Paris-Roubaix

Tom Boonen won Paris-Roubaix today for the third time. I was in Roubaix, too! Here he is as he leaves the velodrome:


I couldn't believe my luck. He came out right in front of me.

It was raining in Paris this morning:

but a little rain doesn't bother these guys, who spent the day going over cobblestones such as this one at the entrance to the velodrome:

Or, actually, like this:

a photo that I took at the start line in Compiègne the day before the race. Even at the start line, the cobbles are incredibly uneven and big, and they get worse after this. (Compiègne from Paris, btw, is a gorgeous route through the countryside and forest. Route).

Before the racers come through, the parade of vans and floats throwing free stuff out comes by:


Then comes 259 km of race, including 53 km of cobblestones.
The race ended at the velodrome in Roubaix:


Entrance of the fancy Roubaix velodrome:
Truckloads of beat-up bikes coming back, lots of which seemed to belong to the Garmin-Chipotle team:


Also some equally beat-up riders:




Here's an actual race report. Here's a video of the last few kilometers:

Visitors in Paris!

Mom and Dad made it to Paris! See the special feature in all of these photos, the sun! Spring is almost here.


On the banks of the Seine:
A sunny Pont Neuf:

Toy sailboats for rent in the Luxembourg Gardens reflecting pool:

The quilts visit Paris

The "quilt cupcake" at a Parisian pâtisserie. Click to zoom in on the image.

An airplane flying close over the pyramids at the Louvre.

The weather was excellent by Notre Dame. The sky is totally cloud-free.


And in front of Sacré-Coeur.

Things for Linda

Illuminated manuscript from the Musée National du Moyen Age. Mom says Linda will never leave!

A tile on the floor of the Ste. Chapelle featuring a greyhound.

A whole store full of teapots, "Arts de la Table," near the Luxembourg Gardens.

Eating Well

We are eating well. See the real French pastries!

Paris on Valentine's Day

We spent some time at the Louvre yesterday afternoon with two of Rolf's friends from Germany. They went home at midday and Rolf and I spent a nice Valentine's Day afternoon in and on the Champs-Élysées.

Here are Christian, Alexandra, and me at the Louvre.

This is an art installation from Richard Serra called Clara Clara (Rolf knew it).

Here is a neat building on the Champs-Élysées.

Here is the Arc de Triomphe.

Barcelona

Rolf and I flew to Barcelona on Ibera last weekend. It was over 50 degrees and sunny, which was better weather than in grey, damp France. A friend from high school is finishing his PhD there, so we hung out with him. The main tourist attraction, at least when it's too cold to swim, is La Sagrada Familia, a modern cathedral designed by Gaudi and still under construction.


The structure inside is designed to evoke nature and the columns branch like trees.

Here is a market, built in the past few years.

Here is the pleasure boat port on the Mediterranean.

There is a city bicycle program in Barcelona, as in Paris. The rear wheel is a mountain bike wheel and the front wheel is even smaller, like a clown car!

There are public water taps all over the city. This guy is giving his dog a drink. There are also a lot of big dogs in the city.