We had a nice bike ride around the city yesterday using the popular Velibs system. Paris is full of velo stations, some of them having as much as 30 bikes, but now with the great summer weather is hard to find an available bike during the day. I got an app called Univelo Paris that allows me to check the status of the stations around my location so it will be pretty useful in the next two months.

The Navigo subway card can be used to register online and validate your account at any velo station. I chose the option that for 39 euros a year you can have the first 45 minutes as a free ride. That will be enough to get me to places. 🙂 Another great thing is that in the city center most of the boulevards and streets have a bike path so you will not feel so much like a mad tourist trying to find your way.

One thing we discover by parking our bikes in Montmartre is that by leaving it up the hill Velib gives you extra 15 minutes free each time.

Last night, on my way home, I had to stop to take a picture of this amazing graffiti on the Boulevard Beaumarchais: