On Friday nights in Paris at the Montpanasse metro station there is a gathering of 500-1,000 roller-bladers. They meet at 10:00 p.m. and then skate the streets of Paris until 1:00 a.m. The distance is 30 km or 18.6 miles all the while getting to see the sights and hear the sounds of the fresh Paris life.
I was first introduced to the idea of Pari-roller the first week I arrived in Paris. I was reading through one of the Paris-travel books I have and under the sports section they briefly describe this event. I thought it sounded absolutely magical. Just imagine skating the city of lights. I could feel the cool breeze, strolling along the Seine River, being part of a large group, all going through an experience of seeing the city in a three hour tour. It sounded absolutely ideal.
My only concern about actually doing the skating event, were the cobblestones. I was afraid of what would happen when attempting to roller blade over hundreds or thousands of miniature stones in the pavement. I know that when people drive over highway lane dividers I am always awakened from a peaceful passenger nap. Thus I couldn’t imagine going over them with 4 small rubber wheels strapped to each foot.
After discovering this thrilling way to see Paris at night- I was determined to find someone who would partner up with me and take to the streets of Paris by skates. Most people I would mention this to would think I was crazy. Others would say they would… but since it’s from 10:00 to 1:00 am- didn’t sound so appealing, or some other sort of excuse to bypass this event. Then, last week when I was at bible study, I found someone who had actually done it before! I was so excited I started spattering out one question after the next . Wanting to glean all I could from his experience. Then someone else in the group mentioned that his wife was planning on going the next week. I was now even more excited. This was my grand opportunity! I could barely contain my excitement- no I didn’t contain it - I let it all out!
As time passed I never was able to speak to Connie about going to Pari-roller. The following week she didn’t make it to the bible study (when I was planning on asking her) and so I didn’t think I would be able to go any longer. After searching through emails I have received from my bible study group, I found Connie’s email address and asked her if she was still planning on going to skate on Friday. After three days I didn’t hear anything back. I completely crossed out the possibility of going. On Fridays I come into work late because I have French lessons in the morning- when I made it into the office around 2:00, waiting in my inbox was an email from Connie! She was going to skate this week and wanted me to come! I was ecstatic! Three months of waiting to skate the streets of Paris and tonight was the night! Only one problem remained- I needed skates.
When I got off work I quickly rushed to the sports store and found a pair of great blades on sale half price. There was only one size left and they perfectly fit me. It reminded me of being 15 again when my Best Friend Kendal and I walked into Chick’s sporting goods and there were only two pair of rollerblades left and they were in our sizes and called K2. We decided instantly they were meant for us because we were Kendal and Katie = K2. We quickly drove home and skated hours around her neighborhood in our skates. Every day after school we would ride up and down Douglas, through her boyfriend’s neighborhood, and sometimes down at the beach. We were always laughing, feeling free, and having fun skating to our hearts content nothing could stop us when on our skates. Putting on this pair of blades I smiled and knew I was going to take to the streets like I did when I was 15.
While figuring out how to get to Montparnasse I realized I needed to drive into Paris rather than taking the metro. Because I would be skating until 1:00 am and the last metro that headed back to my town would be at 11:30 p.m. The only other option would be to catch a bus at 1:30 a.m. and to me- that was not an option. So I got in my car and drove into Paris. My GPS took me to a Montparnasse parking structure. I had an hour before the skating started so I thought I would go and look for the rendezvous point. I knew I was in the right area but that I was not in the right spot.
I started walking up this hill and could see signs pointing towards Montparnasse. After walking from the structure for about 10 minutes I knew there were some people walking behind me and that I should ask them if I was headed in the right direction. When I turned around I saw what I could have never expected- and was taken away by the magnificent sight I stumbled upon. When I had turned around I was standing in a clear view to see the Eiffel Tower Sparkling! I was completely speechless, and 100% giddy at the same time. I was frozen in a moment of time and couldn’t take my eyes off of the beauty I was a witness of. I have waited to see the tower sparkle, and have actually avoided going to the Eiffel tower to tour around in wanting to have a distinctive Eiffel Tower moment, not just one where I would go and see it and snap photos alone. I was planning on going when my friend who comes to visit in two weeks. Then without even realizing the Eiffel tower had been behind me this entire walk, I was now in the perfect spot of the city to watch the tower sparkle! I had my Eiffel Tower moment. This was going to be a great night indeed.
