I could list many favorite things about La France. The graceful language, fun to speak and even more fun to listen to, the relentlessly edible food and drinkable wine, the long history and beauty of the country. The joie de vivre par-tout. Every day we pass through many small towns, and I'm always struck by how well cared for the homes are--even a crumbly hundred year old stone farmhouse will be dotted with flower beds and decked out with colorful shutters, blue and orange and red. It warms my heart as I pedal past. Arriving in and exiting towns, however, is decidedly not … [Read more...]