarter, are given daily except Sunday at noon and at 2:45 P.M. To Mr. Miller, "Chartres is like a modern public library except that the texts are in stained glass and sculpture instead. No one person can claim to have read all the books in a library! Almost 70, and having guided here for 45 years I am still learning!" Mr. Miller came to Chartres as a student and returned to teach, never dreaming he would someday be giving daily tours and would have written five books about the cathedral. You can tell, while taking one of his tours, that he loves to teach. It is wonderful to sit in an area of the church and have Mr. Miller point out different architectural components of the church or "read" an ancient stained glass window, top to bottom, left to right.
 
After the tour, you will be tempted to stroll around the church, check out the bookstore and look at the books that Mr. Miller has written, then perhaps meander around the village but, if you want to eat lunch, you must immediately set off and find your restaurant as they close very early by French standards. There are bistros here and there with one in particular across the way from the cathedral where later meals can be obtained.

The town of Chartres itself is a nice bonus; narrow, winding streets head downhill from the cathedral to the river, where ancient stones can still be seen standing. A map obtained from the tourist center gives an interesting, self-guided walking tour of the village. 

You can take a 3 Km walk to explore the sites of ancient Chartres; signs are posted to lead visitors along the way. The stroll begins at the cathedral; turn left, and you will find the Centre International du Vitrail (an exhibition and research center of stained glass). Go back to the cathedral, and behind it you will find the Musée des Beaux-Arts, a museum housing 12 paintings of the apostles by Leonard Limousin. Continue through the gardens and you will reach la Fontaine de St.-André, which was once the main water supply for the city. Then you follow the river until you reach the Reine Blanche, which is famous for its sculpted wooden staircase. Nearby is the Eglise de St.-Pierre with its wonderful stained glass windows. Next, follow the hill to the Maison de l'Archeologie and then to rue de la Poissonnière before returning to the cathedral.
Practical information:
 
Reservations are not needed for Malcolm Miller's public tours--just wait by the bookshop at noon or 2:45. Information: (33-2) 37.28.15.58, fax (33-2) 37.28.33.03. Cost: 10 euros, and more than worth it. He is occasionally out of town so you might want to call before going if you want one of his tours.
 
Trains to Chartres from Paris leave the Gare Montparnasse at least once an hour. The fare is approximately $14, and the trip typically takes a little over an hour. The walk from the train station in Chartres to the cathedral takes just about ten minutes.
 
The noted restaurant La Vieille Maison is on one of the narrow streets near the cathedral, in a historic building dating from the 14th century. The food is wonderful. 5 rue au Lait (tel. 02-37-34-10-67).
 
Moulin de Ponceau, on the river below the cathedral, is a great place for lunch (if you arrive before the 2:00 p.m. closing).
 

England's Side Roads in the Spring

I think it was T.S. Eliot who said, “April is the cruelest month…” He was writing in England, and about England, and I think must have had some terrible personal experience when he wrote it. I visited England one year in February, another year in March, another in April, and several times have traveled the back roads of both England and Ireland in May, and I have seldom been anywhere more beautiful. In February, the crocuses sprinkled “The Backs” of the colleges along the Cam in Cambridge. In March, the daffodils were clouds of yellow blowing in the breezes in St. James Park in London and even broke through the snow in Wiltshire. In April, flowering trees brought surprising color to even the dreariest subdivision, and May was an explosion of yellow broom and white hawthorn. June may be best of all, with rhododendron hedges embracing the roads all over southeast England, and the roses climbing over doorways and spilling into tiny streets in villages everywhere.



Recently talking with a group of friends planning to visit Britain, I suggested that they drive themselves through parts of the country. They were immediately against the idea, expressing nervous fears of driving on “the wrong side of the road.” I know this is a daunting idea to many Americans, sadly. It is only with the independence that a car permits that some of England’s best rewards can be found. Driving through Britain in the Spring is perhaps one of the most intoxicating travel experiences one can have.



Backroads travel is hard to do by train or by public transportation, and hiring a driver with a car can be prohibitively expensive. But for a price that will be more cost effective for two or more even than the train, even with Europe’s gas prices-- nowadays not much more frustrating than America’s—and a few days taking careful practice on back country roads, travelers willing to launch themselves into the countryside will be richly satisfied. Driving allows pub lunches and cream teas unobtainable in the larger cities, sojourns in smaller, friendly, locally-owned Bed-and-Breakfast guest houses, and visits to hard-to-access tourist sites.

