John Sheppard
Bike
Passau to Vienna following the Danube
Eat
Mussels cooked in Roquefort cheese, shallots, and sweet white wine
Drink
A 'bon rouge' from the Médoc
Sleep
"À la belle étoile," high up in the snow-capped Abruzzi mountains
Born and raised in London, John’s only real exposure to the wider world were family holidays throughout Europe (and especially France) which sparked a deep curiosity and an unquenchable desire to discover foreign lands. With a Civil Engineering degree en poche and a year’s experience working in an office, John set off on his first cycling trip from the north of France to Rome, camping in the wilds along his route.
Immediately after his cycling trip, John coincidentally found himself a French girlfriend and moved to Bordeaux. He’s since formed a home base in France and systematically planned for adventure since 2013. Having cycled throughout 12 countries in Europe, worked as chef in Italy, and only recently returned from a six-month stay in Colombia, John is—as he likes to say—”in search for the miraculous.” He lives by the philosophy of the great American novelist Jack London, who said: “life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but the moments that take our breath away.”