(This picture does no justice to what this actually looks like- but it's a start)
I eventually moved my car closer to the train station, walked across the metro station and saw someone on skates. I knew to follow them because they must be headed to where I needed to be. I quickly ran to follow them and as I turned the corner I could hear U2’s song, “Beautiful Day” playing over loud speakers. I knew I had arrived at the right spot. Now I needed to find Connie and put on my skates – we would be leaving in five minutes. After putting on my skates I called Connie and we were able to meet up. We were both doing this for the first time and were extremely excited. Another friend Carl was supposed to meet up but started to feel sick and decided he would meet up with us at the half way point. We quickly snapped a picture to remember our evening when whistles began to blow, signaling it was the start of the skate.
(Connie and I at the start of the night.)
When first entering the streets of Paris I was giddy with delight, filled with the romantic ideal of skating on the streets of Paris. Traffic would stop for us and nothing would get in our way. Tonight the weather was perfect, we were with people who carried mini music players, and some even dressed up in costumes. Tonight Paris was ours for the taking. Connie and I both had great attitudes about the adventure that lie ahead and big smiles on our faces. We cheered in our excitement and braced the pavement with all the other skaters as we headed into our journey. To me, nothing could be better at this point and time. This was going to be a beautiful night, full of magic, mystery, and enchantment.
After about twenty minutes of skating- reality hit. This was going to be hard work! Man oh man is skating the streets of Paris hard work. The streets of Paris I was so excited to see- quickly became a reality. I had three hours of observing the pavement of Paris. I had to Watch the skaters in front of me, ensuring their stability, watch out for cracks in the road, speed bumps, or the dreaded cobblestones. However, I quickly became aware of a new and even more challenging fear than cobblestones…HILLS! Paris quickly became a city filled with many ups and downs of hills- one after the other. This is something I had not come to notice while on foot, car, or metro.
The way Pari-roller works, is that there are staff and French Police that help monitor the event. These people skate in the front, back, and sides of the skating caravan. Some will skate ahead and block off the traffic to make sure the entire group will make it through the intersections and roundabouts without the force of people or cars. But to do this you must also keep the skating group consolidated. There is a car that follows in the back of the group to keep the convoy moving forward and staff members who yell, “Aller! Aller! Aller!” Meaning, “Go! Go! Go!” This is an especially common phrase used when charging up the crazy hills in Paris. After a large hill or after about 20 minutes of skating the group would stop to unite and re-gather everyone into one group- this would help avoid being too spread out. (during this time I would shimmy my way to the front, to avoid falling behind when reaching a hill.) If you were unable to keep up the pace or were seen as an unsafe skater you would be asked to leave for the safety of other skaters.
(This is a group shot while waiting to start skating again.)
When talking with Connie on Friday about doing Pari-roller I told her my fear of the cobblestones. She gave me the following advice: “I think there are some cobblestones, but if we cross them you can just pretend you dance across them like a Dog on hot cement.” I started cracking up! The only thing funnier than her advice, would be the picture of me attempting to cross the cobblestones without falling. I would see the cobblestones and just hold my breath in attempts of creating greater stability, tighten my core, and then with all my focus and effort, attempt to cross the area with stones. This would then become increasingly more difficult as the night wore on and my leg muscles became fatigued. To best describe what it is like skating on Cobblestones would be to say, it’s like having an Earthquake in your brain. Everything is just bouncing around and you can’t really see but you know you have to keep moving forward to get it to stop. Until then everything will rattle around while you seek to find balance, stability and safety.
