Bicycles in France and Nutella

Before I post about my two weekend rides (which I will get to soon) I though I should describe some things I have learned in my first week here.

1. The streets in town are not laid out in a grid. This has caused me to take a different route to and from work every day. It usually starts the same in either direction, and of course ends nearly the same, but I couldn't repeat the lines in between if I had to! The nice part is, I've found my way every time without having to stop to look at the map. It strangely works.

2. People here know how to ride bikes. Not just the cyclists in full kit, but everyone. No Huffy's or Murry's, just lots of townie bikes and 80's vintage Peugeot's. There are two wonderful parts to this. First and foremost, everyone rides with the proper seat height and in an appropriate gear. No knees above the handlebars, no cross chaining a gear that's too tall. Secondly, people can and do actually ride enough to be able to ride a bike up a hill greater than the incline of the ramp to get on the sidewalk. I can't tell you how many people I have seen riding up hills on non-expensive bikes, maybe because they enjoy it and maybe because they have to, but it's great to see

3. Nutella is god's gift to mankind. Oh, my gosh! I love peanut butter, but this stuff is even better! It's probably not as good for you as it has to contain more chocolate than all of Switzerland, but it is awesome. Yeah, yeah, I sound like a little kid, but I really didn't expect to like it when I broke down and bought some. I now eat it with nearly everything.

4. While I haven't stopped in any of the three bike shops I have seen nearby, the one I am most looking forward to (and will post pictures of) has perhaps the greatest storefront possible. The window is FILLED with carbon bikes from various manufacturers such as Time, etc. And, just looking in the window, the entire store is that way! All super high end, including clothing and accessories.

Ok, back to work, but I'll post about my rides when I get a chance.