Tour de Paris [of pools]

As I am prevented from running since the beginning of this year, due to a ligament injury caused by an excess of kilometers run since the beginning of the (first) lockdown, I have started swimming most days I can find a free window of time. And an open swimming pool! While Paris and most of the suburban cities near me have a decent offer of (cheap) public pools, it is often a challenge to find one open at a manageable time. Meaning for me mostly in the early morning. The lockdown has obviously reduced opening hours and introduced restricted access, requiring a medical certificate for indoor pools, and I have thus being recently visiting a rather extensive array of pools to fit such constraints, since both nearby pools, at home and at work, are rarely available. Last week, I biked to the most exotic so far, namely a pool made from a barge standing on the Seine River. It is alas not yet outdoor, but not yet crowded either (if small and rather hot). By comparison, the nearer and wider pool at Porte d’Orléans is surprisingly crowded at 7am (but pleasantly colder) and the historical pool on Butte aux Cailles also gets quickly crowded and is missing its outdoor pool (but is close to a fantastic bakery!). Even careful scheduling does not always work as I sometimes find an unexpected closed door, as two weeks ago when Butte aux Cailles had emptied overnight or a few days ago when Joséphine Baker had a disfunctioning pediluvium enough to bar entry. (The outdoor 50m pool in Villejuif I used to go to has just reopened to the general public and is not yet overcrowded, despite milder temperatures.)

Sceaux@NYT

the most expensive baguette ever…!

Goshdarnit! On the way home tonight, I stopped as usual at the bakery nearby and as usual I let my bike outside next to the entrance. Without bothering with locking as it takes me ages to unlock it with the left hand… When I came out a minute later, the bike was gone!!! At least, this did not happened with my borrowed high-range bike in Warwick… And definitely nothing comparable with the jogger being shot nearby on my running route a week ago. But, still, a real bummer. And I cannot even use my Amazon credit to get the new one! (The local deity I had installed a few months ago on the front fork did not have the intended impact. I may have to switch to another creed…)