Woodswoman Abroad

Sometimes a travelogue, sometimes just a vehicle for wistful thinking about Italy or France . . . always ready to go back again.

Monday, June 21, 2010

FRANCE IN THE FALL: PROVENCE AND PARIS

France Women 2010

Provence and Paris
October 8-24, 2010

Imagine yourself strolling through streets in villages in the Luberon Valley of Provence. Goult, Gordes, Lourmarin. Imagine sipping a lovely wine from the region, crumbs of a fresh croissant on the tip of your tongue.

Imagine the smell of lavender, herbes de Provence, the baked goods waiting in the shop on the corner. Antiques at the market in Isle de sur La Sorgue. Visits to de Sade's castle, to an abbey nestled in the isolated hills. Cafes and shops abound.

A week at the beautiful villa Fontaine du Faucon awaits you, with heated swimming pool, and garden benches facing the Provencal hills. Just outside of Goult, a small village, this location allows us to easily make day trips to Aix-en-Provence, St. Remy, area wineries, the red hills of Roussillon. The vineyards are in their fall splendor, grape vines the color of the wines they produce . . .

Delicious meals created with ingredients fresh from the village markets, prepared at area restaurants or by Chef Daniel at our own villa.

After our week at the villa, we will spend one night at Les Florets, a lovely little inn just outside the town of Gigondas, north one hour from Goult. Thierry will serve us wine his family makes on the property, cheeses to die for, and a dinner that will leave your palate watering for a week. On our way there, we will stop in Sault, the lavender capital of Provence, and though the lavender will have been cut by then, it is in the air . . . everywhere.

At the end of our time in Provence, we will board the TGV, the "fast train" to Paris, and spend the next week immersed in the beauty, excitement, tranquility (and food!) of one of the most stunning cities in Europe. With museum passes and metro passes, you are free to wander wherever you want, whenever you want, visiting some of the most famous paintings in the world, or finding the tiniest galleries in back streets. Paper stores, button stores, bookstores, artwork sold on the Pont Neuf. Just sitting outside the Louvre transports you to a different world.

We will stay in a small hotel in the Rue Cler district, the 7th Arrondissement. From there, your feet or the metro or cab will take you anywhere you want to go. Our hotel is just a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower. Sometimes lit in red, sometimes blue, the tower is an especially spectacular vision at night, as we walk through the park from our hotel!

Our trip will include AIRFARE FROM DENVER, all lodging, train from Paris to Avignon and back, rental cars, gas and tolls, transfers to and from out Paris hotel, 6-day Paris museum pass, Paris metro pass, seven dinners, eight breakfasts, Paris Street-wise map, travel journals, and ME, your planner, guide, and all-around fire-extinguisher!

Cost for above (including airafare from Denver) is $5600.00**. A $500 non-refundable deposit holds your space. Discount of $250 for referring a friend not on my list (one discount only, for the referring traveler).

For questions, please contact Joannah L. Merriman, Lifeprints, 970-481-6339 or 970-226-5676. E-mail is jetlost@lamar.colostate.edu

Bon jour!


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