Seduced by the mountains, vineyards and pretty villages of Alsace, Glenn Ford fell in love with the region nearly 30 years ago when he lived there during a work placement. He now organises walking and cycling tours, showcasing what this beautiful part of France has to offer, says Stephanie Sheldrake
Glenn Ford’s life couldn’t be more different to his upbringing in east London where his parents ran pubs. City life is now a distant dream, and these days, Glenn spends his days organising and accompanying guests on walking and cycling tours in the heart of Alsace’s picturesque vineyards.
Having gone to university in the early 80s, Glenn was living in Oxford and working for an electronics company when the opportunity arose to go to Alsace for a two-year work placement for electronics company Sharp in its research and development department.
“I thought this was a beautiful region – you’ve got mountains, forests, vineyards, beautiful villages and cities like Strasbourg and Colmar. I said to my then-girlfriend, Sally, who is now my wife, ‘We’ve got nothing to lose’. We didn’t have children, so we decided to come over to France and give it a try,” remembers Glenn.
When the project came to an end, Glenn had the choice to continue working in a similar field, but decided to leave as he didn’t enjoy working in an office. As a music lover, he starting hosting radio shows for a local station in Colmar and opened a record shop there.
CHANCE MEETING
Glenn and Sally were living in an apartment above the town hall in the small wine village of Voegtlinshoffen in the heart of Alsace’s picturesque Wine Route, when a coincidental meeting with the wife of Glenn’s future business partner, Bruno, came about. Bruno’s wife mistakenly rang Glenn and Sally’s doorbell instead of the town hall. At that time, Bruno, who worked for a pharmaceutical company, was looking for a business partner to run a cycling and walking company in Alsace. A keen runner, Glenn knew it was the right decision and together they founded La Bicyclette Gourmande offering cycling and walking tours in 1994.
Bu hikaye Living France dergisinin September 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Living France dergisinin September 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
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