A French couple are spending their honeymoon taking a pedal boat from Paris to Normandy

It may not sound like a typical romantic honeymoon, but a French couple are currently travelling on the River Seine from Paris to the Normandy coast by pedal boat. The journey is 360km long and the adventurous pair, Rémi Le Calvez and Victoria Berni, are travelling about 40km per day in their effort to reach Honfleur, Normandy’s most charming port town, situated at the mouth of the Seine.

Earlier this summer, 30-year-old Rémi, a travel blogger, and 26-year-old Victoria, a civil servant, entered into a pacte civil de solidarité, or PACS, which is a contractual form of civil union between two adults for organising their joint life. It brings rights and responsibilities, but fewer than marriage does.

In celebration of this commitment, they eschewed a fortnight of lying on a tropical beach in favour of the challenge of following the Seine from Paris. They decided to go all the way to the sea by pedal boat, having obtained permission from France’s waterways authority.

Their three-metre-long pedal boat also carries their food, clothing and tent. As they pedal, they listen to music and radio broadcasts to occupy them. The weather so far hasn’t been great and they admit to being a little lonely during the day, but meeting up with people at night is a pleasure.  The latter part of the journey will be more physically difficult as the river becomes tidal, which means that they will often be battling against currents.

You can follow Rémi and Victoria’s progress and adventures on Facebook and Instagram.