Two glorious weeks in the South of France - Trip Report
Jun 19th, 2005, 12:38 PM
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Two glorious weeks in the South of France - Trip Report
Following is my trip June 2-16, 2005. It's pretty long and I've typed it in word & pasted it in so hopefully it will be legible.
SFO-London-Nice on British Airways
Flight to London was totally full – I felt very crowded & the food was lousy. Had a meal at Heathrow & did a little shopping. Flight to Nice was good.
Met my cousin Sue at the Nice A/P & we took a local bus (14.50E) to the Marriott Mediterranean next to Monaco. Sue had gotten us a “free” room with her Marriott points.
We freshened up & took the shuttle bus to the Monaco Casino. They charge 10E to enter the casino so we didn’t. We wandered around the area & found an Italian restaurant nearby. At 10pm fireworks went off – lovely to see them behind the casino.
Saturday I got up early & thought I’d treat myself to a continental breakfast by the yachts at the hotel. I had no clue that it was going to cost me 24E!! I caught Sue when she came down & she had found the free lobby coffee & I had scouted out a boulangerie around the corner so she had a 2E breakfast!
We took the train to Nice then the TGV to Avignon (changing trains in Aix). I had heard that we would have to put our bags in the overhead rack but the TGV had luggage racks behind the seats at the middle of the cars. It was a pain to drag the suitcase up/down the stairs at the Nice station.
We had signed up for a 12 person tour of the Luberon for a week. When we arrived at Avignon, Wade, one of the tour owners, told us no one else had signed up for the tour & the didn’t want to disappoint us so we would have a private tour!
Sat. night we were treated to a lovely dinner in Bonnieux at Le Tinel. I had a wonderful guinea fowl, profiteroles with goat cheese starter & red wine. We dined on the upstairs terrace and saw a spectacular sunset. The actor, John Malkovich, has a home in Bonnieux.
Our hotel was the 46 room Les Bastidons which was across the canyon from Gordes. We had a 2 bedroom suite with a patio. It was charming. Every morning at 8:30 they delivered us coffee, OJ, croissants, pain au chocolate, baguettes, butter/jam/honey.
The hotel is only a few years old & had a pool which we didn’t use. I would highly recommend this place.
Sunday morning our hosts, Wade & Ann-Marie (they are a married couple from Phoenix – she is French & he American) picked us up & took us to the market at Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue. This was a wonderful crafts, food & antique market. I thought there would be more antiques but what was there was very interesting. It was very crowded but very fun. We also went into the spectacular baroque Louis XIV church next to the market. Ann-Marie pointed out the bank that was robbed in Peter Mayle’s novel, Hotel Pastis.
In the market we purchased red and black olives, 2 kinds of sausiscon, cheese, cherries & bread. The Luberon has many cherry groves & the trees were loaded with cherries. However the farmers are not picking them as Spanish cherries are undercutting them in the market. I don’t know if I had French or Spanish cherries but they were wonderful.
Afterwards we went to Rouissillon which is a spectacular small village perched on top of an ochre hill. They are famous for their ochre mines.
The whole week we were in the Luberon it was about 78 degrees, sunny and often windy with the “Mistral” blowing thru. The Luberon is just spectacular – no air pollution, hill towns, cherry groves, lavender fields about to bloom, red poppies on the roadsides. We were impressed with how clean the roadsides are and how easy to navigate. It seems all roads lead to Gordes – at least that’s what all the signs said! The vegetation is very much like Northern California – olive trees, oleander, lavender, lots of other stuff I can’t name but see all over here. It seems that all of Southern France is filled with vineyards.
The traffic circles are really a wonderful invention – if you’re not sure of your exit, just go around again to be sure! Wade took us on lots of single lane roads and every turn was prettier than the next. We saw an old windmill beside the road. Most of the buildings are made of a lovely pale stone. Other homes are made of stucco with pale colors – all buildngs have terra cotta inverted U shaped tiles.
