BTW, i'm in London. Is there anywhere I can buy the ticket and collect them immediately?

Thanks! :D

General: For accommodations, try the Website "Gites de France" (there are English pages; look for Bed&Breakfast =Chambre d'hotes):

http://212.234.53.221/GDFv3/recherch...adaf3793f4f4b6

Advice for the Avignon area (you'll need a car in that area:

* A good B&B near Avignon is:
LA BASTIDE ROSE
Hôtelier: Nicole “Poppy” Salinger
99, Chemin des Croupieres
84250 Le Thor, France
Tel: +33 (0)4.90.02.14.33

* Eat dinner at Le Mas Blanc in the next town, Isle sur la Sorgue (classy.

* Go to the outdoor market in Loumarin (on Fridays, I think) (it has nice crafts, Provencal fabric, jewelry, etc.)


* Go winetasting in the town Châteauneuf du Pape at the vintner called "Cave du Verger des Papes."

* See the charming hill town of Gordes

* Visit the Cistercian monastery called Abbaye de Sénanque (lovely in the hills in the lavender fields)

**********
Advice on Nice etc.

**Nice cheap "commuter" train runs between Cannes and Monaco, along the coast. Also, there is a footpath that runs along the hill overlooking the ocean from Nice to Monaco (flat, easy walking). Take a walk on that for a ways; it's fun.

**Villefranche sur Mer is a less expensive place to stay (near Nice)

**Important: Some beaches have sand, and other beaches have round slippery pebbles (very hard to work on). Cannes, for example, has a lovely sandy beach. Nice has pebbles. Check this before you book your hotel.

**St Paul de Vence is a lovely mountain town inland from Cannes, I think. Very quaint.

* I am told that Nice has a great Matisse art museum. I have not been there yet.

Bon voyage.

Don't think anyone mentioned about the "Carte Bleu" ; it's a 24-hour train pass for the coastal trains. They're almost like subway cars; some are newer and more modern than others. We were based in Cannes and used the pass to go to Ventimiglia, Italy as well as Menton, Monaco, Nice. The train staions were always within walking distance of the most interesting areas. If I remember correctly the cost was about 13 euros/day.

See MorganBs excellent write-up on trains. Click on my name to find it.

You can print your TGV tickets at home, or I believe they will mail them to the UK. There is also an English Phone number.

Stu Dudley

To Romelle: If you had to pick a favorite perfume factory tour, which would it be? My friends and I plan to do a "drive by" tour in Grasse and want to choose the best one. Is there one that lets you make your own fragrance? Thanks in advance for the help!

The Matisse Museum in Nice is interesting, but it contains almost none of the artist's major works--heavier on his life. If you're a Matisse fan, however, it's definitely worth a visit.

The perfume factories aren't in Grasse itself, but there you can visit the Fragonard perfumery and have a blend made just for you.