These days it’s easy to travel and experience the past and the present. Technology has made the world feel much smaller and accessible. If you want to know exactly where you are or what you are looking at the information you need is just a click away.

Today was our history day and another chance to experience France at its best.

As we rode, we tried to understand where we were, what had happened here and why it mattered. It also happened to be the weekend before Bastille Day, so everywhere was buzzing. Seaside towns full of people. Fairs. Fêtes. Families making the most of the sunshine.

It felt like quintessential France.

We finished the day in Boulogne-sur-Mer. The old town is surrounded by medieval walls and cobbled streets, with over 2,000 years of history.

Dinner was accompanied by a local French band playing in the square. A few streets later, inside the old city walls, we stumbled across a small but very loud techno party. Hundreds of years of history on one side. Thumping bass on the other. Somehow, that contrast summed up the day perfectly.