...Just do not ask my mileage, okay?

We saw a lot of people touring, we just rode a few hours per day...and stopped for beers.

Spring was in full bloom--stunningly beautiful countryside. The French were amazingly gracious and always asking questions, which is why they know so much. I sensed no anti-America sentiments, and everyone was exceptionally patient and helpful. We hear a lot of crap in America, and they know it.

The riding: Still kind of chilly in am's I was layered up like the doughboy and sometimes my eardrums hurt. The drivers very respectful and gave us plenty of room passing. The very narrow country roads made me nervous on the blind hills, but other than that, it was a breeze compared to Honolulu. Most cyclists just wore little caps, which made me laugh because when JB cam home from Iraq one of the times, we forgot his helmet and road anyway and all the militant cyclists would yell "get a helmet, dude!" It was nice to be around "live and let live" attitudes. (we ended up renting, we had multiple intineraries and it got nuts with fees)
But...I used packing advice for coming back to LA with the bikes.

Paris is the bomb, because they have huge bike lanes with CURBS. You can rent simple bikes on stands and return them any where.