Day 1. Monday 12th September.
Say goodbye to family and friends and board the plane to
Paris.
Day 2. Tuesday 13th September.
Arrive in Paris at CDG Airport and take the TGV fast train
to Aix en Provence. Go by taxi to our superb Chateau hotel
set in an amazing 10-acre park outside the hustle and bustle
of Aix en Provence.
Day 3. Wednesday 14th September.
Stroll around Aix en Provence with our local guide. Aix
en Provence is a living history book with a heritage thousands
of years old dating from 103BC when the Romans founded it.
Enjoy a picnic lunch out of town at Jardin d'Albertas and
tour a magnificent private chateau garden. Discover the
work of the Aix painter, Francois-Marius Granet at the Museum
de Granet, which houses a fine collection of paintings.
Relax overnight in the luxurious chateau hotel outside Aix.
Day 4. Thursday 15th September.
Follow in the footsteps of Cezanne with a charming guide
and discover the areas where he lived. Treat yourself to
afternoon tea at a wonderful villa set amidst an elegant
Florentine garden with towering cypress trees and shady
plane trees. Visit the private mansion and the beautiful
garden of an established Aix family.
Again we will be at the same chateau hotel outside Aix we stay at last night.
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An avenue of olives trees makes
an impressive entrance to the Val Joanis estate.
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Day 5. Friday 16th September.
Depart Aix by private, chauffer driven coach. Relish
a quick stop at the most famous 'chocolaterie' in the region.
Visit Mme Cecile Chancel's Val Joanis Estate with its vineyard,
cellar, olive grove and finally her magnificent Medieval
garden. A chance to taste the estate's Cotes du Luberon
wines and their exceptional olive oil. The movie French
Kiss, was filmed here. Stop at Lauris to observe the
public garden used for conservation reasons. Here, the tinctorial
plants that are preserved were once used to make wonderful
fabric dyes. Accommodation will be in an elegant hotel that
was a priory in the 14th century.
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An inviting courtyard garden in
Bonnieux.
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Day 6. Saturday 17th September.
Drive to Les Alpilles, take a walk through the hills and
conclude the morning with a cheese tasting. Pay a late afternoon
visit to M. Brihat's photography studio. Sip a glass of
champagne and admire the renowned garden of the late Parisian
designer Nicole de Vesian. The visit is a rare opportunity
that has been offered to Rendezvous En France as the garden
is not open to the general public. Our hotel, set in a beautiful
hill-top village will combine a sense of history with refinement
and charm.
Day 7. Sunday 18th September.
Discover the village of Lacoste dominated by the imposing
ruins of the Marquis de Sade's chateau. Drive to Domaine
de la Citadelle for an organic wine tasting and a visit
to the extraordinary Musee du Tire-Bouchon with over 1,000
different corkscrews. Stop for coffee in Menerbes, the charming
village made famous by Peter Mayle in his book A Year
in Provence. Explore the antique shops on the canal
at L'Isle sur la Sorgue.
Spend the evening in an impeccable hotel that is also an
architectural treasure.
Day 8. Monday 19th September.
Take in the colourful documentary showing the harvest and
production of lavender oil at The Lavender Museum. Learn
about the extraction of red pigment on a tour of the ochre
facility in the village of Roussillon. Stop in the village
of Gordes and see 'The Bories', the traditional stone huts
of the region. Drive into the lovely valley that houses
the Abbaye of Senanque and taste the lavender honey made
by the monks. Be charmed, in Venasque, by a local man who
will open the doors to the private garden of his holiday
home and reveal it's amazing secret. Set in the cultural
heart of Provence, our hotel has panoramic vistas
of the surrounding area.
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The ochre paint is quarried locally
and applied directly to the walls of the houses in
Roussillon.
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Day 9. Tuesday 20th September.
Discover the intricacies of olive oil production at a centuries
old olive oil mill. In the Provence region, in 1946, there
were 850 oil mills and today only 125 mills remain mostly
working in co-operatives with modern, more efficient machinery.