Monday we went to Avignon first thing. Took the audio tour of the Papal Palace which was interesting. Walked over to the Rhone to see the Pont St. Benezet. Wished we’d had more time to explore Avignon.
After lunch we went wine tasting in Chateauneuf du Pape. Had some wonderful wines & bought 3 bottles of white to bring home since it’s not exported. Had a bottle last night here at home and it was wonderful.
We had dinner at our host’s home which was wonderful garlic roasted leg of lamb and cheese potatoes and lots of wine. They gave us 4 bottles of different local wines to drink back in our hotel room. Cote de Luberon, Cote de Ventoux, Cote de Luberon. All were excellent and we enjoyed every drop.
Tuesday morning we thoroughly enjoyed the Gordes market. I bought lots of table linens. We were lucky that the dollar had strengthened by about 5 cents while we were there. Gordes is a charming village perched on the top of a hill. 2 nights we easily walked 30 minutes from our hotel over to the village. We had wonderful meals at L’Artegal (duck breast – yum) and at another place I can’t find the card from but it was absolutely charming and my meal of Marseilles chicken , cheese and 4 tiny desserts was exceptional. Also had an “ok” meal at L’Estaminet (entrecote with garlic butter).
I see that it’s very hot now in Paris & Le Langedouc. We were very lucky with our weather. The hottest day was our last day in Nice & then it was 83.
Drove to the Abbey at Senaque – the one always pictured with the lavender fields in front of it. Unfortunately the lavender was not quite in bloom. We did not go inside the abbey but the exterior was beautiful.
Went to the Lavender museum which I think is in Coustellet and went to a wine co op for tasting which I think was in Lacoste. Had excellent rose for only 3.50E. The wines in France are lower in alcohol that here in Napa Valley and the red doesn’t have whatever it is that causes some people to have headaches. I’m a total Rhone wine convert now. I’m going to Trader Joe’s tomorrow to search some out. And this is from a woman who works at a lot of Napa Valley wineries!
Wednesday we went to the tiny village of Les Baux. Incredible views of the Les Apilles mountains. Had a quick tour of Arles including the Roman amphitheatre and a lovely old church. Stopped at an epicerie in Lumieux and met an American woman who has lived in Goult for 41 years. Drove by the castle in Tarascon on the Rhone. In the middle ages they would fight with the people of Beaucaire across the Rhone because Tarascon was in France and Beaucaire was not.
Thursday we went to Menerbes, home of Peter Mayle. Stopped in the café he hung out in and had a Pastis. It was not my favorite – kind of medicinal. Drove by the house that he originally lived in – there used to be an arrow and “Peter Mayle’s house” painted in the road. Menerbes is another charming hill town. Visited the tiny and abandoned St. Hiliary abbey. Had a lovely rose garden. Had a nice lunch at the restaurant at Gare de Bonnieux. Went to the castle at Lacoste – Pierre Cardin has bought it and it rehabilitating it. They often have concerts there.
Went to the high church at Bonnieux, bought some lovely art prints in town.
Friday was our last day on tour. Went to the charming town of Fontaine du Vaucluse which is the source of the Sorgue River. Very peaceful to walk along the river. Next we visited the tiny town of Goult where we had a nice pasta lunch.
Saturday we picked up our little 6 speed diesel Mercedes at National car rental at the Avignon TGV station. I had conveniently forgotten my driver’s license so poor Sue had to do all the driving. She is more used to a stick shift than I am and did a splendid driving job for 3 days. Exiting Avignon was easy & no problem finding Pont du Gard the spectacular Roman Aqueduct.
I had used mappy.com and brought along the maps we needed for our trip. We also had 2 Michelin maps 725 National France Sud & 245 Provence & Cote d’Azur. Driving on the autoroute was easy. We were amazed at all the trucks headed to Spain from all over Europe. We used my visa card for all the tolls & Sue used her card for all the gas. Diesel was about the equivalent of $4.50 per gallon (1.10E/liter which we only bought on the autoroute).
