Because this is France the actual renting of the scooter could not possibly be simple. After traveling across town to the rental shop we were denied because I didn’t have proof of residency in Paris in the form of a bank statement or phone bill. No joke. Close to an hour later, phone bill in hand, we were denied again because our bank accounts could not sustain the 1,000 euro deposit. Sad? Yes. Reality? Yes. As we were wandering around the neighborhood scratching our heads looking for a bank to pool our resources we came across another scooter rental shop and decided to give it a shot. Not only did it have a comparable price, but the deposit worked with our limited funds, AND there was no mileage limit!
Note to readers: If you ever start a scooter shop of your own I recommend enforcing a mileage limit, you never know what kind of young people you will rent to who decide to put 200 miles on a 125cc scooter on a cold cold March day attempting to go from Paris to Mont St. Michel and ending up at Orleans.
After weaving through Paris traffic and leaving the city limits we promptly got lost on the freeways and stumbled across a photography museum in a tiny little town. Spaceman Spiff loves photography so we took this as a sign from the heavens and stopped and enjoyed ourselves. They had a camera mounted on a gun. I thought that was pretty sweet.
My traveling companion, Spaceman Spiff
The Photo-gun
Spaceman Spiff in a completely empty silent little town off the freeway. We needed to get the blood circulating in our legs again, and unfreeze our hands.
I wanted to go to Angerville and see what all the arguing and hatred was about. Spaceman Spiff was interested in that other place.
Abandoned Church
Spaceman Spiff wandering the surface of a strange planet, void of humans, inhabited only by lonely, neglected cats.
Back on the road, wind whipped, cramping up, and shivering like crazy we decided that Orleans would be a better destination than Mont St. Michel, which is over three times the distance that Orleans is.
We jammed on that bike for a long long time, enjoying the green countryside passing by. After a few rest stops and re-fuelings we made it to Orleans. Yours truly was craving Mexican (it has been so long since I’ve had a proper burrito!) and as we came across a tex-mex restaurant there was no arguing with me. It was sub-par but I didn’t care at all, it looked and smelled and tasted sort of like a burrito and that was more than enough for my starved palate.
Some goofball
Spaceman Spiff has such a huge head it was really hard to see around
Open Pastures
After tex-mex we wandered around the city, not really sure what to do. It ended up being a really nice sunset evening so we headed down to the river to catch the colors in the sky. A man walking his two pet ferrets crossed our path. We couldn’t help but stop and chat. What a great conversation starter having two pet ugly nasty ferrets must be, I’ll bet he picks up tons of girls with those pet ferrets.
After sunset, back on the bike, 80 miles in the freezing cold, getting passed by big rigs and sucked into their slipstream, clutching each other tight for wind protection and warmth, we finally made it back to Paris and promptly got a few stiff drinks enjoyed some Music Quiz and passed out.
Orleans, Joan of Arc Square
Rooftops of Orleans
Orleans sunset
The next day I took the scooter out by myself in the morning before returning it. I decided that it would be a total waste to rent a scooter and not take it around the Etoile, the enormous and incredibly dangerous roundabout that goes around the Arc de Triomphe. If an accident happens in France the insurance process is much like the United States, EXCEPT at the Etoile. Because so many accidents happen here with such frequency, insurance companies refuse to process accidents that happen at the Etoile. It would triple their workload. Both parties must assume equal fault and split the cost. I intended to make just one circle around this infamous roundabout but I got boxed in and had to make three full circles before I was able to slip behind a city bus and make my getaway. In hindsight, not a very good idea, but very fun. What a grand ol time!
Navigating the Etoile
