At the heart of Paris, beside the rue de Rivoli, stands a Gothic tower that belongs to a church that no longer exists. The Tour Saint-Jacques is all that survives of the church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie, built in the early sixteenth century in the flamboyant Gothic style, and it was the traditional gathering point for pilgrims leaving Paris for Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain. The church was demolished after the Revolution, but the tower was saved, and it now stands in a small garden, topped by a statue of Saint James.
UNESCO inscribed the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France in 1998, as a series of monuments, hospitals, churches and bridges along the four main paths that cross the country on the way to the Pyrenees. The Paris route, called the Via Turonensis because it passes through Tours, is one of the four, and it links Paris to Orléans, Tours, Poitiers, Bordeaux and the Basque country. Pilgrims have walked these roads for a thousand years, carrying a scallop shell as a badge, and many still do, with the shell hanging from their packs.
The tower itself is a pleasure to look at. It rises about fifty metres, with rich stonework, niches, gargoyles and carved saints, and on a bright day the stone seems to glow. The garden at its foot is a rare patch of calm in the middle of the city, with benches where Parisians eat their lunch. The tower is sometimes open for guided visits in summer, so check before you plan to climb.
A motorbike is a good way to cross Paris, but the city has its quirks. The centre has low-emission zone rules, which require an air-quality sticker called Crit'Air, and parking is limited, though motorbikes can often use designated spaces on the pavement edge. Traffic is dense and aggressive, the cobbles can be slippery in the rain, and tram lines and painted road markings are slick when wet. Early on a Sunday morning is a great time to ride through.
Fuel is available at stations around the ring road, but there are few in the centre, so fill up before you enter. Cafés and bakeries are everywhere.