Monday, February 04, 2008

Transcription

Pascale Le Jeune DS, LS, NCS
INDEPENDENT ASSOCIATE
CERTIFIED ADVENTURE AND LUXURY TRAVEL COUNSELOR
704- 228th Ave NE #632 • Sammamish, WA 98074
425.503.0389 • [email protected] • www.ExperienceActiveTravel.com
Discover France’s Sacred Stories
Join Joy Abbey & Virginie Paradis
On an 12-Day journey to Southern France
May 19-31, 2016
Group size: 12
1
Thursday, May 19, 2016
International flight
DEPART USA / MARSEILLE, FRANCE
Board your international flight to Marseille, France
Day 1 – Friday, May 20, 2016
Marseille Airport / Marseille
ARRIVE IN MARSEILLE, FRANCE
Welcome to Marseille. The city has a spicy character and resolutely independent nature that defies easy
definition. Discover a richly substantial and exciting destination utterly different from anything else
Provence has to offer. The people of Marseille have long been the most multicultural and ethnically diverse
in France, and they are collectively known for their infectious joie de vivre.
A Group transfer is provided from the Marseille airport to the hotel.
Marseille will be your home for the next 2 nights.
Lodging
Hotel Marseille Bonneveine Prado
Although the metropolis is sprawled over a substantial area the tourist heart of the city can be covered within
a day, including time for a dip in the ocean. Marseille demands a sensory engagement from its visitors; take
in the view from Notre Dame Basilica, breathe in the smells of the ocean at the Vieux Port fish market and
tune into the animated conversation of local people.
This evening, meet your fellow passengers for a casual Welcome Drink.
2
Day 2 – Saturday, May 21, 2016
Marseille (B, D)
Breakfast at the hotel
Day at leisure with Joy Abbey and Virginie Blackmoor to explore the city.
Old Marseille and "Panier" district offers 26 centuries of
history. From the Hôtel de Ville to the Vieille Charité, a
walk throughout the Panier district, the oldest quarter in
France : Hôtel Dieu, Maison Diamantée, Saint Laurent
church & Docks Romains Museum. Notre-Dame de la
Garde is a fortress as well as a sanctuary and an
irreplaceable landmark, to local religious devotion. The
mosaics were restored in 2008.
The abbey of Saint-Victor : A wonderful example of a
church that was formerly built in the 5th century and then
fortified in the 14th century.
The petit train is also a fun toy-town choo-choo painted
in the Marseille livery of blue and white that leaves from
the Old Port and plies two routes: up to Notre Dame de la
Garde and through the Panier (Old Town), along whose
steep and narrow streets it offers by far the best mode of
transport. The train to the Old Town runs every 30
minutes.
Lunch on your own
Marseille's most famous culinary creation is the
bouillabaisse, a stew of local fish flavored with
tomatoes, saffron and olive oil, and customarily served
with a proud flourish. Two establishments, Caruso and
Le Miramar are located on Quai du Port amidst a coterie of seafood restaurants. Another true specialty of
Marseille are "navettes", a distinctive boat shaped biscuit flavored with orange blossom and available only at
Four des Navettes, where the recipe has been jealously guarded since 1781. Having tasted these fragrant and
curiously stodgy biscuits, you may hope that the recipe remains safe forever. They are certainly an acquired
taste.
Dinner at the Hotel (3-courses dinner; mineral water and wine included)
Lodging
Hotel Marseille Bonneveine Prado
3
Day 3 – Sunday, May 22, 2016
Marseille / Saint Maximin La Sainte Baume
Breakfast at the Hotel and morning at leisure to further explore the town on your own.
Please have your luggage ready at the reception before or by 12 noon.
Early in the afternoon we depart by coach and travel to SaintMaximin-la-Sainte-Baume.
We’ll drop off our luggage at the hotel located at the foot of the
famous Sainte-Marie-Madeleine Basilica. Set in a former
coaching inn, the hotel features a gourmet-style restaurant and
an elegant terrace. You can enjoy city view from all the rooms.
After the check-in, proceed by coach with your guide to the
Grotte de la Sainte-Baume for the visit of the sanctuary (you
will reach the site after a walk of about 45 minutes/ 1 hour.