Our most memorable travel experiences have been in staying with folks all over Britain who not only served exceptional breakfasts but accompanied them with insight into the history of the region, told us of sites we would otherwise have missed, and generally introduced us to the real culture of Britain. A brief online or letter request to the tourist authorities in the region you plan to visit will bring all the information you need about lodging options, restaurants, and local landmarks. Taking to the low road—the not-so-beaten-path, is the best way to feel a part of the place. And driving through arches of rhododendron or fields of hawthorn simply can’t be experienced any other way—nor can staying in a rose-bowered guest house.

The Coolest Thing I Have Ever Done

The Coolest Thing I Have Ever Done


I'm in Paris, full of marvelous things to see and do. Treasures and history are on every corner. I'm with a group of people and a man turns to me and says, with his eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas, "This is the coolest thing I have ever done!" What was he talking about? Walking down the Champ-Elysées? Looking at Paris spread out at his feet from the highest level of the Eiffel Tower? Maybe a meal at Tour d'Argent? He probably had done all of those, but none of the above was what he was talking about. So what was it?

It was a ride on a Segway, a new-fangled mode of transportation that had people stopping and staring, pointing and smiling. It is a human transporter allowing people to go up to speeds of 12 miles an hour in any pedestrian environment. I suspect it was first invented to help people with limited mobility, but it is so much fun that everyone wants to hop on and try it.



The only place in Paris that you can rent a Segway is at Fat Bike Tours, an American owned and run operation, owned by David Mebane. He has the exclusive contract with Segway as the only tour operator to have these machines.

I joined a group one day for a trial run. A quick orientation is needed before you set off. There are three keys for starting a Segway, each producing a different speed. The red key, being the fastest, is no longer available to tourists after two couples left a guide in the dust speeding for the fun of it, not as tourists getting a look at Paris. Our great guide, Brittany, had to hold on to our Segway when we first stepped on because at first you wobble back and forth, then suddenly you are balancing-- some sort of gyroscope system underneath the machine keeps you balanced. Then you just lean forward and pull back on the handles to stop or to reverse if already stopped. The turning device is on the left handle. This is the part I enjoyed most, as you turn very quickly and easily and maneuver like something out of Star Wars. The Segway was easy to ride and great fun.

Then we were off on our tour, seeing the Eiffel Tower, Invalides, the Louvre, Ecole Militaire, Alexander III bridge, Place de la Concorde and more. We were covering ground 2 to 3 times faster than the pedestrians we whizzed by on the sidewalks. We could go up or down small curbs easily and quickly come to a stop. I imagine that those who have a little trouble with mobility would love the Segway. All that is necessary physically is being able to step up and down. Plus, you must weigh at least 70 pounds.

Part of the fun of the tour on the Segway is the attention we attracted. As we drove by, people stared either with a smile, because they could see how much fun it was, or with a frown, wondering what in the heck this new-fangled contraption was (however you say that in French). Bikes aren't allowed in parks, and we saw security men and policemen trying to decide if we should be made to dismount and walk our Segways. We found that as long as we didn't go right up to the Pyramid at the Louvre they would let us continue to ride.

When we stopped there to take a look at the Pyramid from a distance, people surrounded us and asked, "Where can you rent these?," "How do these work?," "What are these?," "Can you buy them here in Paris?," and on and on. I have a feeling that Madonna gets this kind of attention when she goes out for a walk. For just a few hours on one day, it was a rather heady feeling. We saw a bike tour go by us and I saw the riders look at us with envy.

David, the owner, told me that after a Prince of Saudi Arabia tried the latest Segway, he immediately went and ordered 30 of them for his use back home, as well as for his family and employees. Plaza Athenée has struck a deal with David to put carrying bags with their name on them for groups coming from this prestigious hotel to do the Segway Tour.

I asked David why this tour has become so wildly popular and he said he thought it was because it was so new--the latest rage. Maybe in a year or so the fad will pass, but it sure is a draw at the present time.



Is it potentially dangerous? I guess it could be. The Segway stops so quickly and easily that I don't think it would be easy to run into a pedestrian. It is possible to fall off, and I'm sure a few people will run into a wall or get a wheel caught in some gravel. No one in my group had any problems once we became familiar with our Segways. All I know is that it was a really fun thing to do and, possibly, "the coolest thing I have ever done."

These tours are very quickly booked. Call or email ahead of time to book.

Fat Bike Tours-Paris
Dates : Every day March 1st-October 15th
Times: Day tour at 10:30am, night tour at 6:30pm
Prices: Day tour 70 Euro, night tour 70 Euro, both tours 125 Euros
Meeting Point: Both tours meet in the area under the Eiffel Tower
Phone : 01 56 58 10 54
Web site :http://www.fattirebiketoursparis.com/
email: info@FatTireBikeToursParis.com