The hills we climbed varied in length and degree of difficulty. Some were easy but others seemed to have no finishing point. You would keep climbing up and up and up, turn a corner and have to continue to climb. When you are trudging up hill, it… is… endless. About half way through the course and on the fifth hill of the evening there was a 12 year old kid who would quickly skate through the crowd. He whipped passed me, and then quickly cutting right cut in front of another skater in front of me who wobbled, and hesitated which caused me to trip over my skates and fall onto my left knee. I was down and was prepared to be like a person in the center of a bull run quickly trammpled down by all those coming up from behind. I quickly popped up, with people moving around me, and asking if I was okay. I was fine and mostly concerned that I didn’t rip or tear my jeans. All was well and I continued on my way.
After two hours of skating we made it to the half way point. Only half way. This I couldn’t believe. I was so unsure if I would be able to make it the rest of the course. But I could not quit now. One, I would have no idea how to get back. But Secondly, if I made it this far, there was no turning back. Who cared if I ran out of water, that my muscles were tired, that my fingers were swollen and I couldn’t get off my rings, this was now about finishing what I started. I was determined and nothing was going to stop me.
(This is our course map. The Blue signifies the first half and the red the second half of the night.)
After the fastest 10 minute break of my life, we restarted the route and were headed towards the finishing half of the itinerary. My able determination, made during the break, found another hurdle when we were faced with the 300 foot climb immediately after the break. I was huffing and puffing my way up that dreaded hill with men yelling Faster! Faster! Push! Push in French to those of us in the back of the group. The top seemed never ending, I didn’t think my legs could push me up any more, I could see the gap growing larger between insanely resilient skaters and weary, tired- me. When suddenly a God send came and one of the people in the back of the group began to assist me up the hill! Now I cannot imagine the strength of this man. He not only skated himself up the hill with ease, but helped push my exhausted, weary, fatigued body up to the top of this hill. I swear he was an angel. If it were not for him, I would probably still be trying to make it to the top of that hill.
One benefit to uphills was going down hill. This was so much fun. Those were the moments you could relax, feel the wind, catch your breath and look up to enjoy all of your surroundings. This is also where stupid skaters would fall, and you had to watch out for them. They would attempt to do some really cool trick to impress their friends and end up rolling down the rest of the hill while those of us behind them threw our arms up to warn others and skate around the man down.
My favorite moments of skating around Paris would be very simple moments throughout the night. When we would enter tunnels, all the skaters would begin to whistle, scream and yell making joyous echoing noises like we were all children again. Occasionally we would pass people who would be stopped and they begin to cheer our parade of skaters on. My favorite roller cheerleaders was a group of friends who were standing on their apartment’s balcony, cheering loudly as all the skaters went by. Another great highlight was being in tourist pictures! All the tourists would whip out their cameras to capture the unique moment of seeing hundreds of skaters pass by. I would always smile and get really excited when I would see this, and then wave for the camera. But my absolute favorite moment would be when we would reach a freshly paved road! It would be like skating on ice and made the route seem effortless in comparison to the rest of the roads.
Eventually we made it to the end! We had conquered all 28 kilometers (18 miles). We had climbed every hill (9 hills). We had completed all three hours of rollerblading through the city of Paris. We were exhausted! The feeling of taking off my skates was a type of liberation I had never felt before. I could only imagine what a fresh shower, a gallon of cold water, and bed would feel like.
(Connie and I at the end of the night)
Once rested, and everyone began to clear out of the park, I offered Carl and Connie a ride home. This was so they wouldn’t have to take the metro and walk home. We entered the metro station and I told them I was parked on the other side. However, this is not where I entered and I didn’t recognized where we were. We walked up and down stairs, looked at maps and I was still unsure. When walking down one path Carl said, “Katie, you are officially an American in Paris.” I laughed and replied, “Even better, I’m from California!” We finally went back to where I started from and traced back my steps to find my car. Sat down and heaved a sigh of satisfaction that we were headed home and we had completed our night.
My Romantic idea had quickly subsided during the skating, but after completing the course I could look back and be excited that I didn’t give up, I didn’t quit, and I made it to the end. Going into Pari-roller I may not have realized all the stamina, endurance, and level of difficulty the course would have been, but I am proud of myself for finishing and finishing well. It really was a unique experience and something that I will never forget. There were many difficult moments but the excitement felt at the beginning for the adventure ahead, and the reward of satisfaction for finishing subsides the difficulties I faced.
Will I do it again? Of Course!
