This afternoon, achy and weary after my quest for a US to Europe plug adaptor (or whatever they’re called), I did what I have been dying to do for ages. I got myself on a Vélib. The city of Paris introduced the public cycling system just over a year ago, and I can say first hand that it is fantastic. Here’s how it went down. First, I trotted past a group of punks and shyly made my way over to a neat row of bikes. I took out my credit card and held it up against a circle on the post one of the bikes was attached to. Nothing happened. Then, I spotted a machine-looking thing. It wouldn’t take my American Express. Wouldn’t take my Master Card. Luckily, I have a European ATM card. That worked. Apparently you need a card with one of those mysterious European “chips.” Once the machine accepted my payment, it asked me which bike I wanted. I squinted my eyes and focused in on the number “7.” Go get your bike, the machine said, you have 60 seconds. So I rushed over, pressed the button, and backed out my bike. Only then did I notice that the handle bars were practically disintegrating. So I put it back real fast. Then I did the process again, this time choosing a bike that looked more functional. Aside from faulty gears and a slightly askew seat, all was well, and I was on my way to discover Paris on two wheels. I bicycle a lot in Berlin, and I’ve learned that it is the best way to get around a city. Whisking down Paris’ grand boulevards and pretty cobbled streets sure is fun, and the bike lanes here are great, they’re shared with the buses, which for some reason were few and far between. I did encounter one problem at the end of my journey. When I had gotten back to my neighborhood, and it was time to put the Vélib back into its slot, the first three stations I came across were full. Eventually I did find an empty spot, and my route back home took me past lots of cute shops where I filled my arms up with wheels of camembert, baguettes, and bottles of wine, and all was well again.