We were now headed to Carcassonne. I thought it would be interesting to stop for a late lunch at Sete on the Ocean. I was disappointed – thought we could find a café on the ocean but all we found were along a small canal.
Rather easily found the “hotel parking lot” in Carcassonne. We stayed at the Hotel Donjon – inside the old town. We were in the annex Le Ramparts. Our room was very nice but it faced the street and was very noisy the first night. The second night was Sunday and was very quiet. The walls of the old town are lit up at night but we were always too tired to go out and look at them.
Dined in the middle of the old town where all the restaurants are. La Bonne Demeure was excellent. We shared daube of bull and cassoulet. We weren’t too fond of the cassoulet but really liked the daube. “We have a lot of bull in the south of France”.
Carcassonne is stunning & I’m really glad we went there. Sunday morning before it was too crowded we visited the beautiful 11th century bascilica with lovely stained glass windows then took the tour of the Chateau. Tiny spiral staircase and beautiful views over the city and countryside. There actually is a moat around the city. The pointed roofs on the towers were added in the Renaissance. The city was restored in the mid 1800s. There are only 50 inhabitants of the old City now.
About noon time we decided to drive out into the country. Our car was stored inside the city and Sue managed to navigate the tiny crowded cobblestoned streets to the outside. We went S of Carcassonne to the other abbey at a different St. Hilaire but it was closed from 12-2. Continued on to Limoux where we had a lovely salmon lunch at restaurant L’Egalantine.
Proceeded to Mirepoix which was a charming arcaded, half timbered town. The shops were closed since it was Sunday but there were lots of people enjoying the outdoor cafes. We went inside the incredibly beautiful cathederal which is southern gothic in style. The arches were painted and the stained glass windows were lovely. I would like to return to Mirepoix sometime to spend more time there.
Once again the countryside was covered with vineyards. There were not a lot of cars on the road – perhaps because it was Sunday. Somehow returning to Carcassonne we missed the entrance to the old town on the first try. That evening we had a nice steak dinner at Auberge Medievale Le Plo.
Monday morning we checked out and went to Abbaye De Fontfroide near Narbonne. You can only enter on a French only tour. We opted for the tour and they knew we spoke English so provided us with a few page description in English. The Abby is stunning and has 1100 rose bushes planted as a garden over the former cemetery. It has been restored recently.
The rest of Monday was a 5 hour drive to our B&B in the Var town of Besse Sur Isole. I had found L’Abri du Poete on the web & it was everything I hoped it would be. Monique & her husband bought it 3 years ago as a ruin and completely restored it. We had a room on the 3rd floor with 2 beds and a lovely bathroom. We met some Dutch people who had stayed there while looking for their recently purchased second home in town. After that we walked to town for an overpriced langostine dinner at the only place open on Monday. We asked for tap water & the owner stepped to the nearby town fountain & filled our pitcher. On the walk home we saw some people filling their empty Evian bottles at another fountain.
I really liked Besse – just a small town between Brignoles and Le Luc. I think what I most liked about it was that it was flat – it would be easy to walk around.
Tuesday it was on to Cannes to drop off the car. Good thing we had allowed enough time because it was really difficult to find the National car rental return – we made it just in the nick of time before paying for another day.
Sue had gotten us another 2 free nights – this time at the Noga Hilton right on the Croissette waterfront. What a perfect location. However the hotel itself is an eyesore – very modern and just tacky. We were upgraded to a Jr. suite that had a rack rate card on the door of 1049E. You’d have to be crazy to pay that but it was nice that there were 2 rooms and I slept on a “Murphy bed” for the first time ever.
Strolled and shopped Cannes that afternoon and took a city bus along the Croisette (waterfront). A very chic city. Seemed that all the local women had George Hamilton sun tans. Don’t they know that’s a no-no??
That night it showered just as we went to dinner so stopped at a pizza place. Split a great pizza margarita & salad & wine. Whole meal came to about $20 for the two of us. I was surprised how reasonably we could eat – not more than I spend to eat out at home.
