We met at the train station (I was wearing workout clothes and cannot tell you how many looks I got from Frenchies on the bus, silently judging me for not looking all put together--I will not miss this aspect when I leave) and took the hour-ish long train to Fontainebleau. We loaded up on picnic foods at Monoprix, got bikes, and went on our way.
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| panoramic view from a spot in the forest |
After a few hours of easy riding along the mostly paved paths, we took a break and hiked to find a picnic spot. We enjoyed the serenity (and food) before deciding to take a more challenging route. This one was not entirely paved and involved hills (mostly of the upward variety). At one point, we had to maneuver ourselves around a felled tree that completely blocked the road and several other times we were dodging rocks while flying downhill.
I think the most surprising part of the day was the constant "Bonjour!"s. I felt like I was in the first scene of Beauty and the Beast. Everyone we passed said "Bonjour!" and of course, we responded in kind each time. It was especially hilarious as we biked past groups of people, bonjours flying left and right.
All in all I think we biked about 30 km and my butt hurt for about 28 of them. Seriously, that seat was mighty uncomfortable and was not made any more pleasant by the fact that I seemed to hit two potholes for every one that I managed to dodge. Regardless it was a great day to be outside, enjoy the beauty of nature in the forest, soak up the sun (maybe a little too much) and end the outing with a beer before we all slept the whole train ride back to Paris.
