More Than A Year In Provence: Endless Tour de France Travel

By Christopher Strong

Praise for More Than A Year In Provence
"I wish you tremendous success"
Guy Kawasaki
Author of APE, Enchantment, What The Plus.
"Christopher's truly unique adventures cycling the backroads of France are a must read for anyone who's ever dreamed of a French country life. I just hope his sequel will reveal where his paradise village is!"
Robert Reid
Reid on Travel, Lonley Planet, New York Times
"If it's true that travel broadens, this book will give you a 360° view of authentic French Country Life."
Jeff Steiner
Americans in France,Live in France
FRANCE TRAVEL
Peter Mayle started it all with "A Year in Provence." Inspiring Rick Steves, the Lonely Planet crew and all the France Travel Guidebook creators that were to follow.
One guy who was not influenced by these fine folks, was the Author of this book. Simply because, at that time, he didn't know they existed!
.
But not to worry. San Francisco Film Maker Christopher Strong had his own "Tour de France" dream. To spontaneously cycle the French Country backroads. With no fixed itinerary. Tasting the land and the people as well as the food and wine.
FRANCE FOR DUMMIES
And so finally, after a week of irregular and informal French Lessons from a Dutch friend, with no regard for the niceties of French Grammar, Christopher's French Vocabulary was limited to five words: "hello", "goodbye", "please", "thank you", and the essential "where's the toilet?"
.
FRENCH KISS
In spite of, or perhaps because of his lack of French Language smarts, with no butt saving French Phrasebook, Christopher's first "Tour de France" was a resounding personal success. Even on the French Riviera!
.
FRANCE TRAVEL GUIDE - MORE THAN A YEAR IN PROVENCE
Inspired by the overwhelming hospitality lavished upon him, Christopher decided to return and film his next adventure. He did. And he continued, year after year. Until finally he had an up close and personal lifestyle/adventure series - "Bicycle Gourmet's Treasures of France." An authentic view of France Today.
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FRENCH HISTORY
After seeing the first results of Christopher's "Tour de France" filming, his friends, not suprisingly, suggested he write a book. Not a book on French Cooking or (shudder) French Diet mind you, but a "behind the scenes" account of his filming adventures. And his many encounters with French Wine.
.
More Than A Year In Provence is that book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: First Class Artists
• Release date: Nov 2, 2013
• ISBN: 9781310847806

Book preview

Bicycle Gourmet’s

More Than

A Year In Provence

Endless Tour de France Travel

by Christopher Strong

Copyright © 2013 Christopher Strong

All Rights Reserved.

Published by Simon and Shumann. An imprint of First Class Artists.

[e-mail]

Praise for More Than A Year In Provence

I wish you tremendous success

Guy Kawasaki

Author of APE, Enchantment, What The Plus.

Christopher’s truly unique adventures cycling the backroads of France are a must read for anyone who’s ever dreamed of a French country life. I just hope his sequel will reveal where his paradise village is!

Robert Reid

Reid on Travel, Lonley Planet, New York Times

If it’s true that travel broadens, this book will give you a 360° view of authentic French Country Life.

Jeff Steiner

Americans in France,Live in France

AUDIO BOOK: This book is available in audio form read by the author for $12.

ORDER HERE.

Author’s Note: The ownership of some non-original images here were not traceable. If you are affected, contact me HERE.

Before you start reading......Howsabouta......

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Contents

Chapter One - A Gourmet Is Born

Chapter Two - French Baby Fiesta

Chapter Three - My Exciting French Travel Life

Chapter Four - Not A Kodak Moment

Chapter Five - French Gourmet

Chapter Six - The Fathers of French Cuisine – La Varenne

Chapter Seven - The Tears of Chenonceau

Chapter Eight - French Life – Yin and Yang

Chapter Nine - French Language Lessons

Chapter Ten - French Kiss

Chapter Eleven - French Wine

Chapter Twelve - French Logic

Chapter Thirteen - Kentucky French Country Gentleman

Chapter Fourteen – One of a Kind

Chapter Fifteen – All My (French)Children

Chapter One - A Gourmet Is Born

The French Cycling Gourmet. That’s how the world knows me. My (severely limited)claim to fame. (Have I had more than my 15 minutes yet?)

That’s the label sewn into my life’s tee-shirt. Not by my Mom but the World at large. It’s a label I don’t shun. Nor does it change my hat size.(Not wearing a hat also helps!) Obviously, I didn’t choose it. Like Mr. Darwin’s theory – it jus’ evolved.

No more foggy Cable Cars…

It all started when I decided to leave San Francisco. A difficult decision. It was(as always) the doing that was the hard part. Hard because San Francisco was, and is, one of the best places on the planet.

Smack dab on the Pacific. Liberal. Cosmopolitian, but not snobby. Ab/fab everything! Art. Music. Cinema. Restaurants. Parks. Museums. Plus the Marin Headlands; more glorious remoteness. A quickhop over the Golden Gate.

Angel Island, off Sausalito. A freakin’ National park! Ok – that’s enough of the tourist office rant. You’re getting my drift, dear reader, are you not?

Are you being served?

And in this super planetary location – I was livin’ large. Not expensively. But richly. Good health. Good Friends. Good business. No debts!(Rare in the land of how fast can you max your credit cards?) But there was a tiny grain of sand in the gears of my otherwise perfect life. A grain called regularity. Not boredom, mind you, but a regular round of the same places, people, clients and scenery. It was great. But it was also a personal glass ceiling. One that prevented any useable degree of spontaneity from breaking through.

Breaking Away…

So, in order to open the door to the possibility of that spontaneity, I had to close the door of happy, successful,(and yes, bourgeois) film-maker. And leave the comfort zone for a zone unknown. Since I’ve always been a cyclist(Born on a push bike as the Dutch say) there was no mystery as to my mode of travel. Ergo – after dropping off the key to get myself free, I bought the bike o’ my dreams, and fastened the seatbelt for the flight to adventure.

Living the Dream…

And by gosh, by golly, you betcha – adventure I did find! Gliding down dappled country lanes with, to quote Mr. Berry – no particular place to go’ – spontaneity was assured. Which, in turn introduced me to the good, the better and the best of French Country Life. My experiences with the locals were consistently 99% positive. They didn’t know me from a hole in the ground. And in spite of, and perhaps because of that, they invited me into their homes and hearts.

I shared their food and wine. Hopes and Dreams. Joys and sorrows. In an embrace of humanity and genuine hospitality. Which gave me, obviously, a deep understanding of, and appreciation for, French Country Life. An incredibly rich personal experience. Causing my film-maker half to