At dinner we met an interesting couple from Cork Ireland who had recently bought a "pied a terre" walking distance to the beach. They love to swim in the ocean & Cork is too chilly so they plan to visit Cannes 4x a year for 2 weeks each. Must be nice...
Wednesday was our last day of the trip & we took the train to Nice. It was also the warmest day – about 83. We walked to the Chagall museum then got the free bus ticket to the Matisse museum.
Took an open topped bus tour of Nice. Went up the “belvedere” which had a spectacular view. Nice really does have an Italian feel to it. It was very clean for such a huge city. Had an early dinner in Cannes that night and to bed early for our early flights home.
Unfortunately we each had to spend 75E for a cab since Sue had a 6am flight and I an 8am. My flight from London to SF was better than going over – better meal & for some reason I didn’t feel as crowded. We were 30 minutes late departing Heathrow as a woman had checked in her bags but not herself so they had to remove her bags.
I found out I like the S of France better than Tuscany/Umbria and can't wait to return.
I have been to Paris 3 times but this was my first trip to the countryside.
Hope this wasn't too long winded.
Karen
SFO-London-Nice on British Airways
Flight to London was totally full – I felt very crowded & the food was lousy. Had a meal at Heathrow & did a little shopping. Flight to Nice was good.
Met my cousin Sue at the Nice A/P & we took a local bus (14.50E) to the Marriott Mediterranean next to Monaco. Sue had gotten us a “free” room with her Marriott points.
We freshened up & took the shuttle bus to the Monaco Casino. They charge 10E to enter the casino so we didn’t. We wandered around the area & found an Italian restaurant nearby. At 10pm fireworks went off – lovely to see them behind the casino.
Saturday I got up early & thought I’d treat myself to a continental breakfast by the yachts at the hotel. I had no clue that it was going to cost me 24E!! I caught Sue when she came down & she had found the free lobby coffee & I had scouted out a boulangerie around the corner so she had a 2E breakfast!
We took the train to Nice then the TGV to Avignon (changing trains in Aix). I had heard that we would have to put our bags in the overhead rack but the TGV had luggage racks behind the seats at the middle of the cars. It was a pain to drag the suitcase up/down the stairs at the Nice station.
We had signed up for a 12 person tour of the Luberon for a week. When we arrived at Avignon, Wade, one of the tour owners, told us no one else had signed up for the tour & the didn’t want to disappoint us so we would have a private tour!
Sat. night we were treated to a lovely dinner in Bonnieux at Le Tinel. I had a wonderful guinea fowl, profiteroles with goat cheese starter & red wine. We dined on the upstairs terrace and saw a spectacular sunset. The actor, John Malkovich, has a home in Bonnieux.
Our hotel was the 46 room Les Bastidons which was across the canyon from Gordes. We had a 2 bedroom suite with a patio. It was charming. Every morning at 8:30 they delivered us coffee, OJ, croissants, pain au chocolate, baguettes, butter/jam/honey.
The hotel is only a few years old & had a pool which we didn’t use. I would highly recommend this place.
Sunday morning our hosts, Wade & Ann-Marie (they are a married couple from Phoenix – she is French & he American) picked us up & took us to the market at Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue. This was a wonderful crafts, food & antique market. I thought there would be more antiques but what was there was very interesting. It was very crowded but very fun. We also went into the spectacular baroque Louis XIV church next to the market. Ann-Marie pointed out the bank that was robbed in Peter Mayle’s novel, Hotel Pastis.
In the market we purchased red and black olives, 2 kinds of sausiscon, cheese, cherries & bread. The Luberon has many cherry groves & the trees were loaded with cherries. However the farmers are not picking them as Spanish cherries are undercutting them in the market. I don’t know if I had French or Spanish cherries but they were wonderful.
Afterwards we went to Rouissillon which is a spectacular small village perched on top of an ochre hill. They are famous for their ochre mines.