Appreciate a home cooked afternoon tea served in the charming
garden of one of the region's most popular painters. Relax
with an aperitif on the terrace of our hotel before a magnificent
dinner.
Day 10. Wednesday 21st
September.
Walk the sculpture walk in the tiny village of Gigondas
and admire the great view from the 14th century church.
Taste wine with Xavier at the Château Cabrières vineyard.
Stride up the hill to the ruins of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape
castle. Meet Sylvie, our host, at Chateau La Nerthe vineyard
and tasting room. Discuss how to match wine with food before
taking a stroll around the garden.
Overnight in Avignon in a sumptuous hotel.
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The panoramic landscapes beckon
the visitor to further explore the region.
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Day 11. Thursday 22nd September.
Ride the small white train around the city of Avignon and
the garden of the Popes' Palace. Tour the castle, visit
Museum Calvert or enjoy the afternoon exploring the local
sights. Our overnight stop in Avignon is at a sumptuous
hotel where the food and the service are unbeatable..
Day 12. Friday 23rd September.
Board the TGV to Paris and then take a quick transfer to
the hotel on the Left Bank. Visit the famous sculpture Antoine
Bourdelle's apartment and studio.
Optional Extra: Dine at the latest 'hot spot' in
Paris and sample cutting edge cuisine.
Day 13.Saturday 24th September.
Sip coffee at a great café overlooking Opera Garnier. View
a wide screen, multimedia video show that takes us back
2000 years and illustrates centuries of Parisian history.
Join a tour of the sumptuous Opera Garnier. Be entertained
by a guide at the fragrant museum of perfume. Let Kay and
Elizabeth take you to their favourite boutiques or explore
a 'quartier' with a guide from 'Paris Walks'.
Day 14. Sunday 25th September.
Browse and buy at the legendary flea markets and have lunch
amongst the vendors in a typical café. Marvel at the tomb
of Napoleon at Les Invalides. In the early evening cruise
down the Seine and identify the illuminated landmarks.
Day 15. Monday 26th September.
Stroll through Parc Bercy on the way to Village Bercy. Revisit
childhood memories at a private collection of fairground
attractions. Be amazed at the architect, Andrea Perrault's
grand new building, Bibliotheque National. Take tea in a
Belle Epoque salon at Laduree. Delight in Jeff Leatham's
exotic flower extravaganzas at the recently refurbished
Hotel George V.
Optional Extra: Arrange flowers like a chatelaine
at a 'hands-on' class at the famed Crillon Hotel under the
auspices of Christian Tortu.
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Be captivated by a private collection
of vintage fairground attractions.
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Day 16. Tuesday 27th September.
Today we will visit the Panthéon a supreme example of architecture built along classic line where seventy-two famous men are buried including the French novelist Victor Hugo.
Optional Extra: Learn the art of bagette making and have lunch at the most famous boulangerie on the Left Bank.
Day 17 Wednesday 28th September.
Museum Jaquemart André is the late 19th century town house
built by Edouard André and his wife Nellie Jacquèmart. Together
they collected rare French 18th century decorative art and
Italian Renaissance works. Shopping in and around our favourite
street, Rue du Bac. Discover our favourite shops: Le Rideau
de Paris, Bon Point (babywear), Blanc D'Ivoire, Catherine
Memmi, Maison et Familie, Manuel Canovas, Pierre Frey, Christian
Tortu (Florist), La Paresse en Douce (homewares), Sabbia
Rosa (Madonna's lingerie shop), Nitya (fashion boutique
featuring designs in beautiful cotton fabric), Etamine and
IF Home. Also the Department store Bon Marché.
Day 18. Thursday 29th September.
Time, for some, to say a sad goodbye and wish Paris "a bientot!".
Day 19. Friday 30th September.
Arrive home, depending on where you live of course.
Note on the Optional Extras:
Please let Kay or Elizabeth know which optional extras
you wish to take. Optional extras are priced individually
and an enrolment form can be forwarded to you with details.
