Expectations were high when Christa, the publisher of RoadRUNNER, asked me to put together my favorite route through Europe for her readers. “Great, how much time would they have? Two months? Maybe three?” I asked. “12 days,” was her short and definite response. That’s when it got tricky. Through my travels I have been to all the worthwhile places for motorcycles in Central Europe, and there are many. In 12 days? Impossible. Then I began to give it a second thought.

The weather in Provence, a region comprising some five départements in the southeast corner of France, is near perfect in spring and autumn, with mainly clear skies and temperatures in the mid-seventies. It's a land of scarlet poppies growing wild by the thousands, church bells ringing out from hilltop villages across countless orchards and vineyards, winding cobblestone alleyways, fabulous artists and authors, Cezanne to Zola...

Empty country roads, cultural treasures, deep green forests and waving meadows were some of the highlights of my tour through Limousin. But on a trip like this, you also have to be prepared for encounters with knights and nobility, saints, and quite a few sinners.

You can easily call it a mug's game: We only have four weeks to travel more than 13,000 kilometers. In the process, we cross the boundaries of nine countries. Beginning with a ride to Spain's sunny Seville, the site of the last World's Fair Exposition, and Gibraltar, we "strolled" back to Antwerp before embarking on a much-anticipated trip to the Arctic Cape.

For centuries, Provence in Southern France has served as a refuge for victims of persecution and for people who are just plain tired of modern civilization.