PROVENCE: Magic en Plein Air!

PROVENCE: Magic en Plein Air!
November 4 – 13, 2013

with an extension to Paris
November 13 – 16, 2013

Download the printable itinery & registration form.

Few places are as beautiful or as much treasured as Provence, the region of southern France whose associations range from Caesar, the Romans and Popes to prolific artists, splendid wine and unspoiled villages. On canvas, in the cafes and through the landscape, magic is in the air!

-Eight nights accommodation at four star properties.

Avignon: Three nights
4 Star Hotel Del’Horloge, Avignon

Aix-en-Provence: Three nights
4 Star Chateau de la Pioline
http://www.chateaudelapioline.com

Nice: Two nights
4 Star Splendid Hotel, Nice

We are especially pleased that our favorite French guide, Gabrielle Greenway, will be joining us.

Other inclusions are:
-Breakfast daily at the hotel
-Two lunches
-Welcome dinner
-Two winery visits with tastings
-Private motor-coach throughout the tour
-Art historian guide each day
-Entrance fees to all featured museums and attractions
-Gratuities to driver and guide
-Full time tour manager
-Pre-departure meetings
-Comprehensive pre departure readings
-Detailed travel guide

Trip price: $4495 per person based on double occupancy. The single supplement is $650.

There will be a surcharge of $200 per person if there are under twenty paying passengers.
We require a minimum of ten paying passengers to offer the trip.

Paris Extension Trip Price: $955. The single supplement is $369.

Schedule By Day: November 4 – 13, 2013

Mon. November 4, 2013
Depart on overnight flight from JFK to London and on to Marseilles. Dinner, Breakfast in flight.

Tues. November 5, 2013
Transfer from Marseille Airport to Avignon, via private coach. Our guide will provide commentary en route through the beautiful Provencal countryside. We will settle in to our hotel neighborhood, and relax before our welcome dinner at a local restaurant. Avignon is where the popes pontificated in medieval times and people danced on (or under) the famous bridge. Once the majestic center of church power, today it’s an intimate, Provençal walled city. Great historic sights, mellow bars and fashionable shops along quaint cobbled streets make for wonderful strolling.

Wed. November 6, 2013
Breakfast served at our hotel

Private Coach & Guide: full day sightseeing of Avignon. In the 14th century, Avignon was the capital of Christendom, home to the popes, leaving a wonderful footprint of that period on view for today’s visitors. This beautiful walled, medieval city has become quite a cultural center. Its famous bridge, pont St-Benezet, built in 1177, has suffered various disasters, but today has four of its original arches still intact. Palais des Papes – The maze of corridors and rooms in the Palais de Papes were richly decorated by skilled artists and craftsmen brought from Italy. We will also visit the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Roman aqueduct, Pont du Gard.

Thurs. November 7, 2013
Breakfast served at our hotel, lunch at winery restaurant and wine tasting at another winery. Private coach and guide for a full day of sightseeing and touring of the Luberon hilltowns and Cote du Rhone. The Luberon region, stretching 40 miles along a ridge of rugged hills east of Avignon, nestles some of France’s most appealing hill towns and sensuous landscapes.

We will explore the Cotes du Rhone wine region of endless vineyards, mountains and old stone villages. We will visit Vaison la Romaine, Vacqueyras, Gigondas and if time permits, Rasteau. We will stop for wine tastings at a few wineries and enjoy a three course winery luncheon. Wine can be purchased and shipped home from the winery.

Fri. November 8, 2013
Breakfast served at our hotel

Private coach and guide: Touring Provence & the French Riviera

Head southwest through Provence to Aix-en-Provence, touring en route:

Aix en Provence
Aix en Provence is Marseille’s better-behaved, slightly younger brother. Founded in 123 BC by the Romans, today Aix (pronounced “X”) is a lively university town with elegant, aristocratic old quarters and squares lined with cafes and cooled by fountains. “Its good taste comes so naturally that not even the students can disturb it,” observed the travel writer Marcel Renébon. “It was the last city in France to give up its sedan chairs.” Arles was once the political center of the early Christian Church. It regained its former popularity when Van Gogh settled here, painting some of his most celebrated works. It features great ruins such as the Roman Arena plus eclectic museums. We will spend time at the Musee de l’Arles Antique. The collection includes one of the world’s most famous collections of Roman Christian sarcophagi as well as mosaics, sculptures and antiquities.

St. Remy is a sleepy village living the small-town Provencal life.

Two of the most famous residents of the elegant town of St. Remy were the Renaissance seer Nostrodamus and the painter Vincent Van Gogh, who spent most of the last year of his life in a sanitarium just outside of the town. From the window of his room he made 150 paintings and drawings.

The village consists of perfectly groomed houses decorated with subdued hues and touches of marble and stone door and window frames. We will spend time visiting the sites painted by Van Gogh and visit places he stayed, allowing time to wander this quaint village. We will continue our drive to the Chateau de la Pioline, our home for the next three nights. Set on ten acres, the property has lovely gardens and an in-ground pool.