Sainte-Baume is primarily a geological curiosity with its rocky
ledge, which stretches over 12 km.
The natural cave carved by erosion (Baumo in Provençal)
became one of the oldest places of pilgrimage in the
Christian world. In the Gospels, Mary Magdalene preached in
Marseille together with Lazare, then settled in the rugged
mountains. There she could indulge in prayer and
contemplation in solitude.
Dinner on your own this evening. Enjoy a dinner at
L'Incontournable or La Table de Bruno
Lodging
Hotel in Saint-Maximin La Sainte Baume
(B)
4
Day 4 – Monday, May 23, 2016
Saint Maximin La Sainte Baume / Aix en Provence
Today travel to Aix-en-Provence and enjoy a leisure day with Joy Abbey and Virginie Blackmoor. The city
is often referred to as the city of a thousand fountains. Among the most notable are the 17th-century
Fontaine des Quatre Dauphins in the Quartier Mazarin, designed by Jean-Claude Rambot. Explore unique
sites such as the Cours Mirabeau, a wide thoroughfare, planted with double rows of plane-trees, bordered
by fine houses and decorated by fountains, and follows the line of the old city wall. It divides the town into
two sections. Te old town, with its narrow, irregular streets and its old mansions dating from the 16th, 17th
and 18th centuries, hosts the most famous brasserie in Aix called Les Deux Garçons. Built in 1792, it has
been frequented by the likes of Paul Cézanne, Émile Zola and Ernest Hemingway.
The Cathedral of the Holy Saviour (Aix Cathedral) was built on
the site of a former Roman forum and an adjacent basilica, it
contains a mixture of all styles from the 5th to the 17th century,
including a richly decorated portal in the Gothic style with doors
elaborately carved in walnut. The interior contains 16th-century
tapestries, a 15th-century triptych, depicting King René and his wife
on the side panels, as well as a Merovingian baptistery, its
Renaissance dome supported by original Roman columns.
The Hôtel de Ville, a building in the classical style of the middle of
the 17th century, looks onto a picturesque square. It contains some
fine woodwork and tapestries. At its side rises a handsome clocktower erected in 1510.Also on the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville is the
former Corn Exchange (1759–1761) (Halle de Grains). This ornately
decorated 18th-century building was designed by the Vallon
brothers. Nearby are the remarkable thermal springs, containing lime
and carbonic acid, that first drew the Romans to Aix and gave it the
name Aquae Sextiae. A spa was built in 1705 near the remains of the
ancient Roman baths of Sextius.
This afternoon at leisure you may be interested in visiting on of
these sites on your own.
Le Musée de Tapisseries (Tapestry Museum), housed in the
Archbishop's Palace and with a collection of tapestries and
furniture from the 17th and 18th centuries.
-
Le Pavillon de Vendôme, a 17th-century mansion housing permanent and touring art exhibitions.
-
L'atelier Cézanne, a museum on the northern outskirts of Aix, constructed around the studio of Paul
Cézanne, which can be viewed as it was at the painter's death.
Dinner at the Hotel (3-courses dinner; drinks not included)
Lodging
Hotel in Aix-en-Provence
(B, D)
5
Day 5 – Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Aix en Provence / Les Saintes-Maries de la Mer
Early this morning we venture from Aix-en-Provence to Les Saintes-Maries de la Mer for a lovely tour
in the Camargue and a stop in the well preserved town of Aigues-Mortes and its medieval city walls.
The ramparts stretch for a distance of 1650 meters. Spectacular
in their height and their state of preservation even though they
were not restored in the 19th century, as was Carcassonne for
example, they remain in a well preserved state. Along with the
Tower of Constance, they are a testimony to Western European
military architecture in the marshlands during the 13th and 14th
centuries.
Breeding of Bulls and of Camargue horses are what make
this area famous. These animals are raised almost wild in the
surrounding marshes.
The Camargue bull is smaller than the Spanish fighting bulls,
stocky, with high horns and head. The Camargue horse is the
ultimate companion for herdsmen to move into the marshes and
herd bulls. The Camargue horse is not very large, about 1.50 m
tall. It has a huge resistance adapted to the terrain. Its color is
brown at birth gradually turning white after a few years.
