| Artists Nancy Crow and Nathaniel Stitzlein and tour leader Susan Seagram have organized a new unique tour of off-the-beaten-track Provence. This trip focuses on the fabulous arts, textiles, and cuisine specific to Provence. Participants will visit the interiors of various homes, "Mas" (Provençal farms) and "ateliers" (studios) that are not normally open to the general public. This opportunity is open to anyone who wants to get away and experience "l'art de vivre" (the art of living) in the sunny south of France! The tour will concentrate on three very different areas of Provence – Northern Provence home to lavender fields, the picturesque Luberon so effectively described by Peter Mayle in a "Year in Provence" and the "red villages" of the "pays d'Apt" land of ochres. The Camargue, a wilderness of salt marshes and pink flamingoes and black bulls. And the Western limits of Provence, including the First Duchy of Uzes, a wonderfully preserved medieval market town. A few highlights of the tour: • visit a blanket factory making luxury blankets from the Camargaise merino wool sheep • a half day workshop/demonstration of hand-dyeing in the fabulous gardens of the Chateau Lauris that are dedicated to plants that provide natural dyes • tour the salt pans and factory that provides France with half its salt • visit a 12th century troglodyte chapel & lavender distillery & ochre mines • experience "brocantes" (flea/antique markets) selling antique textiles and linens • sample olives, almonds, & crystallized fruit at local Provencal markets All our visits are specific and traditional to the regions that we will visit. The group will be limited to 24 people, a number that allows us to be received in people's homes and better welcomed in artists' studios. This number also fits comfortably in three mini vans, allowing us greater flexibility in adjusting the trip for all the unplanned but "must go see" detours we will invariably have. We will be staying in exceptional hotels combining comfort with original character. As food lovers we have chosen only those restaurants that provide authentic fresh French or Provencal cuisine. This is a tailor made "once in a lifetime tour" – rich with discovery and presenting an exceptional experience of Provence! |
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The Pont du Gard - Roman aquaduct
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Shops in Uzès
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Hilltop town of Gordes
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| ITINERARY (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner) Our hotel in Avignon will be the Hotel des Papes. Day 1 - Friday, September 22 Avignon (D) Arrival in Avignon and transfer to hotel. Welcome dinner and orientation. Day 2 - Saturday, September 23 Avignon (B, L) Drive to the town of Apt and explore its huge lively Saturday market. Apt, surrounded by orchards of cherries, apricots and fields of melons, is the self-proclaimed "World capital of candied fruit" and we will visit master artisans at their sugary craft. The afternoon will be spent in Roussillon with a discovery walk of the old ochre quarries and then view a demonstration of the uses of ochres as pigments in the old ochre factory "usine Mathieu." We will return driving through the charming Luberon villages (Menerbes, Bonnieux and Lacoste) featured in "A Year in Provence." Day 3 - Sunday, September 24 Avignon (B, L) Drive to L'Isle sur la Sorgue, a charming Provencal Venice surrounded by the Sorgue river and canals. On Sundays it hosts the biggest antique and collectables market in Provence. This will be our best opportunity to find antique linens and textiles. We return to Avignon for the afternoon where you will be free to visit the famous bridge "Le Pont d'Avignon", or the Popes' Palace, or just sit on a café terrace enjoying a glass of rosé wine and watching people. Day 4 - Monday, September 25 Avignon (B, L) Visit a true Provence lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) farm with fields located in the chalky soils and hot, dry climate of Northern Provence on the Plateau de Sault. We will learn about the cultivation and uses of lavender as well as visit a working lavender distillery. Day 5 - Tuesday, September 26 Avignon (B, L) In the morning we will drive to the Chateau Lauris in the Luberon and tour its wonderful garden featuring plants that provide the pigments essential to natural dying. We will then participate in a small demonstration workshop revealing some of the secrets of natural dyes. The afternoon will be spent visiting a small family-run factory that makes luxury blankets and throws from the wool produced by Arles Merino sheep – raised on the salt marshlands of the Camargue. The wool is still carded in the traditional way – with dried thistles! In the evening there will be an optional Provencal cooking class at Le Marmiton cooking school held in the wonderful restored 18th century kitchens of the Mirande Hotel (four star hotel & restaurant). Our hotel near Uzès will be "Clos de Pradines" in St. Quentin la Poterie. Day 6 - Wednesday, September 27 Uzès (B, D) We will travel to Uzès via "Les Baux" de Provence, viewing its imposing ruins perched on rocky crags and fantastic scenery of Provence. We will then visit a working olive oil mill and have an olive oil "degustation" or tasting. The afternoon will be spent exploring the exceptionally well preserved UNESCO protected three tiered Roman aqueduct – The Pont du Gard. Day 7 - Thursday, September 28 Uzès (B, D) In the morning we will visit The Duchy of Uzès, a remarkably preserved and vibrant medieval town. You will be free to discover on your own its many beautiful shops and galleries, the Duke's castle or the medieval garden. In the afternoon we will return to Saint Quentin la Poterie where by foot from the hotel you can visit a remarkable number of artisans (doll makers, hat makers, etc.) and potters' studios and galleries. St. Quentin la Poterie has been a potters village since the 14th century when the town was called upon to produce over 110,000 varnished tiles to decorate the Palais des Papes in Avignon. During the evening we will be all be learning to cook duck à la Francais at a nearby poultry farm. Success and a wonderful dinner featuring duck is guaranteed. Day 8 - Friday, September 29 Uzès (B, L) We will be travelling somewhat out of Provence to the foothills of the Cevennes for a visit of the Musée du Desert. This small museum chronicles the 100 years of Protestant