There is a bit of disingenuousness of your travel agent getting the exact same rate from Rail Europe as you saw online. It is already inflated. It is not the same rate as you would have paid if you (or your agent) had ordered from the SCNF site.
And there is always the chance that you could get Prem fares for as little as $25 each.

Jeez! To each his/her own already! This was the most practical way for us. It may not be the right thing for you yet it might be an option for others. Just offering my opinion, not dictating what one should do. Lighten up :-)
Michèle

I know, Michele, but you are giving slightly wrong info. And the reason I know about RailEurope is that I did exactly the same thing on a trip to Provence. If someone cares about saving what can be a lot of money, I would like the picture to be complete. Shop on SCNF not RailEurope for the best price.

I fully support those of you willing to pay extra money for your train tickets. If you did not, there would be fewer discounts available for the rest of us.

Thanks Kerouac.

We took the TVG - Paris to Avignon, rented a car, and drove to St Remy where we rented a home for a week. It was a wonderful experience.