Oh, Champs-Élysées!

To the French, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées est la plus belle avenue du monde! That's a tall order for a street, but it is pretty magical. And of course, Jeremy and I love the accompanying song so much it was the last song of our wedding. Not to mention, each year, Le Tour de France races the final, exciting stage on the street! 


Fresh from a good night's sleep at the Hilton, we departed our hotel around 10AM to begin our exploration of the area and to stake our spot to watch Le Tour. We started at the Arc de Triomphe, and headed down Avenue des Champs-Élysées, window shopping at Luis Vuitton and other incredibly expensive stores. We found a good spot along the street to catch the cyclist action, and made friends with a couple from Australia who just moved to Paris. We shared a few beers while we waited (and waited) until the moment we'd all been waiting for arrived.


SWOOSH! There go the riders through the intermediate sprint zone! We snapped photos and cheered, and then  about a minute later, SWOOSH! There go the riders past us, no more than a few feet away. Two more minutes, than SWOOSH! Again! They race by on the far side of the street. And then in another minute, SWOOSH! Again, they blow right by us. They did six laps or so, before the final sprint of the day, which of course, The Man from the Isle of Man with Short Arms, Mark Cavendish, took the stage. 


Alberto Contador, who we learned actually DOES speak English, took the Yellow Jersey. (Single tear...) Our man Andy Shleck took the White Jersey, but we know he'll take Yellow next time! Alessandro Petacchi took the Green Jersey, and Anthony Charteau took the Polka-dot King of the Mountain Jersey! Last but not least, Team Radio Shack from the USA took the Best Overall Team Jersey, one final Yellow Jersey for our man, Lance. What an awesome tour! We will be back, France, to join the ride again. At the very latest, for our 50th Wedding Anniversary in 2060. (Fingers crossed!) Viva Le Tour!

2010-07-24 - Paris Part 1