History of France:

59-51 B.C. : Gaul, originally inhabited by Celtic and Iberian peoples, conquered by Caesar

3rd C. A.D. : invasions ravage the country

498 : Clovis, king of the Francs, baptized at Reims

800 : Crowning of Charlemagne, who establishes the vast Occidental Empire

843 : The Treaty of Verdun breaks France into 3 parts – Occidental France (west of the Rhône River) becomes modern-day France

11th-12th C. : the weakness of central power generates a feudal syste.. Read More »

We were cycling through Strasbourg, ready to cross the Rhine into Germany, when we spotted two other cyclo-travelers on a bridge. We stopped to say hi, and our little hello turned into an hour or more before we decided that w.. Read More »

Our bike route from Mulhouse to Strasbourg took us along the border with Germany, where we could see the Black Forest in the distance. Mountains bordered us on both sides, but our road could not have been flatter. As a result, we .. Read More »

— The hottest summer on record! — August 13, 2003 —

The record heatwave has caused a critical health and environmental situation in France. Originally reported to be the hottest summ.. Read More »

We left Monique and Norbert Friday evening and passed unending cornfields on our route, which reminded me of our cabin at home in the Delaware Valley of Pennsylvania, where I spent the summers of my childho.. Read More »

We arrived in Lyon on Sunday and spent the day with Sandrine, an old friend of Stéphane’s from high school. We ate royally that night, enjoying a never-ending barbecue on the terrace among friends.

Since the beginning of this summer, on.. Read More »

When we were in Paris, we volunteered for Cyclo-Camping International (CCI), an association of and for cyclo-tourists. One sub-group of this organization is called “Cyclists Welcome Cyclists.. Read More »

The week started off with a steep ascent into the mountains above Aix-les-Bains, an ascent that I hadn’t imagined we would be foolish enough to try during only our second day of biking. But being assured.. Read More »

We pedalled our first miles Sunday from Cédric and Betty’s house high in the mountains of the picturesque northern French Alps. High in the mountains – well, this was a good thing because at least our first few miles were going down. Down to the small village of Le Cheylas in the valley below, where Stéphane spent his adolescent years. .. Read More »

A cursory glance might give one the impression that our trip has only just started. However, if you look a little closer, you’ll realize that our voyage started more than five years ago, in June of 1998, when I was one month out of college. Backpacking alone across Europe for two months, I met Stéphane in .. Read More »