Village France (possibly)2009
Art, French, and La Joie de Vivre in
Small-town France
June ? – July ?, 2009
Day 1 – Friday – Chartres
We’ll gather at about 4:00pm in our hotel just a few blocks from the
looming mass of Chartres cathedral, one of the crown jewels of medieval
Gothic architecture. After a short group meeting at the hotel,
your guides, Scott “Serge” Bernhard and Elroy “Elroi” Christenson, will
take you on a walking historical tour of old Chartres that will end
back at the cathedral where we will disperse for dinner. Sleep
one night in Chartres.
Day 2 – Saturday – Chinon/Loire Valley
After breakfast we’ll walk back up to the cathedral for a special
guided tour of
Chartres cathedral and Gothic architecture. After lunch, it’s
onto the bus and south to Chinon, former home of Henry II Plantagenet
of England, his wife Eleanor of Acquitaine and their scheming sons
Richard the Lionheart and Prince John of Robin Hood fame. It was
in Chinon, as well, that Joan of Arc came to meet King Charles VII to
coax him into chasing the British out of Orléans during the
100-years war. We’ll visit the ruins of the château where
that meeting took place and wander through old Chinon on our way to
dinner. Sleep two nights in Chinon.
Day 3 – Sunday – Chinon/Loire Valley
Today is Loire Valley castle day, and you will have the option of
either going by bus to see three of the magnificent Châteaux of
the Loire – Azay-le-Rideau, Langeais, and Villandry – or riding your
21-speed bike along the Loire River from Chinon to Langeais and
Villandry. No hills. It’s a one-way trip on the bikes, and
we all return on the bus after lunch and a visit to the famous gardens
of Villandry. There will be free time in Chinon in the afternoon
and an optional beginner’s French lesson at the hotel. Following
the French lesson, our host at the hotel may be persuaded into doing a
wine tasting featuring some of the local vintages. Dinner on your
own tonight.
Day 4 – Monday – Château de la
Fleunie/Vézère
River Valley
We head further south today to the Perigord region and the
Vézère River Valley where discoveries of prehistoric
remains and cave paintings in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in
sites such as Moustier, Cro-Magnon and Lascaux have resulted in
Vézère’s rise to prominence as the European capital of
Prehistory. On our way south, we’ll stop to visit the somber
reminder of the tragedies and horrors of World War II at the martyr
village of Oradour-sur-Glane. Later in the afternoon, we’ll
check into our rural 16th century château-hotel where dinner is
provided both nights. Sleep two nights in Château de la
Fleunie.
Day 5 – Tuesday – Château de la
Fleunie/Vézère River
Valley
We’ll take the whole day today to explore this beautiful region.
You may prefer to wander the old town of Montignac and help shop for
the picnic, or, if you’re looking for a bit more active day, you could
canoe down the gentle Vézère past a pair of impressive
cliff-hanging castles to join the rest of the group in the sleepy
little village of St-Léon-sur-Vézère, our picnic
site by the river. After lunch we’ll visit Rouffignac cavern with
its 12,000- to 14,000-year-old cave paintings.
Day 6 – Wednesday – Rocamadour
The medieval / Renaissance town of Sarlat is our destination Saturday
morning for one of the largest and most picturesque open-air markets in
France. You’ll have the whole morning to take in the sights and
smells of market day while you help us select the provisions for a
group picnic. After lunch, it’s on to the celebrated perched
pilgrimage village of Rocamadour where we’ll stay for the next two
nights and discover why thousands of pilgrims still flock to the
village at certain times of the year. Sleep two nights in
Rocamadour.
Day 7 – Thursday – Rocamadour
Today is “Village France” tour day par excellence as we head deep into
the Quercy region to a couple of picture-postcard, fairy-tale
villages. On our way, we’ll stop at the Padirac Chasm for a visit
to its impressive cave and a ride on its underground river. There
will be free time back in Rocamadour before we sit down to another
group dinner.
Day 8 – Friday – La Malène
Roughly following a pilgrimage trail, we’ll head southeast into south
central France where you’ll be free to explore and have lunch on your
own in the remote village of Conques. And if remote villages are
your cup of thé, you’ll love La Malène in the beautiful
gorges of the Tarn river, our home for the next two nights. Sleep
two nights in La Malène.
Day 9 – Saturday– La Malène
You won’t spend any time on the bus today. You’ll be too
busy canoeing or flatboating through the Tarn Gorges, playing “boules,”
hiking along the river or in the hills, or just kicking back in this
tiny village in the middle of nowhere. Our hostess Evelynne and
her family will make sure that we’re properly fed both nights while
we’re in La Malène.
Day 10 – Sunday – Cassis
This morning we’ll cruise through the eastern portion of the Tarn
Gorges and on through the wild, remote Cévennes where the
Protestants hid from Louis XIV’s dragoons in the early 1700’s.
