Many years ago, for quite some time, I had a dream to ride my bicycle through France. It was a major step for me and frankly, despite my intense desire, I was scared to head out on my own. I owe a great deal to my mom who mollified my trepidations with unwavering encouragement.

My panniers were packed with all the tools I thought would be needed, not all of which I actually knew how to use, the basic necessities, and placed my bike into a storage carton for my flight to Paris. I had serendipitously made a friend a few months prior who lived in Paris and she welcomed me to stay with her upon my arrival.

My first destination was Chartres,  renown for its Gothic Cathedral;  it was my first day on the road alone. But it didn’t take long to spot a troupe of cyclists in this tiny medieval town. They had begun in London, were on their way to an ancient music festival in La Châtre, about 150 miles south, and they invited me along. One day rolled into another, literally, and for a week or so we slept in fields, buying the local products and picnicking with the splendor of the Loire Valley and countryside around us. We began our days sipping cafe au laits from large bowls in cafes, despite our scruffy appearance, the owners welcomed us and took no offense in our asking to arrange our spread of bread, butter and jam for our petit déjeuner.

The tiny town  of La Châtre, was transformed into an ongoing music festival. People would partake in the impromptu concerts  in cafes , corners and squares of the village. Dancing was the entertainment of the evening and we would each pull out our one, clean presentable attire for the occasion. We learned the traditional steps and watched the locals do them as they had been done for ages.

After the fete, my new found friends and I continued our travels to Brittany, discovering the joys of eating crepes and drinking cidre.

Then we went our separate ways, joining up again the following year to repeat the joys of this magical event.

I rode on. The beauty of France continued to dazzle me and whet my appetite for future travels.