Abbreviated Itinerary

Ever since I was a teenager, I have dreamed of biking and backpacking around France. Also, since I was a teenager, I have struggled with my weight. In fact, in the 15 years since I began teaching, I have gained nearly 100 pounds. After watching a documentary piece on the Discovery Health Channel, about a 400 lb. man who biked from California to Florida and lost over 100 lbs, I had a revelation. By making my dream of biking around France come true, I could also remedy my struggle with weight and my struggle with the history and literature portions of my upper-level courses. I began training immediately.

I have titled my voyage “ La Grosse Tournée de France” (The Grand Tour of France), playing off the « Tour de France » cycling race. I am also playing off the fact that the word grosse in French can mean heavy, or even fat, thus, including the weight loss aspect into the title. My “Grosse Tournée de France” will consist of 60 days of hiking and biking through France. I will bike an average of 20 to 40 miles per day from town to town. Upon arriving at each new town or historical site, I will find lodging and store my bicycle, if necessary. Then, I will walk or hike around the area to visit castles, cathedrals, museums, ruins, and other important historical venues. Along the way, I will collect informational brochures, realia, books, videos, CD’s, and materials for the classroom. At least once a week, I will mail home a package of the educational materials I have collected.

My tour will begin with three days in Paris, where I will visit a wide variety of museums, cathedrals, and monuments. I will also take 4 guided bike tours and 2 guided walking tours, in order to learn more about the history of the city and its impact on the culture. On the Paris Day and Night bike tours, I will learn the history of the major monuments in Paris, as well as the architecture used to build them. The Versailles bike tour will give me insight into the lives of Louis XIV, Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette and their courts. The bike tour to Monet’s Gardens will broaden my knowledge of the “Father of Impressionism” and the primary source of his inspiration, his garden. I am particularly looking forward to the World War II and French Revolution walking tours.

Days 4 through 6 encompass Chartres and its cathedral, Illiers-Combray (the summer home of author Marcel Proust), 12th century Châteaudun, and Orléans, the city saved by Joan of Arc during the Hundred Year’s War.

For the next seven days, I will explore the cities and châteaux (19) of the Loire Valley, including the Château of Chinon, where Joan of Arc solicited and army from King Charles.

Days 15 to 18 include cycling up the coast of Brittany and exploring the prehistoric sites of Vannes, Carnac, and Erdeven. Among these sites are the Musée d’Histoire et d’Archéologie and the Musée de Préhistoire.

On days 19 to 23, I will ride up the coast of Normandy, visiting the fortress St. Malo, Mont St. Michel, and the D-day beaches. At Arromanches beach, I will visit the D-day Museum and view a 306˚ circular cinema film entitled “The Price of Freedom.”

For the next seven days I will explore the cities of France, including: Rouen, where Joan of Arc was tried and burned at the stake; the Victor Hugo Museum in Villequiers; Amiens, the home of author Jules Verne; Reims; Nancy; and Strasbourg, which fell under German control during both World Wars.

Days 31 to 35 will find me cycling down the eastern border of France to cities like Colmar, Lyon, Annecy, and even Geneva, Switzerland, the headquarters of the United Nations.

The next 3 days will find me surrounded by hundreds of extinct volcanoes in Le Puy-en-Velay and Clermont-Ferrand. I will even visit a cathedral built 260 steps up a very tall and thin volcano. Then I will spend 3 days exploring the prehistoric cave paintings, shelters, and gorges of the Dordogne region.

The next city on my itinerary is Bergerac, home to Cyrano Savinien de Bergerac, a 17th century playwright who was himself the subject of a famous play by 19th century playwright Edmond Rostand. From there, I will travel to Bordeaux, St. Emilion (home to an underground cathedral carved from limestone by 9th century monks), Toulouse, and Carcassonne, a fortified city famous for withstanding a siege by Charlemagne.

On day 47, I will go to Sault in Provence to admire the lavender fields and to intercept the Tour de France, since it is one of the inspirations of my tour. Afterward, I will study the ancient Roman ruins and artifacts of Orange, Nîmes, Arles, and Avignon, which is also home to the French Papal Palace which housed seven popes from 1309 to 1377.

On days 53 to 57, I will discover the Mediterranean coast and the cities of Nice, Antibes, Cannes, St. Raphael, Aubagne (home of author Marcel Pagnol), and Marseilles. Château d’If, the castle from “the Count of Monte Cristo” and “The Man in the Iron Mask” by Alexander Dumas, is located in Marseilles.

Finally, I will take a ferry to La Corse, a French island in the Mediterranean, before returning to Paris. My last quest is to exploe the castle of Fontainebleau and to hike and bike through the forests which were the playground of kings and the inspiration of generations of authors and artists.

By the end of this voyage, I will have cycled nearly 1,500 miles and walked at least 250 miles. I will have visited numerous castles, cathedrals, and ruins. I will have toured 26 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. I will have restored my fluency by speaking only French for 60 days. Finally, I will have become a better teacher and a thinner and healthier person.