this one time, in Paris...

Yesterday, I had one of those rare moments in traffic, where everyone was in sync. Those of us going faster were able to weave and flow amongst each other and the slower moving vehicles without hesitation, slowdowns, or inadvertent rude behavior. Perfect.

So you might be wondering about the bicycles. There's a connection, there. The traffic experience reminded me of a night over a year ago. I found myself alone in Paris with an evening free, so I decided to join a nighttime bike tour. Great way to see the city and socialize, meet some folks.

The group seemed good - a variety of nationalities represented. I think I was the only American amongst quite a few Spaniards, a few Brits and several Australians. We took off and toured many of the sights - including Notre Dame (behind me as I took the photo of the bikes above, at the very beginning of the evening), and the most fun was riding around the courtyard of the Louvre, circling around and around the Pyramide at breakneck speeds. Ahem. A couple of us were, anyway.

Perhaps that is a good segway to my "issues" that evening. Most of the group was more interested in a leisurely ride. Perhaps that is most appropriate for the event... But I'm an Angeleno. Efficiency. Speed, Ease of progress. I can't help it. I would weave and duck between the other riders, and it totally freaked them out. Now I'm not the fastest in the bunch, and definitely not trying to race. Just trying to get and stay in a "flow". A method of movement through traffic that's considered survival (and somewhat exhilarating) in my native habitat came off as rude and obnoxious in this environment. I could tell I was pissing off a few folks, and felt horrible about it. They just didn't understand. I was never without courtesy, and I tried to slow down and comply, but... ce n'est pas à un vieux singe qu'on apprend à faire des grimaces. Or maybe blame it on Paris, the night, the bike. I had spent the better part of the last 24 hours either on a plane, getting to one, from one, or waiting for one. Sometimes, a girl has got to RIDE!!

So I'd feel the daggers in my back, and I understand enough Spanish slang to get that I was not anybody's favorite. I was enjoying the sheer pleasure of the ride, but somehow was not skilled enough to do it without being annoying.

It bothered me on a couple of levels. First, I fancy myself on a mission to improve international relations when I travel. On a small scale, of course. But I feel I must somehow personally counteract the negative expectations and impressions that many non-Americans have of our country and its people. Clearly I wasn't doing too good a job of that. And on a more personal level, I like it when people like me. It feels weird when they don't. Dammit. I felt I was not properly representing myself, or my country. Oy vey.

As luck would have it, things changed about mid-ride. It was the day of the second round of voting in the French presidential election. That evening, during our ride, Sarkozy was announced the winner, and rioters took to the streets. It was mayhem at its craziest. Believe me, the French riot control forces are every bit as scary as the LAPD in riot gear.

Suddenly, our group was all in survival mode. Our guide was amazing at getting everyone through, and many of my dodging and weaving techniques came in handy. The group gelled, we looked out for one another, and morphed into that rare, well-oiled traffic machine. It was a wild ride. The guide (can't remember his name for the life of me) was an experienced white water rafter. He compared our adventure to Class V rapids. Who knew there was such adventure to be had in Paris? What a night!!!!!

We all popped open a couple bottles of wine afterwards (on a boat on the Seine, no less), and hung out for a while as we debriefed and bonded. And I like to think in the end we all ended up as friends, and that I managed to put a little dent in the negative American stereotype. Or at least I hope I didn't reinforce it...

Pistol Squats (band): 6/6, 6/6, 6/6
Pullups(bands)/Swings (12kg): 8/8, 7/7, 5/5
Jump squat/burpee: 5/5 x5