The whole week we were in the Luberon it was about 78 degrees, sunny and often windy with the “Mistral” blowing thru. The Luberon is just spectacular – no air pollution, hill towns, cherry groves, lavender fields about to bloom, red poppies on the roadsides. We were impressed with how clean the roadsides are and how easy to navigate. It seems all roads lead to Gordes – at least that’s what all the signs said! The vegetation is very much like Northern California – olive trees, oleander, lavender, lots of other stuff I can’t name but see all over here. It seems that all of Southern France is filled with vineyards.
The traffic circles are really a wonderful invention – if you’re not sure of your exit, just go around again to be sure! Wade took us on lots of single lane roads and every turn was prettier than the next. We saw an old windmill beside the road. Most of the buildings are made of a lovely pale stone. Other homes are made of stucco with pale colors – all buildngs have terra cotta inverted U shaped tiles.
Monday we went to Avignon first thing. Took the audio tour of the Papal Palace which was interesting. Walked over to the Rhone to see the Pont St. Benezet. Wished we’d had more time to explore Avignon.
After lunch we went wine tasting in Chateauneuf du Pape. Had some wonderful wines & bought 3 bottles of white to bring home since it’s not exported. Had a bottle last night here at home and it was wonderful.
We had dinner at our host’s home which was wonderful garlic roasted leg of lamb and cheese potatoes and lots of wine. They gave us 4 bottles of different local wines to drink back in our hotel room. Cote de Luberon, Cote de Ventoux, Cote de Luberon. All were excellent and we enjoyed every drop.
Tuesday morning we thoroughly enjoyed the Gordes market. I bought lots of table linens. We were lucky that the dollar had strengthened by about 5 cents while we were there. Gordes is a charming village perched on the top of a hill. 2 nights we easily walked 30 minutes from our hotel over to the village. We had wonderful meals at L’Artegal (duck breast – yum) and at another place I can’t find the card from but it was absolutely charming and my meal of Marseilles chicken , cheese and 4 tiny desserts was exceptional. Also had an “ok” meal at L’Estaminet (entrecote with garlic butter).
I see that it’s very hot now in Paris & Le Langedouc. We were very lucky with our weather. The hottest day was our last day in Nice & then it was 83.
Drove to the Abbey at Senaque – the one always pictured with the lavender fields in front of it. Unfortunately the lavender was not quite in bloom. We did not go inside the abbey but the exterior was beautiful.
Went to the Lavender museum which I think is in Coustellet and went to a wine co op for tasting which I think was in Lacoste. Had excellent rose for only 3.50E. The wines in France are lower in alcohol that here in Napa Valley and the red doesn’t have whatever it is that causes some people to have headaches. I’m a total Rhone wine convert now. I’m going to Trader Joe’s tomorrow to search some out. And this is from a woman who works at a lot of Napa Valley wineries!
Wednesday we went to the tiny village of Les Baux. Incredible views of the Les Apilles mountains. Had a quick tour of Arles including the Roman amphitheatre and a lovely old church. Stopped at an epicerie in Lumieux and met an American woman who has lived in Goult for 41 years. Drove by the castle in Tarascon on the Rhone. In the middle ages they would fight with the people of Beaucaire across the Rhone because Tarascon was in France and Beaucaire was not.
Thursday we went to Menerbes, home of Peter Mayle. Stopped in the café he hung out in and had a Pastis. It was not my favorite – kind of medicinal. Drove by the house that he originally lived in – there used to be an arrow and “Peter Mayle’s house” painted in the road. Menerbes is another charming hill town. Visited the tiny and abandoned St. Hiliary abbey. Had a lovely rose garden. Had a nice lunch at the restaurant at Gare de Bonnieux. Went to the castle at Lacoste – Pierre Cardin has bought it and it rehabilitating it. They often have concerts there.
Went to the high church at Bonnieux, bought some lovely art prints in town.
Friday was our last day on tour. Went to the charming town of Fontaine du Vaucluse which is the source of the Sorgue River. Very peaceful to walk along the river. Next we visited the tiny town of Goult where we had a nice pasta lunch.
