La Belle Vie

BY AMANDA BERGER

In 2004, on a trip to Greece, Jeff and Patrice Erickson, Joyce and Tom Hansen, and Kevin and Kitty Croston, along with one other couple began a tradition of seeing the world together. They’ve been to destinations from Peru to Japan, amazed by each other’s spirit of adventure and willingness to try new things. In 2022, they continued the tradition with a bicycle trip through the Burgundy region of France.

Flying into Paris, traveling to Dijon and then hopping onto electric bicycles in Noyers, the four couples covered about 200 miles in their six-day trip. Guided by two fantastic guides from Backroads Active Tours, they averaged 35 miles a day through farm fields, bountiful vineyards and the historic towns of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France—the most beautiful villages of France. Along the way, they stayed in an historic chateau and converted abbey, as well as more modern hotels.

For much of the first day, the travelers were surprised by how few people and cars there were on the roads through the quaint, sleepy towns. But then, “We came over a hill and got the first view of the vineyards. All of a sudden there were lots of vehicles and traffic,” said Jeff Erickson. “Then, we noticed a very pungent grape smell filled the air. We stopped and looked in the fields and there were all the workers picking the grapes. It was the most traffic we’d seen up to that point—we were amazed by the slow process of the harvest and all the people involved in hand-picking the grapes.” It was the busiest time of year—harvest time—getting the grapes out of the field and the travelers marveled over the chance to see it firsthand.

“When we’ve been to wineries in the past, we would see the tanks and crushers. Everything is sitting idle,” said Jeff. “Here, we were having lunch at the winery and the tractor with the grapes shows up. Everyone springs to action—it was amazing to see and only happens once a year.” Though they visited several vineyards and sampled many different varietals, the Ericksons had a clear favorite: Maison La Croix Montjoie Chardonnay.

As they cycled, the group continued to encounter the bounty and the bustle of rural French life as they feasted at local farm and vineyard tables. Though the goal of their trip was seeing the region on bicycle, they did take in some of the historical sites, including the town of Vézelay, the site of St. Mary Magdalene’s relics. Later in the trip, they visited Les Hospices de Beaune, a 15th-century hospital. “It was one of the first hospitals—and all the medicines were compounded by nuns,” said Patrice Erickson. It is a masterwork of Gothic architecture and one of France’s most prestigious historic monuments. The group even biked on part of this year’s Tour de France route, marked by wire sculptures of cyclists.

All the participants remarked on the beauty of God’s creation as seen from bicycle—fast enough to cover a reasonable amount of ground each day, but slow enough to really take it all in. Joyce Hansen described the beauty of the scenery: “We were IN it, breathing it in—if you are on a bus or a train, you miss all of that. For me, one of the most memorable parts were the beautiful, quaint villages. We’re riding through and everyone was yelling, ‘Bonjour! Bonjour!’”

All parties agreed though that the most amazing thing on the trip was the baguette vending machine, which were common in the smaller towns who do not have their own bakers. Stocked each morning, you put in your Euros and out shoots a fresh baguette, still warm from the oven, right into your waiting hands.

If you are interested in a similar trip, the Ericksons, Crostons and Hansens recommend Backroads Active Tours, who provide biking, hiking and kayaking trips to destinations worldwide. Their group of eight raved about the experience and expertise of their two Backroads guides.