From: WillNich@aol.com
Date: Fri, 12 Jul 1996 17:07:32 -0400
Subject: Travel Review

The following review is being submitted to gay and lesbian publications
around the country for possible publication.  It may not be used without the
prior permission of the author.  Fee for publication is negotiable.

TOURING FRANCE BY BICYCLE

by David Williams

When I told my friends I was going on a five-day bicycling tour of the Loire
Valley in France, they laughed.  They knew what kind of shape I was in:  ten
pounds overweight and not a toned muscle to my name.  I was determined to
prove them wrong.  Did I?

Yes, more or less.  The brochure assured me the route was "flat and gently
rolling."  It was, and anyone with just a little training prior to departure
can travel France's beautiful backroads with relative ease.  But I soon
learned I hadn't trained enough.  No matter:  after the first day I found my
bike legs.  If I and the 72-year old gentleman who pedaled with us can do it,
anyone can.

Alyson Adventures of Boston has put together several unique tours of Europe
and the United States.  Designed specifically for gay men, lesbians, and
their friends, this year's schedule includes six bike trips in France, a
hiking trip in the Swiss Alps, and a mountaineering experience up Wyoming's
Grand Teton.  Two are for gay or lesbian singles only.  Next year, for
starters, they're planning a lavish trip to Australia for Mardi Gras.

France is never lovelier than in May and June.  Some of its most pleasant
scenery is southwest of Paris in the Beauce, France's breadbasket.  I felt at
times as if I'd entered a Cézanne.  Dotted with hilltop chateaux, country
homes, ancient churches and quaint villages barely touched by the 20th
century, it's the perfect retreat from Paris' hectic pace and high prices.
 Add rich cuisine, a variety of cheeses and desserts, and fine wines--most of
it covered by the cost of the tour--as well as the warm camaraderie our group
developed, and you have the perfect vacation experience.

Our route took us from Orléans to Chateaudun, Vendôme, the hill country to
the west, and Blois.  The area is filled with castles and country homes both
large and small.  Most are open to the public.

One of the more forbidding is at Chateaudun.  Begun in the Middle Ages, it's
currently in a state of disrepair but about to get a facelift.  Its most
unusual feature is the dungeon, located next to the main kitchen.  What
torment prisoners must have experienced choking down moldy bread while
sumptuous meals were being prepared just inches from their noses:  one of
history's more delicious tortures!

The prisoners at Meung's chateau would have envied them:  they were thrown
into wells (called "oubliettes," or forgotten places) and tossed scraps.
 More prisoners would be added from time to time but the daily portions kept
the same:  giving new meaning to the term "survival of the fittest."  Oddly
enough, the castle grounds are among the most beautiful in the area.

Of course, Chambord is a must.  Reputedly designed, in whole or in part, by
one of our own, Leonardo da Vinci, it's perhaps the most magnificent French
castle of all.  You don't have to go inside to appreciate its beauty:  a well
manicured lawn and an impossible roofline of turrets are wonders in
themselves.  Unlike many castles, it's filled with antique furnishings--much
of it original.  Don't be turned off by the thousands of American and
Japanese tourists traipsing about:  there really is a good reason for them to
be there.

The picturesque chateau at Blois, on the western edge of the city, is also a
must see.  It comes complete with its own historic murder:  the 1588
assassination of the Duke of Guise by associates of gay King Henry III.  It's
also well-furnished and boasts a nice line of gargoyles-- actually
downspouts--on the exterior.

Ironically, the high point of the trip, for me, wasn't a castle but the small
town of Vendôme, which must be one of the loveliest towns in France.  Sitting
astride the winding "little" Loir, it's clean, well-scrubbed, and beautifully
landscaped with picturesque streets and languorous squares.  The walk along
the river is relaxing.  Vendôme boasts a fine chateau above the town and a
lovely cathedral, but the town itself is the main attraction:  the nicest
surprise the tour had to offer.

It was at our hotel--the Hotel Vendôme, what else?--that we experienced one
of the most exquisite meals I've had in some time.  The main course was
tender cod layered with finely minced tomatoes and mushrooms and topped with
a lightly-baked cheese crust.  It literally melted in my mouth.  My only
regret was the last bite:  I wanted more.  A selection of local cheeses and a
marvelous apple tart splashed with a light caramel sauce made the meal one to
remember.  One hopes that the chef isn't tempted to move to the big city:
 Vendôme would be much the poorer.

Some of Alyson's bike trips are more strenuous than others, but physical
preparation is recommended for even the flattest.  Besides hotel
accommodations and the services of guides, the prices--starting at a
reasonable $995--include most meals.  The rooms are comfortable, if not quite
up to current tastes in wallpaper.

There's plenty of time for sightseeing.  In case you get lost, or your bike
chain breaks--as mine did one day--Alyson provides ample backup.  You needn't
fear becoming a stranger in a strange land as long as you stick to their
suggestions for emergencies (I didn't, but that's another story!)

The company strives to have not more than fifteen people on any one tour.  We
had eight, which was very comfortable.  A printed itinerary is provided;
cyclists may easily follow it at their own pace.  Although it proved to be
way too detailed and could have been streamlined, it didn't detract from my
overall satisfaction.

Do you need to learn French?  It helps.  The French--like Americans,
actually--will open up if you make an attempt to speak their language.  Our
arrogance towards the French--inherited from our British ancestors--is easily
returned.  Fortunately, non-Parisians are in general much friendlier.  But if
you're French-deficient, as I was, both of our guides--Ed, an American who
runs an Italian restaurant on the Îsle St. Louis in Paris, and Véronique, a
très charmante artiste-- were thankfully bilingual and steered us around the
culture's more intricate corners with ease.

Alyson Adventures, PO Box 181223, Boston, MA  02118.  1-800-825-9766 or
617/247-8170.  Email:  AlyVenture@aol.com.

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