Then we’ll cruise over the western edge of Provence on our way to
lunch, and perhaps a swim, at the spectacular Pont du Gard, a
2000-year-old Roman aqueduct. A couple of hours more on the bus
will take us to Cassis, our home on the Mediterranean for the next two
nights. Sleep two nights in Cassis.
Day 11 – Monday – Cassis
Once again, no bus today. You’ll have the whole day to relax on
the beach, wander through the shops of Cassis, or take a boat or hike
out to the “calanques,” or mini-fjords that cut into the coastline
between Cassis and Marseille. Art and French lessons and “boules”
are possible options for the late afternoon before dinner on your
own. Bouillabaisse anyone?
Day 12 – Tuesday – Vaison-la-Romaine
Today we head to the Vaucluse region of northern Provence, stopping
along the way for market day in the village of Lourmarin and cruising
through the lavender fields and vineyards of the Luberon.
Possible options for this day also include visits to the famous Roman
theatre and triumphal arch in Orange before going on to
Vaison-la-Romaine. Sleep two nights in Vaison-la-Romaine.
Day 13 – Wednesday– Vaison-la-Romaine
Vaison-la-Romaine is actually three towns in one – the Roman remains
and the modern 19th and 20th century town on the north side of the
river and the Medieval town, crowned by its ruined fortress, occupying
the hill across the river. This morning you’ll have a guided tour
of the Roman town and then free time for lunch and exploring the
area. This area, part of the Rhône wine- growing region, is
noted for its peppery, robust reds, and later this afternoon, we’ll
cruise to a local vineyard to taste their wares.
Day 14 – Thursday – Annecy
Today it’s off to the mountains and the beautiful town of Annecy,
located in the foothills of the Alps. We’ll settle in for two nights in
our comfy hotel a stone’s throw from the old town sometimes called the
“Venice of the Alps.” Sleep two nights in Annecy.
Day 15 – Friday – Annecy
Today you’ll have the option of hopping on the bus for the 1 ½
-hour ride to spend the day in Chamonix and get up close and
personal with Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in Europe. Or you
can take the day off and stroll the flower-lined canals of Annecy, rent
a paddle boat, or go swimming in one of the cleanest lakes in Europe.
Day 16 – Saturday – Semur-en-Auxois
From Annecy we head north and west to Burgundy. On our way into
Beaune, the food and wine center of the region, we’ll ride through some
of the most famous vineyards in the world – Chassagne-Montrachet,
Meursault, Pommard, etc. After lunch in Beaune, we’ll go to
nearby Savigny-les-Beaune for a classic Burgundian wine tasting.
Then it’s on to northern Burgundy where we’ll spend the next two nights
in the medieval fortress town of Semur-en-Auxois.
Day 17 – Sunday – Semur-en-Auxois
This morning we’ll take a short jaunt to idyllic Fontenay Abbey, one of
the best-preserved 12th-century Cistercian abbeys in Europe. For
lunch we’ll go to nearby Flavigny-sur-Ozerain where the movie,
“Chocolat,” was filmed, then it’s back to Semur for free time and
perhaps a “boules” tournament. We’ll plan our farewell dinner in
one of the local restaurants of Semur.
Day 18 – Monday – Paris
The tour will officially be over after breakfast this morning, but the
bus will be going on to Paris and taking anyone who wants a ride.
Our driver will be dropping the group off at the Gare de Lyon train
station where there are easy connections to the airport or Paris hotels.
A stay in Paris is not included in this tour, but you may want to spend
a few nights in the City of Light before or after the tour. There
will be explicit instructions on how to get to Chartres to start the
tour.
Price: $3850 per person.
Includes:
• All lodging in
nice small locally owned hotels based on double occupancy (singles are
very expensive and may not be available in some locations).
• All group land and
water transportation, including
canoe and bicycle rental from Chartres to Paris.
• Breakfast every
day. 9 lunches. 9
dinners.
• All group
admissions, guided tours, tipping local
guides, waiters, etc., and group wine tastings.
• Optional drawing
and watercolor lessons from Elroy,
usually every other day but also as the spirit moves.
• Optional French
lessons from Serge every other day
at the hotel, concentrating primarily on survival French and some
useful phrases for specific activities (markets, etc.). We may do
some French while rolling on the bus as well.
Does not include:
• Airfare.
• All
individual non-group
meal.
• Train from
Paris to Chartres.
• Travel, trip
cancellation or theft insurance.
We do not provide any insurance for individuals. We recommend
that you get some.
• Individual
(non-group) admissions to sites or
activities.
• Art Supplies and
personal items.
If you decide that you’d like to join us, you can reserve your spot by
sending a $400 deposit per person to Elroy Christenson at 11036
40th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA 98125. The deposit is
non-refundable if the tour goes. If S&E has to cancel the
tour, everyone will, of course, receive a full refund. The seats
on the tour will be on a first-come, first-served basis up to the
maximum of twenty-four.
For more information elroy@next1000.com
Photos
of previous S & E Tours ||
S & E Tour LLC home page
Elroy's
France Watercolors
web page by Elroy Christenson
8/02/07
