Biking Through Provence with a Teen

Our worlds swirl faster each day. When my 15 year-old daughter, Shannon, suggested that she and I take a bike trip together in France, I jumped at it. We could disconnect…and connect. With all of our capacity to communicate instantly with cell phones, email and text messages, our ability to simply be present for each other diminishes. At any moment a text message is coming in or a cell phone is ringing. Calls are taken, interruptions are accepted and understood. I knew that once the plane left the ground in Boston, we would be unreachable –except in case of an emergency, by the prehistoric landline at the hotel.

After “Googling” cycling trips together, we stumbled across Biketoursdirect.com, an organization in Tennessee that offers intriguing and relatively affordable cycling trips by interfacing with smaller bicycle touring companies in various countries; in our case, France Bike. We chose the Provence De Luxe trip for $785 euros p/p, for a week of cycling, gourmet meals (breakfast & dinner) and 4 star hotels in Provence. Luggage transfers would be made by France Bike, so all we had to worry about was following our map and enjoying the beautiful French countryside and each other.

Villeneuve-lez-Avignon
Our trip began in beautiful Villeneuve-lez-Avignon, a medieval village that boasts the largest Abbey cloisters in France. We stayed at the lovely Hotel La Magnaneraie, a short walk from the historic town center. The first day we rode our bikes a short ride to Avignon then along the Rhone river, with its famous bridge, Pont d'Avignon. We cycled past acres and acres of fruit orchards, their trees heavy with peaches, pears, figs, and apples. The winding country roads brought us down long, quiet stretches of the Rhone, and then inland again deep into farmland.

After our second night at La Magnaneraie, we were headed to St. Remy de Provence. Twenty minutes into our trip we were riding through the immaculately preserved central Avignon, which is encircled by medieval walls built in 1403 by Pope Benedict XIII. We were chicks on bikes, riding down ancient, narrow cobblestone streets, when suddenly Shannon spotted Etam, a popular French clothing store for teens. We were off of our bikes in quick fashion, me fumbling with the bike lock and Shannon headed into the store with her “dorky” bike shorts and helmet on. After an hour of “back to school” shopping, bags were stuffed into our bike bags, and we were off again into the glorious French countryside, in search of St. Remy de Provence, roughly 30 miles away.  

Our directions were less than accurate (they had been poorly translated from French), and the corresponding map was of little use. We rode in wrong directions, around incorrect round-abouts, but somehow still found our way. It was if we were on a scavenger hunt. We were in the French countryside, and it was beautiful. If we had to be lost somewhere, wasn’t it a lovely place to be?

St. Remy de Provence
We fell instantly in love with the town, its ancient streets lined with beautifully restored antique houses, lovely cafes, elegant boutiques, and quiet courtyards. We stayed at the modern but elegant Hotel Les Ateliers de l’Image, on the Boulevard Victor Hugo.

Vincent Van Gogh lived in St. Remy de Provence nearly 100 years ago, painting the countryside around the town, with its olive trees, and wheat fields. We spent two nights in this quiet, beautiful town, then packed up our bags for our final destination, Arles.

Arles
Arles sits on the Rhone river and dates back to the 7th century BC. It was a major Gallo-Roman city. The streets of this city are truly medieval in character: narrow and winding between ancient buildings. Surprisingly, cars try to navigate the sharp turns and impossibly narrow streets. It is interesting to watch the centuries collide.

Once we arrived in Arles, we locked up our bikes for good. Cycling on the last day was optional, and we opted for relaxing around the pool and soaking up the beautiful late summer sun. Our trip was nearly over, but would not be forgotten. Our relationship had been recharged; we were companions on our own adventure. With school only a week away, and the thought of our lives returning to the dizzying swirl, it felt nice just to float in the pool.