We arrived at Charles De Gaulle airport at about 7am and collected our bikes from the oversized luggage area. We made our way to the taxi rank, ignoring several taxi touts on the way. Taxis come in various sizes and we waited a few minutes for one big enough to take our bike bags.

The apartment was just outside the ‘Peripherique’ or ring road that encircles Paris. It was in a pleasant area and we were close to the Louise Michel metro station. The apartment was small and rather shambolic but it was quiet and peaceful. It was less than 2km walk to the Arc de Triomphe.