Saturday we picked up our little 6 speed diesel Mercedes at National car rental at the Avignon TGV station. I had conveniently forgotten my driver’s license so poor Sue had to do all the driving. She is more used to a stick shift than I am and did a splendid driving job for 3 days. Exiting Avignon was easy & no problem finding Pont du Gard the spectacular Roman Aqueduct.
I had used mappy.com and brought along the maps we needed for our trip. We also had 2 Michelin maps 725 National France Sud & 245 Provence & Cote d’Azur. Driving on the autoroute was easy. We were amazed at all the trucks headed to Spain from all over Europe. We used my visa card for all the tolls & Sue used her card for all the gas. Diesel was about the equivalent of $4.50 per gallon (1.10E/liter which we only bought on the autoroute).
We were now headed to Carcassonne. I thought it would be interesting to stop for a late lunch at Sete on the Ocean. I was disappointed – thought we could find a café on the ocean but all we found were along a small canal.
Rather easily found the “hotel parking lot” in Carcassonne. We stayed at the Hotel Donjon – inside the old town. We were in the annex Le Ramparts. Our room was very nice but it faced the street and was very noisy the first night. The second night was Sunday and was very quiet. The walls of the old town are lit up at night but we were always too tired to go out and look at them.
Dined in the middle of the old town where all the restaurants are. La Bonne Demeure was excellent. We shared daube of bull and cassoulet. We weren’t too fond of the cassoulet but really liked the daube. “We have a lot of bull in the south of France”.
Carcassonne is stunning & I’m really glad we went there. Sunday morning before it was too crowded we visited the beautiful 11th century bascilica with lovely stained glass windows then took the tour of the Chateau. Tiny spiral staircase and beautiful views over the city and countryside. There actually is a moat around the city. The pointed roofs on the towers were added in the Renaissance. The city was restored in the mid 1800s. There are only 50 inhabitants of the old City now.
About noon time we decided to drive out into the country. Our car was stored inside the city and Sue managed to navigate the tiny crowded cobblestoned streets to the outside. We went S of Carcassonne to the other abbey at a different St. Hilaire but it was closed from 12-2. Continued on to Limoux where we had a lovely salmon lunch at restaurant L’Egalantine.
Proceeded to Mirepoix which was a charming arcaded, half timbered town. The shops were closed since it was Sunday but there were lots of people enjoying the outdoor cafes. We went inside the incredibly beautiful cathederal which is southern gothic in style. The arches were painted and the stained glass windows were lovely. I would like to return to Mirepoix sometime to spend more time there.
Once again the countryside was covered with vineyards. There were not a lot of cars on the road – perhaps because it was Sunday. Somehow returning to Carcassonne we missed the entrance to the old town on the first try. That evening we had a nice steak dinner at Auberge Medievale Le Plo.
Monday morning we checked out and went to Abbaye De Fontfroide near Narbonne. You can only enter on a French only tour. We opted for the tour and they knew we spoke English so provided us with a few page description in English. The Abby is stunning and has 1100 rose bushes planted as a garden over the former cemetery. It has been restored recently.
The rest of Monday was a 5 hour drive to our B&B in the Var town of Besse Sur Isole. I had found L’Abri du Poete on the web & it was everything I hoped it would be. Monique & her husband bought it 3 years ago as a ruin and completely restored it. We had a room on the 3rd floor with 2 beds and a lovely bathroom. We met some Dutch people who had stayed there while looking for their recently purchased second home in town. After that we walked to town for an overpriced langostine dinner at the only place open on Monday. We asked for tap water & the owner stepped to the nearby town fountain & filled our pitcher. On the walk home we saw some people filling their empty Evian bottles at another fountain.
I really liked Besse – just a small town between Brignoles and Le Luc. I think what I most liked about it was that it was flat – it would be easy to walk around.
Tuesday it was on to Cannes to drop off the car. Good thing we had allowed enough time because it was really difficult to find the National car rental return – we made it just in the nick of time before paying for another day.
