Actually, I’m in Paris but you can’t really start a blog post with “When in Paris…” can you? That said, when in Paris, without your own mountain bike, you have two options: not ride at all or ride a huffie!

For the cost of a few euros you can pick up a “hire huffie” from one of many bike hire stations on the side of a Paris road, ride around this ancient city for as long or short as you like, then drop it off at any of the hire stations. So off I went – on the suspension free, calliper braked, three hub geared commuter, complete with shopping basket!

It was a wet old morning in gay Paris but that didn’t slow the huffie down. I was still able to max out the top gear despite inclement weather. (BTW to those who don’t know, a huffie is a generic term for a bike that’s, well, pretty basic and “how you going”.)

Riding along the Seine River you get to take in quite a few of the iconic sights Paris is famous for. This display is not one of them, but it set a cool backdrop for a picture of the bike and its rider!

You can experience a lot of the charm of Paris from the seat of your hire huffie. You smile as you peddle past two lovers sharing a brolly while they stroll beside the river, doubtless on their way to share a coffee and a baguette or croissant.

And just in case you can’t quite make the bike out at the base of the Eiffel here is a closer shot. Fits right in, doesn’t it?

Thanks for sharing my pre breakfast jaunt around Paris. Now, it’s time to huff it back to the Boulangerie to replenish the energy with some fresh yummy bread and perhaps a pastry or two.

Oh, you thought that was it?! No, you can’t stop at just one day on a huffy so here are some shots from another days ride to some iconic features of Paris.

You see a lot of statues of, or memorials to, famous people like this one of Sir Winston Churchhill …

… or this one of an Egyptian Pharaoh.

You can catch the Metro or a taxi or hoof it on foot but cycling really is the most efficient ways to go from the Eiffel to the Arc de Triomphe and everything in between.

Maybe its because it’s late March and the weather is warming up and the leaves are appearing on the trees that the paths are more crowded with people now and I tended to blend my riding between footpaths, cycle lanes, back roads and cobble stoned river side exercise ways.

As I was taking this shot of a cafe the guy dressed in black, looking very much like a bouncer wandered off to see why I was pointing a camera at his establishment. Once again the huffie was my friend – it was obvious it was the focus of my lens, not the Napoleone!

Finally, spring is happening in Paris – it was so warm this morning that I had to remove my jacket – but where to put if you don’t have a back pack with you. In the basket provided, of course! Viva la France.