| INDEPENDENT TRAVELLER |
| AN OFFER SHE COULDN’T REFUSE |
| | “At the age of 37, she realised she’d | | | | |
| | never drive through Paris, in a sports | | | |
| | car, with the warm wind in her hair.” | | | |
| | from: ‘The Ballad of Lucy Jordan’ | | | |
| | | | | |
| | I may yet end up like the woman in the | | | |
| | song The Ballad of Lucy Jordan but at | | | |
| | least, at the age of 22, I can claim to | | | |
| | have ridden through Paris, on a quad | | | |
5 | | bike, on a bitingly cold day in March. | | | |
| | I am studying French at Warwick | | | |
| | University, and spending this | | | |
| | academic year at the Sorbonne. But | | | |
| | I happened to be at home for the | | | |
10 | | weekend in London when Simon | | | |
| | Calder’s column asked for a | | | |
| | participant for some undisclosed (but | | | | speeding around Paris at what felt a |
| | ‘legal and decent’) activity in Paris. | | | | lot faster than our top speed of |
| | Three days and a Eurostar trip later, | | | | 50km/h. The quad was also effective |
15 | | I found myself clambering on to the | | | | for squeezing up the small |
| | back of a large yellow quad bike in a | | 40 | | pedestrianised roads that one |
| | central Paris car park. We set off on a | | | | normally wouldn’t be able to – let |
| | whirlwind tour of the city’s highlights | | | | alone be allowed to – navigate in a |
| | with a seemingly fearless photo | | | | vehicle. We found that no one |
20 | | grapher hanging out of the car in front | | | | questioned the quad, although we |
| | of us, taking pictures of us in all our | | 45 | | might have been lucky as most of the |
| | quad-biking glory for Simon’s column. | | | | police were off at the Sorbonne |
| | The afternoon was certainly not for | | | | dealing with rioting students. |
| | those who wish to maintain an air of | | | | All in all, it was a fantastic way to |
25 | | Parisian chic, [id:57012] despite the | | | | explore Paris and weave in and out of |
| | helmet, the rather attractive Paris | | 50 | | those petites rues in record time. It |
| | Quad Visit anorak and the paralysing | | | | would be worth braving the hills of |
| | cold, I did feel a bit like a film star, | | | | Montmartre to discover what the quad |
| | being photographed zooming around | | | | really can do, but with all the posing |
30 | | the Louvre, perched on the | | | | we didn’t have time. I’ll have to try it |
| | surprisingly comfortable back seat of a | | 55 | | again – but the next time, I insist on |
| | chauffeur-driven quad bike, while | | | | some warm wind in my hair. And I’ll |
| | Parisians and tourists alike gaped. | | | | drive. |
| | It was a bit of a bumpy ride at first, | | | | ALESSlA HORWICH |
35 | | but soon it became quite exciting, | | |