Sue had gotten us another 2 free nights – this time at the Noga Hilton right on the Croissette waterfront. What a perfect location. However the hotel itself is an eyesore – very modern and just tacky. We were upgraded to a Jr. suite that had a rack rate card on the door of 1049E. You’d have to be crazy to pay that but it was nice that there were 2 rooms and I slept on a “Murphy bed” for the first time ever.
Strolled and shopped Cannes that afternoon and took a city bus along the Croisette (waterfront). A very chic city. Seemed that all the local women had George Hamilton sun tans. Don’t they know that’s a no-no??
That night it showered just as we went to dinner so stopped at a pizza place. Split a great pizza margarita & salad & wine. Whole meal came to about $20 for the two of us. I was surprised how reasonably we could eat – not more than I spend to eat out at home.
At dinner we met an interesting couple from Cork Ireland who had recently bought a "pied a terre" walking distance to the beach. They love to swim in the ocean & Cork is too chilly so they plan to visit Cannes 4x a year for 2 weeks each. Must be nice...
Wednesday was our last day of the trip & we took the train to Nice. It was also the warmest day – about 83. We walked to the Chagall museum then got the free bus ticket to the Matisse museum.
Took an open topped bus tour of Nice. Went up the “belvedere” which had a spectacular view. Nice really does have an Italian feel to it. It was very clean for such a huge city. Had an early dinner in Cannes that night and to bed early for our early flights home.
Unfortunately we each had to spend 75E for a cab since Sue had a 6am flight and I an 8am. My flight from London to SF was better than going over – better meal & for some reason I didn’t feel as crowded. We were 30 minutes late departing Heathrow as a woman had checked in her bags but not herself so they had to remove her bags.
I found out I like the S of France better than Tuscany/Umbria and can't wait to return.
I have been to Paris 3 times but this was my first trip to the countryside.
Hope this wasn't too long winded.
Karen
Jun 19th, 2005, 12:42 PM
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I forgot to thank everyone for the help I received on this board prior to departure. I also want to thank all the other travelers who have been writing wonderful, insightful trip reports. They will be useful in my future travels.
Jun 19th, 2005, 02:02 PM
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Hi cobbie. Thanks for your trip report.
I'm delighted to hear you had a look at l'Abbaye de Fontfroide. I notice you didn't go inside Sénanque, but a visit to Fontfroide gave you an excellent idea of what Sénanque is like inside. They were both Cistercian monasteries and they had remarkable similarities of design.
I remember reading that a French family bought Fontfroide in the early 1900s and saved it from a plan to dismantle the cloisters and ship the pieces to New York! They have since put a lot of effort into the restoration.
When we walked up to the gate at Fontfroide there were two large dogs on the wall over our heads. Were they there when you visited?
Anselm
I'm delighted to hear you had a look at l'Abbaye de Fontfroide. I notice you didn't go inside Sénanque, but a visit to Fontfroide gave you an excellent idea of what Sénanque is like inside. They were both Cistercian monasteries and they had remarkable similarities of design.
I remember reading that a French family bought Fontfroide in the early 1900s and saved it from a plan to dismantle the cloisters and ship the pieces to New York! They have since put a lot of effort into the restoration.
When we walked up to the gate at Fontfroide there were two large dogs on the wall over our heads. Were they there when you visited?
Anselm
Jun 19th, 2005, 02:14 PM
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Nikki - The tour company is French Vintage Vacations. Their website is:
www.frenchvintagev.com. Included in the price was 7 nights hotel including breakfast, one other meal per day, lots & lots of wine, entrance to Papal Palace (audio tour), entrance to Arles arena, driving us around for 7 days, pick up & delivery to Avignon TGV. They would pick us up every day at 9:30am, return us about 4:30-6, then either pick us up later for dinner or we would be on our own. It was very relaxing.
Anselm - Those dogs were there - I did notice them. We did hear the story about it being saved in the early 1900s. We didn't go into Senanque because our hostess was annoyed that we must take a tour in French & she was not allowed to translate.
