Category: Travel Publisher: Simon and Shumann
ISBN-10: 0615858090
Type: Non-Fiction
Pages: 96
Copyright: july 30,2013
ISBN-13: 9780615858098
Price: $2.99 (eBook)
More Than a Year in Provence. Endless Tour de France Travel .Got it?
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.
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.
If you've ever wanted to "get away from it all" and follow your passion - this is the book for you. Because the Author has not only "been there done that - got that tee-shirt" - he's still doing it! This is a book about the adventure of travelling spontaneously. About the up close and personal experiences with all types of people you can only have when there's no fixed agenda. No deadlines. No map. The author's encounters are the meat of this riveting book. And his mode of travel - bicycle - is definitely part and parcel of the quality and variety of these adventures.
His deadpan sense of humor, balanced equally with information, makes each sentence an effortless enjoyable read : "The 'Golden Dove' has long been a favorite grazing/drinking stop for artists. It was here that various deadbeats, renegades and unemployables like Picasso and Chagall installed themselves for as long as possible, eating and drinking as much as possible. Then,leaving the proprietors with dirty dishes, empty bottles and a painting."
This book delighted and suprised me. In terms of the subject matter and the author's talent for conveying the sense of each experience. Intelligently. Casually. With humor. And (what I liked the most) with a minimum of words. I can't imagine how it wouldn't do the same for you. 5 stars from me to the "Bicycle Gourmet."
Peter Mayles on a bicycle!
Peter Mayles on a bicycle. That's how I would describe this book in a sentence. Like Peter Mayles, Christopher Strong (he calls himself the "bicycle gourmet") has a keen eye for Human quirks and foibles. What he's done (unlike Mayles) is to cycle the backroads of the French countryside, meeting the locals and recording his experiences. While the film series he created from these adventures is not available here(yet)the stories it produced are. And there are some doozies. One of my favs is "The Tears of Chenonceau" a true life tear jerker from French History about the love affair between King Henry 2 and his governess Diane de Poitier. His encounter with the 3 sisters who weren't really sisters and the night they shared is also totally unforgettable.
There's not a lot of continuity with his tales though, as fascinating as they are. Personally, I like that. but if you're into more structured narration, "DA BG" may not be your cup of tea. Bottom Line - the Bicycle Gourmet is an easy to read writer with some new stories(hurray!)to tell. And he does it with style,intelligence and humor.
Very Good Book!
This is a great book to read. But an even better book to listen to. It's narrated by the Author who..well...I know this is cliche...."makes the book come alive." The combination of the tone of his voice and the incredible stories he tells really makes you feel that you're there with him.
And he is funny. Not standup comedien funny, but dry sarcastic funny. 0ften self-directed. Although he has a great voice, it's his relaxed delivery, and asides that keep you engaged. For instance, when you know how something is going to turn out he says "you're ahead of me already, aren't you?"
Little personal touches like this make you feel the Author is an old pal fresh from these adventures, who's sharing them over a beer. Or in his case - probably a glass of wine! (lol)
I do a lot of driving. So I have a lot of audio books. More Than a Year in Provence is in my all time top 3. 5 shining stars for the book.