persecution and hiding in the 18th century and will place in context our visit to Aigues Mortes. To this day being Protestant or Catholic in France is still (if rarely articulated) of importance. After a long lazy lunch at Leni's, we visit a goat farm producing the famous Cevennes goat cheese, the "Pelardon." Day 9 - Saturday, September 30 Uzès (B, L) A morning's visit to the unique strangeness of the Abbaye Troglodyte St. Roman, an abbey founded in the 5th century and carved out of living rock. On the way we will pass by a stretch of the old Roman highway Via Domitia (linking Rome to Spain) still remarkably intact with many remaining milestones. The afternoon's first stop will be at St. Etienne du Grès with a factory tour of the textile manufacturer "Les Olivades" highlighting the only remaining traditional Provencal fabric still printed in Provence. There is also a charming Olivades' factory outlet shop. We will then visit the Souleiado shop of Provencal fabric in Tarascon. Our hotel in the Camargue will be Le Mas de Peint. Day 10 - Sunday, October 1 The Camargue (B, D) On our way to Arles we will begin the day with a visit of a small artisanal factory processing almonds (a traditional Provencal crop) in many varied ways – from nougat to salted to almond butter and more. We will then continue on to Arles, touring the Arles of Van Gogh and the Roman Arles. A city, despite its many monuments and attractions, still maintains an authentic rural feel. Highlights will be the Muséon Arlaton, dedicated to recording the details of everyday Provencal life, and the multi-media gallery Espace Van Gogh. Day 11 - Monday, October 2 The Camargue (B, D) We will visit historic towns of the Camargue. First is Aigues Mortes, the port of departure for French Crusaders, which is home to the imposing medieval tower Tour de Canstance. Close by we will tour Les Salins du Midi, which provides France with half its salt and have a salt tasting. The afternoon will be spent at Saintes Maries de la Mer on the Mediteranean coast. It is one of Provence's holiest places, where legend says the three Marys landed in the boat of Bethany 40 years after the crucifixion of Christ. Mary Salome's black servant Sarah became the patron Saint of gypsies who come on pilgrimage from all over the world. Day 12 - Tuesday, October 3 The Camargue (B, L, D) A day exploring the Camargue, a vast wild marshland with an incredible array of aquatic birds, including spectacular pink flamingos. We will see wild red rice fields, salt pans and the true French cowboy (the Gardian) in the vast plains tending his herds of black longhorn cattle on beautiful white Camarguais horses. This visit will be done in small groups, off the road using the transportation of their choice: horseback or 4 wheel drive. Day 13 - Wednesday, October 4 (B) Transfer to Avignon for return train to Paris - Charles de Gaulle airport. • The itinerary is carefully planned but it may be necessary to make some minor changes to take advantage of new travel opportunities. |
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Palais des Papes in Avignon
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Market Day in Uzès
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Provencal ceramics
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Pont d'Avignon
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| COORDINATORS Nancy Crow Nancy is an artist. Nancy has been creating contemporary quilts for 25 years and maintains a large studio on her farm east of Columbus, Ohio. Her work has appeared on the covers of two of Maya Angelou’s books and is in the collections of the Museum of Arts & Design, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and The Museum of American Folk Art. She teaches worldwide and offers in-depth workshops on her farm in a recently renovated 1884 timber frame barn. Nancy was named a Fellow of the American Craft Council. Susan E. Seagram Susan is a nomad who now resides in Provence, France, after a major advertising career in Toronto and London. Born in England of Canadian parents she has lived all over the world from Kenya, Montréal, London, to Switzerland and Paris. She has also travelled extensively in many varied and sometimes difficult countries such as Turkey, Borneo, Pakistan, and Israel – not exactly what she expected when she received her Political Science degree in International Relations! She now creates hand dyed cottons and silks for European art quilters, and is promoting hand dyed fabrics and contemporary quiltmaking in France through the organization of international quilt exhibitions, residential workshops, and quilting tours. Susan's web site: www.susanseagram.com Nathaniel Stitzlein Nathaniel is an artist who works with Nancy Crow on coordinating art trips to France, Mexico, South Africa, and Guatemala. They also work together to produce art workshops at the Crow Timber Frame Barn. Prior to organizing tours and classes, he was an admissions counselor for The Ohio State University. In addition, he studied ceramics in South Africa for a year and is a free-lance graphic designer. Nathaniel's web site: www.artgrange.com FEES TRAVEL FEE: $3600 (twin) U.S. Funds Only • Note: Additional $900 for single supplement • Sorry, credit cards are not accepted This travel fee includes: • All accommodations • All meals as indicated • All tastings, workshops, demonstrations (except optional cooking class on September 25) • Tips and luggage handling • Land transportation • Admission fees • Guidance This travel fee does NOT include: • Roundtrip airfare from the USA/Canada to France • Train fare in France (roundtrip from Paris airport to Avignon) • Departure tax and travel insurance • Meals not included on the itinerary • Personal expenses DEADLINES Deadline for reservation and deposit of $600: Sorry, tour is full. • Deposit must be made by check. • $200 is non-refundable unless trip is cancelled. • $400 is refundable up to May 15, 2006. • None of the deposit is refundable after May 15, 2006, unless trip is cancelled. Deadline for remaining payment of $3000: Sorry, tour is full. (add $900 for single supplement) • Final payment is non-refundable, unless trip is cancelled. All payments must be in US FUNDS ONLY! No credit cards INFORMATION This tour is offered to anyone interested in the arts, crafts, cuisine, history, & people of France. . Questions? Please click here to send an e-mail Please complete the form below & mail with your deposit:  |
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