Les Velibs

There are literally thousands of them all around the city. You rent them, you hop on board, you crack a smile, you almost get creamed by a bus, and then you return them. Only in France could a system like this exist, because surely in Les Etats-Unis 90% of them would have been stolen before the first week was over.

I'm of course talking about the "velibs," the public bicycle system in Paris (and my daily mode of transport to and from class.) If you find yourself travelling to this little out of the way village of Pah-ree, keep your eyes open for one of these:














Aside from moments of near death and absolute confusion regarding the French rules of the road, I can promise no better moments of enjoyment in Paris than on a velib. They force you to learn the layout of the streets, you see things by hazard you would never have planned to see, you can make 'velib' friends at nearly every crossing, and it will only cost you about 7 bucks for a week long subscription to the service. (Speaking of which, dont ask me how to actually get that subscription. It of course comes from the machines posted at each velib station, but the hierarchical menu system is at best archaic and at worst prehistoric. That and french credit card readers hate American cards, much like the French hate peanut butter and jelly, the cretins!).

So, bicycles, enjoy :)