Join us in Provence and Cote D’Azur!
September 20-October 1, 2013
www.troybmarden.com
For more information, email tbmgardens@gmail.com
Sept.
20 Fly to France (Nice)
Sept. 21 After landing in Nice, we will meet our
private coach for the trip to Villa Ephrussi Rothschild for lunch, and a tour
of the garden and Villa. http://www.villa-ephrussi.com/en/home
Beatrice Rothschild had practically unlimited money when she built this
villa and garden in the early 1900’s, and it shows. We will have lunch in the tea room and tour
the upper level of the villa. After lunch, we will visit the garden. Lunch
included, dinner on your own. Hotel Victoria.
Sept. 22 Breakfast will be at our hotel, as it will
each morning of the trip. After
breakfast, we will visit the garden at Val Rahmeh http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jardin_botanique_exotique_de_Menton followed by our first chance to visit a
real French market as we stop in Menton for the Saturday morning market there. After
the market, we will have lunch at the Mirazur http://www.mirazur.fr/ which has been listed as one of the world’s 50 best restaurants. After our lunch we will continue to Villa
Hanbury to visit the garden. This is a
vertical garden with some of the most magnificent views you have ever seen!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giardini_Botanici_Hanbury Breakfast
& Lunch included, Dinner on your own. Hotel Victoria
Sept. 23 The world renowned Monaco Botanical Garden
will be our first stop today. http://www.jardin-exotique.mc/en/ After this we will visit Monaco where you
will have lunch on your own and have an opportunity to visit the palace and
other sites in Monaco. Breakfast included. Hotel Victoria
Sept. 24 We will head for the heart of Provence today. Our first stop will be at the Abbey Thoronet which
is a Cistercian Abbey built between 1160 and 1230 without mortar. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Thoronet_Abbey
Our next stop will be the Chateau Barben,
which we will tour. Barben is one of the oldest chateaus in Provence, dating
back to 1054. http://www.chateaudelabarben.fr/index2.php?lang=en Avignon will be our next stop and
hopefully we will be there in time to visit the Palace of the Popes. This is one of the greatest Gothic palaces in
the world built in the 14th century.
Pope Clement V moved the papacy to Avignon to flee from political
unrest. The palace housed 7 popes
between 1309 and 1378. http://www.palais-des-papes.com/anglais/ Our
hotel for the night will be the Mecure which is located in the center of
Avignon. Lunch included.
Sept. 25 A visit to the garden of the Abbey of Saint
Andre in Villeneuve les Avignon will be our first stop today http://www.fantasticprovence.com/section/nature_r7/the-discreet-charm-of-the-saint-andre-abbey_a733/1 followed Pont du Gard, the magnificent Roman
aqueduct. It is a magical site! The aqueduct was built in 1 century BC and
carried 44 million gallons of water each day from Uzes to Nimes. It was used until the 6th century
AD when it is believed that minerals clogged the passage of the water. http://www.pontdugard.fr/en Our
final sightseeing stop for today will be Nimes.
Nimes is a lovely town with several interesting sites. We will visit the Maison Carree which is a
Vitruvian Roman Temple built in the 1st century AD. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maison_Carr%C3%A9e The temple survived because it became a
church in the 4th century AD.
This temple was the inspiration for the Virginia state capitol. Jefferson had a model made of it when he was
Ambassador to France. Nimes also has a
Roman arena, an interesting shade garden, a nice museum, and good
shopping. When we depart Nimes we will
go to Isle sur la Sorgue and Hotel Nevons, our home for the next several days. Lunch included.
Sept. 26 France would not be France if we did not
visit a winery. Today we visit Chateau
Val Jonais for a tour of the winery, garden, and lunch. http://www.val-joanis.com/ We
will also visit a French hill town. Lunch included. Hotel Nevons.
Sept. 27 Today will be spent in Arles which is a
short distance from Isle sur la Sorgue. We
will stop at Abbaye de Montmajour on the way to Arles. Built on an island, it was founded in 948 by
the Benedictines. http://montmajour.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/
Arles has more in a short walking distance than any other place we have
been. We will see the Church of Saint
Trophime with its wonderful 2 story cloister.
The church is Romanesque and classified as a world heritage site. We will also see the Roman arena, the Roman
baths, and the Cryptoportiques. We will
also visit one of Ron’s favorite sites in the world, the les Alyscamps. Greek, Roman, and Christian tombs line the
Aurelian way as it passes through Arles.
The sarcophages are magnificent.
You will have free time to visit other sites or shop. Hotel Nevons.
Sept. 28 This Saturday takes us to St. Remy and
nearby sites. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-R%C3%A9my-de-Provence We
will stop for a visit to the St. Remy Sat. market. Our stops will take us to Glanum, a ruined
Roman/Greek town, as well as Les Antiques and St-Paul-de-Mausolee where Van
Gogh was hospitalized. We will also visit
Les Baux before returning to Isle sur la Sorgue. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Baux-de-Provence Dinner
included. Hotel
Nevons.
Sept. 29 The best market in France, the land of
markets, is in Isle sur la Sorgue. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue Today, you will have the whole day to spend
in Isle sur la Sorgue at the market.
Believe us when we say, this market has everything and even if you are
not a shopper you will enjoy this day. Hotel Nevons.
Sept. 30 Today we will visit Cassis http://www.beyond.fr/villages/cassis.html and take a boat ride to see the Calanques http://www.marseille-provence.info/places/sights-and-attractions/237-the-calanques.html which are wonderful geological
features. We will stay close to the
airport tonight.
Oct. 1 Fly home from Marseilles.
COST: The cost of this trip is $3250.00 per
person based on Double Occupancy.
Airfare is NOT included in this price. We will assist in booking plane tickets
so that everyone gets the best possible price and that we are all traveling
over and back together, unless other arrangements are being made. A single
supplement is available. Please inquire
at tbmgardens@gmail.com if you will
be traveling singly or have any further questions.
The price of this
trip is based on 1.30 exchange rate. If
the exchange rate changes the trip is
subject to an
additional charge. The price is based on
double occupancy. There is a single
supplement. The itinerary can be changed if
required.
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