Photo courtesy of Ell Brown, flickr
Peddling a bike on a leisurely ride through the back roads of Provence sounds like a slice of heaven, doesn’t it? No crowds, no deadlines, no hurry . . . Just riding along from village to village, stopping only to quench your thirst, take in the scents and colors of a local farmer’s market or strike up a conversation with locals.
But since I’ve never traveled to the South of France, I wonder if the reality of Provence would live up to the idyllic countryside of my imagination. Maybe I’ve been reading too much Peter Mayle whose international bestseller, A Year in Provence, did more to stoke my wanderlust for France than any regional travel brochure I’d stumbled upon.
Photo courtesy of Ell Brown, flickr
I fear that my vision of peddling the back roads of Provence might be more like groups of hardcore biking enthusiasts zooming along at the speed of light, challenging active Boomers like us to pick up our pace or risk missing out on a biking adrenalin high.
Photo courtesy of Ell Brown, flickr
Still, after discovering bikes like this colorful three wheeler, with a spot for a passenger in the back, I hold out hope for that leisurely ride in Provence after all.
For more information on how to plan your own bike tour of the South of France, check out DiscoverFrance.
Would you like to add biking the back roads of Provence to your travel bucket list, Wanderboomers?