We almost didn't go into Fontfroide because it was French only. We first opted to "stroll the grounds". Yikes - was like climbing thru a rocky stream bed. Then we decided to go for the tour and were very glad we did.
www.frenchvintagev.com. Included in the price was 7 nights hotel including breakfast, one other meal per day, lots & lots of wine, entrance to Papal Palace (audio tour), entrance to Arles arena, driving us around for 7 days, pick up & delivery to Avignon TGV. They would pick us up every day at 9:30am, return us about 4:30-6, then either pick us up later for dinner or we would be on our own. It was very relaxing.
Anselm - Those dogs were there - I did notice them. We did hear the story about it being saved in the early 1900s. We didn't go into Senanque because our hostess was annoyed that we must take a tour in French & she was not allowed to translate.
We almost didn't go into Fontfroide because it was French only. We first opted to "stroll the grounds". Yikes - was like climbing thru a rocky stream bed. Then we decided to go for the tour and were very glad we did.
Jun 19th, 2005, 05:12 PM
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What a wonderful trip you had! Thanks for the report. The Luberon tour sounded great. Lovely being driven around. I wish I had done that instead of driving myself around! Also enjoyed reading about your Carcassonne part. That's on my agenda for another trip.
Jun 19th, 2005, 06:40 PM
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Thanks for all the kind words. Guess I should have used a thesaurus to find more descriptive adjectives instead of so many "lovely"s. We did move around a lot but the week in the Luberon was relaxing since we were driven around & didn't start too early & had down time before dinner. I actually read 2 books on the trip & slept 10 hours every night!
Jun 19th, 2005, 08:57 PM
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I love your report, it makes me want to return to that part of France, I've been away too long. Your descriptions are very useful. Isn't it fun to drive (or be driven) around that area? I've bookmarked this report for my future!
Jun 20th, 2005, 04:17 PM
#14
Hi cobbie, I agree that th Matisse villa is lovely but not much of his special works to see. I'll check out Le Tinel as I stop every year in Bonnieux and that is a place I don't know unless it's on the outskirts. The Abbaye Senacque is one of "Three Sisters: Silvercane and Thoronet are the other two. Luberon is a wonderful favorite part of Provence and I hope you'll visit again. I am now anxious to return at the end of August.
Aug 21st, 2005, 03:27 PM
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Bonjour Karen!
Thank you for your nice review of the "Cultural & Gourmet Delights in Provence" tour with French Vintage Vacations. We also enjoyed reading about your adventures in the Languedoc and on the French Riviera.
We had a great time with you and Sue and hope you will join us again when our big house in the Luberon is finished.
A bientot,
Anne-Marie & Wade, Frenchvintagev.com
Thank you for your nice review of the "Cultural & Gourmet Delights in Provence" tour with French Vintage Vacations. We also enjoyed reading about your adventures in the Languedoc and on the French Riviera.
We had a great time with you and Sue and hope you will join us again when our big house in the Luberon is finished.
A bientot,
Anne-Marie & Wade, Frenchvintagev.com
Aug 21st, 2005, 08:10 PM
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Anne-Marie & Wade! How great to hear from you. I was just showing off my photos today and you are in there. My girlfriends were swooning over Provence. I will definitely visit your new villa when it is finished.
Best Regards,
Karen
Best Regards,
Karen
Aug 21st, 2005, 09:00 PM
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Hi cobbie, this is the first time I have seen your thread....we didn't really get to talk enough about your trips over dinner but hopefully we can in the future.
Your trip does sound lovely and interesting and fun. And being driven around to the various sites sounds good to me.
I enjoyed your trip report so much, and your email that came in while I was typing this post, LOL.
Your trip does sound lovely and interesting and fun. And being driven around to the various sites sounds good to me.
I enjoyed your trip report so much, and your email that came in while I was typing this post, LOL.
Nov 19th, 2005, 04:53 AM
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if you go to carcassonne again, be sure to walk outside the walls after dark, to look back at the old city and see it bathed in light. that was my favorite part of our visit there. and remember to take your camera. (i wish i had!)
