Upcoming Trips: Provence, France

Travel to Provence with Us from
April 28 to May 5, 2007

Join Jinny and Ed Fleischman in a trip that will engage all your senses!

Provence. The name alone brings thoughts of beautiful countryside, gloriously scented herbs, delicious food and wonderful wines. Hold those thoughts because they are all very real. Join us as we tour this glorious area from Saturday, April 28 to Saturday, May 5, 2007 and find out what the buzz is about.

During the week we will be staying at a wonderful, totally renovated five bedroom house in Ansouis - often cited as one of the most beautiful villages in France. And it is a title that is well deserved. We stayed in Ansouis during our last trip to Provence and simply fell in love with the town. Just large enough to have a few places to eat, a bakery and a weekly market, it also has its own castle that has been occupied by the same family for centuries. Situated at the foot of the Luberon Mountains and surrounded by vineyards, this charming village will be our base as we explore much of Haut Provence into the Rhone Valley and south to the Mediterranean.

Ah the places we will go! In addition to visiting the surrounding market towns of Cadenet, Cucuron and Carpentras we will visit the some of the sights for which the area is so well known. These include Avignon and its famed Pope's Palace and bridge, Aix de Provence to see the wonderful cours Mirabeau, the awe inspiring aqueduct at Pont du Gard and the vineyards of the Rhone Valley's Chateauneuf-du-Pape with its charming Musee du Vin. And no visit to the area would be complete without a trip to the rambling market of Isle sur la Sorgue including its wealth of antique shops.

Lest we forget the trip will also include four cooking classes in our beautifully equipped house! Each quick class will have us work on putting together a dinner showcasing the favorite flavors of Provence. Some of the legendary flavors of the region that will be worked into our meals: garlic, olive oil, honey, thyme, cheeses, lamb and so much more! Surely we will make a flavorful Tapenade, a delicious vegetable tart, a grilled lamb with rosemary, some roasted chicken flavored with whole garlic heads and perhaps am omelet with goat cheese and sweet red peppers. And no trip to Provence would be complete without aioli, fruits de mer or a salade Nicoise! To accompany this we will sample some Rhone wines as well as the delightful fruit forward wines of the surrounding villages of Bonnieux and Menerbes as well as the local Cassis.

The spring is a truly glorious time to visit Provence. Produce is just beginning to come into the markets while the colors of the countryside will be lush and fresh. And we will be able to avoid the flood of tourists who arrive in summer! The weather should be just perfect for visiting all the wonderful historic and scenic areas included in our busy week! We would love to have you share this wonderful experience with us!

Our tentative schedule for the week includes:

Saturday:
The group will gather in our house in Ansouis in the late afternoon and settle into rooms. We will share a bottle of sparkling wine as we toast the week to come. Dinner in the house's lovely dining room with follow.

Sunday:
After a traditional French breakfast, it will be off to Isle sur la Sorgue for its wonderful Sunday market. Discussed at length in Peter Mayles' Year in Provence, this wondrous market skirts the edge of the Sorgue River winding through the town. In additions to great food you'll see many of the lovely textiles, ceramics and wooden items you think of as Provencal for sale here. We will bring some wonderful fresh food home for a quick lunch and cooking class before dinner. Depending on time, we may take a trip over to the Abbaye de Silvacane, a 12th century monastery tucked into the nearby countryside.

Monday:
We'll start with a quick trip to Cadenet for the ingredients for this evening's dinner. The group will head to taste some wines in the neighboring towns as well as visit a goat cheese maker. Of course, we will select some tasty wines for our enjoying during our week. We will pick up lunch at the market to take back to our house. In the afternoon we might visit some of the charming local towns such as hill town, Bonnieux, before heading back to cook our dinner.

Tuesday:
Today we will travel a little farther afield as we go west to Avignon to tour the Palais des Papes, the bridge of childhood nursery rhyme fame and then onto the Pond du Gard. We will grab some lunch as we go and then head up to Chateauneuf -du-Pape to taste a bit of wine. Dinner will be at the lovely La Closerie Restaurant right in Ansouis.

Wednesday:
Aix-en-Provence is one of those towns that bring lovely memories to the minds of those who have been fortunate enough to visit. And you will be one of those lucky people as we spend the morning visiting the lovely sights of Aix. Depending on the feelings of the group we might visit the Cathedral, the Fondation Vasarely, the Atelier Paul Cezanne, the textile museum or the restored Pavillon de Vendome or simply wander the streets of this lovely city. In the midst of this touring we'll catch some lunch. Later in the afternoon, we will return to Ansouis for a quick cooking class before dinner.

Thursday:
The sun will be shining as we leave in the morning for a trip to visit the Mediterranean. Our destinations will be the charming port of Cassis and the fjord-like white cliffs of Les Calanques. Our lunch will include some of the fresh seafood or fish of the Mediterranean. We will do a wine tasting of some of the wines produced in this area before heading back to Ansouis. Dinner will be in one of the charming restaurants in the nearby Cucuron.

Friday:
This will be the perfect day to travel to the market of Carpentras. One of the most interesting towns in Provence, it houses the oldest Synagogues in France as well as a lovely cathedral. The town also has an excellent cheese store for us to pick up some cheeses for our last dinner. While in Carpentras we will pick up some roasted chicken for lunch. After a leisurely lunch you will have a last chance to wander the streets of the town before a class to prepare our dinner. We will toast each other one last time on the lovely wines of Provence.

Saturday:
After breakfast we will travel back to Aix-en-Provence. There you will be able to catch trains to return home or continue your journey. Where ever you travel, you will be carrying lovely memories of a week in Provence with you!

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