Sat. November 9, 2013
Breakfast served at our hotel

Long Distance Coach: Touring Provence & the French Riviera Half-day tour of Aix-en-Provence: Step back in time in what was once a Roman city. Fountains ripple while university students stroll by mansions. Artists and writers have found inspiration here, so there’s no shortage of their legacies. There will be time at leisure in downtown Aix to find an inviting sidewalk cafe for lunch on your own along Cours Mirabeau. This afternoon will be free to trace the footsteps of Cezanne in Aix. A few to wander include:

Studio at Les Lauvres:
Cézanne’s last studio in Aix is a place haunted by memory, where the spirit of the master lingers on. His equipment and the objects he took for models are still there, combining with other mementoes and the garden to recreate the living, intimate atmosphere of his presence.

The Manor of Jas de Bouffan
For lovers of Cézanne in France and around the world, as well as for the residents of Aix and Provence, the Jas de Bouffan estate – never before opened to the general public – is a fascinating attraction, a place which retains an aura of mystique despite its direct links with so many of the painter’s celebrated works.

Sun. November 10, 2013
Breakfast served at our hotel, lunch at a local restaurant

Long Distance Coach: Touring Provence & the French Riviera

Half-day tour along the Route de Cézanne in nearby Le Tholonet.
Le Tholonet is a small village situated close to Aix en Provence in the “Haute Vallée de l’Arc” which is worth visiting for several reasons. From the village there are magnificent views of Mount Saint-Victoire and the superb surrounding countryside. You will appreciate the picturesque rivers of the Arc and La Cause which cross the territory and meander between the vineyards and fields of wild flowers.

Le Tholonet was one of Paul Cezanne’s favorite places. Its red soil, grey rock and intense blue sky all complemented by Mount Sainte-Victoire offer a palette of extraordinary colors. You will discover the Chateau du Tholnet painted by Cezanne and which is today one of the stopping points on the Cezanne circuit, retracing the important sites during his time in the region. When leaving the village at the foot of the windmill you will come across a figure in the image of Cezanne which commemorates the centenary of his birth. We will have a three course lunch in the village and then return to the chateau to relax and enjoy the chateau property.

Mon. November 11, 2013
Breakfast served at our hotel

Today we will travel southwest via private coach to the French Riviera, stopping en route in Biot and Antibes. Biot is famous for its pottery, having survived many wars from ancient Roman times. This was also home to the famous painter Fernand Leger, where much of his work still remains. Today it features the marvelous glass blowers and a 15th century church. We will have time to wander through the village craft shops and bistros.

The Picasso Museum:
Antibes is a quaint port town that still has little fishing boats bobbing among the pleasure yachts. Picasso moved here for a time in 1946, leaving all his local works behind on his departure. The Picasso Museum was founded on the ancient acropolis of the Greek town of Antipolis. Up until the beginning of the seventeenth century, the castle was inhabited by the Grimaldi family. In 1925, the castle was bought by the town of Antibes and transformed into a history and archaeology museum. In 1966 the museum was named for Picasso and became the first museum dedicated to his work.

Tues. November 12, 2013

Breakfast served at our hotel.

We will leave our hotel in Nice for a full day excursion with guide and private coach to Monaco and St Paul de-Vence. Picture-perfect on a hilltop and ringed by ramparts, St Paul de-Vence has long been a magnet for artists and visitors to the French Riviera. Marc Chagall is buried in the pretty

In St. Paul de-Vence we will visit the Fondation Maeght, a contemporary art museum that Features the works of such artists as Bonnard, Braque, Calder, Chagall, Giacometti and Miro.

Wed. November 13, 2013
Breakfast served at our hotel. Some trip participants will be escorted to the airport for their departure home after breakfast and others will continue on for the Paris extension. Travelers continuing on for the Paris extension will transfer to the Nice train station for the TGV train to Paris. A private coach will meet us at the Paris station for our transfer to the Hotel Mayfair.

Situated in the first arrondissement, we have enjoyed previous stays at this quaint Parisian hotel and our frequent travelers have requested this hotel for our stay. It is close to a metro and within walking distance of major sites. For example, simply walk through the Tuileries Garden, and you are at the Musee d’Orsay, or step out in the opposite direction for the Louvre. With a three day, three zone Metro pass, you will have access to a wide range of sites. Edventures staff will be available to assist you in selecting yours sights and finding your way.

After arrival, we will become familiar with our hotel neighborhood before exploring at leisure.Thu and Fri. November 14 & 15, 2013 Breakfast at the hotel every dayWith our three day metro pass we are free to explore Paris. Options include the Louvre, Musee D’Orsay, Notre Dame, strolling the Champs-Ellysees or wandering along the Seine or travelling to Versaille.

Sat. November 16, 2013
After breakfast at our hotel a private coach will meet us for our transfer to the Charles DeGaulle Airport for our flight home.

Do you have questions about the trip? If so, contact Mary at Edventures
1 (607) 387-3322 or write to goedventures@gmail.com or visit our website, goedventures.com.

You can also come to a trip overview presented at 11:30 AM at Saratoga Arts, 320 Broadway, Saratoga Springs on:

Saturday, April 20
Saturday, May 11 and
Saturday, June 22.

Enter through the gallery door on Broadway and ask to be directed to the board room, which is located down the hall in front of you.