Cycling to work during strike

As we all were afraid of, the public transport strike has continued ever since the 5th of December. On some days, like Tuesday, there are even less trams, metros and buses, but even on a "normal strike day" I cannot use my travel card to take trains and metros to go to work. Trains and most of the metros run only during the rush hours and also on those times there are only 1 out of 3 or 4 of them compared to usual. Good luck pushing yourself in...

For the last week "my family" evacuated themselves to Bourg-la-Reine, a few kilometers South from Paris, to stay at their grandparents house. That way the parents could go to work while the grandparents looked after the kids. I went there daily to take over for a few hours in the afternoon and I was luckily offered a bike to borrow, so I was no more dependent on the train timetables or even on the city bikes that are harder to find during the strikes. Six kilometers back and forth was not too bad with a good bike. Except when the chain fell down on one day on my way home... Luckily I have a husband who thinks very logically and was able to figure out and fix the problem that kept making the chain fall down constantly.

Cycling through some smaller roads to Bourg-la-Reine.

This view was impressive every day.

Last Friday the family moved back to their home close to l'Arc de Triomph in Paris. The length of my commute became a bit more than double but luckily I got a ride from the family's grandmother who was taking the kids to Paris. They picked me up on the way and the grandma took us home after which I took the little sister to the nursery and stayed for the day with the big brother. The parents came home early enough for me to catch trains to return home. However, I have been and will cycle every day during this week to go to work and day by day I feel that my legs are more tired to even try to cycle the uphills. 13 km is not impossible but since I hardly ever cycle normally, my thighs are not used to that kind of exercise. Two more days to go and then I will have my rest by sitting in a taxi, airplane and train to travel home to Finland. I needed to reserve a taxi taking me to the airport on Saturday morning because I don't trust that there will be any change in the transport by that. I also need to reserve some extra time for what it would usually take to drive to Charles-de-Gaulle airport because the roads can be stuffed by cars when people have no other means to travel. Yesterday on my way home, I was much faster than the car lines. It can be such a disaster when cars block each other plus the running trams. And boy, French do like honking horns in the traffic! Haha, like that would help at all while everyone is stuck. I can only wish for the best for when I return to France in January...

Crossing the river Seine while cycling along the boarder of Paris.

My vehicle and "my kid's" vehicle on Monday when
I picked him up from the school.

Last Friday I got to participate in the Christmas party of H's work. Lots of researchers, lots of foreigners and lots of food. Kind of nice that I was able to participate even in some pre-Christmas party now that I don't work in a school anymore to have the party there.

This triple chocolate ice cream cake we had at home. H told me it
is somewhat traditional to eat this at Christmas. I don't complain.