SPRINGTIME IN FRANCE: PROVENCE AND PARIS

May 4-20, 2012

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, herbs de Provence, the baked goods waiting in the shop on the corner. Antiques at the market in Isle de sur La Sorgue. Visits to castles, abbeys, picturesque towns in the Provencal hills. Cafes and shops abound.

A week at a beautiful Provencal villa in Robion awaits you, with heated swimming pool, and garden benches. Day trips to Aix-en-Provence, St. Remy, area wineries, the red hills of Roussillon. Springtime in Provence brings wildflowers, and the cherries are in season. Longer daylight allows for an evening’s relaxation outdoors with a glass of wine. Delicious meals are prepared with ingredients fresh from the village markets, enjoyed at area restaurants or by a personal chef at our own villa.

After our week at the villa, we will spend one night at Les Florets, a

favorite and beautiful little inn just outside the town of Gigondas, north one hour from our villa. 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 it will be early for the lavender, 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 7^th Arrondissement. From there, your feet or the metro or a cab will take you anywhere you want to go. The Hotel Muguet is just a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower. Sometimes lit in red, sometimes blue, the tower is an especially spectacular vision at night, walking through the park from our hotel!

Our trip will include AIRFARE FROM DENVER, all lodging (double occupancy), train from Paris to Avignon and back, rental cars, gas and tolls, transfers to and from our Paris hotel, 5-day museum pass, 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 airfare from Denver) is $5800.00* A $500 non-refundable deposit holds your space. A referral discount of $250 is yours for registration by October 15 OR for bringing a friend not on my list . . .

For questions, please contact Joannah L. Merriman, Lifeprints, 970-481-6339 or 970-226-5676. E-mail me at jetlost@lamar.colostate.edu and check out my website, www.lifeprintsjournal.com as well as my travel blog, www.woodswomanabroad.blogspot.com for samples of previous trip adventures!

Bon jour!

Joannah L. Merriman, M.A./Lifeprints

*Single occupancy available for additional cost. Travel insurance is a must, I’ve found, but I will offer a group rate policy for the full value of your trip as well as for lost luggage, trip delays, medical coverage etc. Details about that later.

Activity level: On our Lifeprints Journeys to France and Italy, we walk a lot. You don't need to be a hiker or a runner, but you will be happier if you are in fairly good shape for strolling along the streets both in hill towns and in Paris. There are plenty of cafes that afford us a bit of a rest here and there, so if you can be on your feet for more than a couple of hours at a time some days, you'll have great fun with us. Ask me for more specifics if you have health issues.