When it comes to travel guides one stands out above all the rest, the Michelin Green Guides in particular are the greatest! I of course focus on the France and French regional guides and the newest editions are hot off the press just this week.
But did you know the history of the Michelin company? And did you know it was actually a French company and not only that but its start involves cycling and a famous French race. Yes, that is part of the attraction for me. In 1888 in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France Edouard and Andre Michelin, two brothers who had a rubber factory met a cyclist that had a tire that needed to be repaired. It took more than three hours to repair the tire and had to be left overnight to fully dry. The following morning Edouard Michelin took the bike for a ride to test out his handwork, but only made it a few hundred meters when the tire gave way again. Edouard was hopeful that he and Andre could figure out a new way to create a tire that would not need to be glued to the rim. On May 28, 1888 Michelin the company was incorporated. In 1891 they received their first patent for the removable pneumatic tire and in later that same year Charles Terront went on to win the legendary Paris-Brest cycling race.
By 1900 Andre Michelin created the Michelin guide to help drivers in France locate the nearest restaurants, gas stations and lodging. Since 1931 the Michelin guide has been Red and has been the leader in all guide books for the best hotels and restaurants. The 2009 Red Michelin guide is the 100th edition and has over 2050 pages. A staple on my book shelf in the planning of the Tour de French Cuisine.
The Michelin Green Guides focus on more specifics of a region and finer details on towns. With info on the can't miss sights and history of some of the principle city's and villages it is a must have if you are going to travel to France. It has the perfect amount of glitzy pictures and wonderful info and details that make it a integral part of any travel library. Michelin has guidebooks for many other countries as well, including, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium and Italy just to name a few.
Thank you Michelin for being a great resourse for more than 120 years!