Fougasse was one of the first pastries which could rise. It can
be sweet (sometimes called "tarte au sucre" or sugar tart) or
salty. Traditionally, making sweet fougasse in Aigues-Mortes
was reserved for the Christmas period, as part of the Thirteen
desserts. Based on a Brioche dough, sugar, butter, and orange
blossom, it was made by the baker with ingredients provided by
the client. Now Aigues-Mortes fougasse sells all year.
Lodging
Hotel in Les Saintes-Maries de la Mer
(B)
6
Day 6– Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Les Saintes-Maries de la Mer / Carcassonne
Today we a blessed to take part in the once a year Gypsies Festival, the Pilgrimage in Saintes Maries de la
Mer Sara, patron saint of the gypsies.
Romanies, Manouches, Tziganes and Gitans “Gypsies”, come
from all corners of Europe to honor their Saint, the Black Sara.
They camp on the streets, on the squares, on the beach. The
pilgrimage is also the occasion for reunions of friends and family,
and most of the children are baptized in the Church of the Saints.
The statue of Sara, Patron Saint of the Gypsies, is found in the
Church of Saintes Maries de la Mer, at the back of the crypt to the
right, wearing multicolored dresses and jewelry. Today she will be
seen all around town.
Spain had been for a long time the Gypsies chosen country: their
family names have kept reminders of it, just like their dialect: the
"kâlo." The women are very dark haired, the men have dark skin.
They call themselves "Catalans", or "Andalusian", according to
their principal place of settlement. They number dozens of
thousands in the South of France. It was the Gitans who gave
Spain the best of Flamenco.
“Saint Sara, set us on the right path, give us your
beautiful luck and give us health. et donne-nous la santé.
And if someone thinks badly of us, change his heart so
that he thinks good of us. -Amen.-“
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is the capital of the Camargue in the
south of France. The current Church of the Saintes Maries de la
Mer was built from the 9th to the 12th century, as a fortress and a
refuge. It can be seen from 10 km away. It has a fresh water well
inside, for when the villagers had to take shelter from raiders. In
the 15th century, someone "discovered" the relics of Mary Jacobé
and Mary Salomé, who were said to have arrived there by sea.
Note: No coach transfer provided from the Hotel to the city center due to the crowds. We recommend taking
a taxi (more or less 10€, not included in the trip cost).
At the end of the afternoon, we will travel by coach to the medieval town of Carcassonne.
Lodging
Hôtel Le Donjon
(B,D)
7
Day 7 – Thursday, May 26, 2016
Carcassonne
Embark today for a full day tour and follow the steps of the Cathars. From 1208-1244 the Church of Rome
savagely attacked the Cathars, the peaceful ‘heretics of the Languedoc’ of Southern France. The Cathars
called themselves Pure Ones after the Goddess known as the Pure One, their term for the Virgin Great
Creator Mother Mari (meaning ‘love’). The reason the Church resorted to the mass murder of hundreds of
thousands of Cathars most certainly had to do with their alternative views about Jesus.
They claimed to possess a secret Book of Love (Mari, TARA).
This mysterious manuscript is attributed to Jesus who gave it to
John the Divine. It was transmitted through the centuries until the
Knights Templar and the Cathars adopted it. The Book of Love
was the foundation of the Cathar Church of Love or Amor (the
reverse of Roma).
The existence of this lost (or hidden) gospel was revealed when
the Catholic Church subjected the Cathars and Templar (in 1308)
to torture. Its contents said to grant one the ability to control the
forces of nature and to transform ordinary human blood into that
of the wise, holy and pure blood of life of the immortal Illi or
Illuminati. It is equated with the Holy Grail.
Today we will visit three (3) main villages and castles including
• Châteaux de Lastours – Guided visit in English of the 4
Castles – Duration: 2h30
• Lagrasse – Stop in the village for lunch time
• Château de Termes - Guided visit in English – Duration: 2h00
The Châteaux de Lastours are 4 Cathar castles and are on a
rocky spur above the village of Lastours, isolated by the deep
valleys of the Orbeil and Grésilhou rivers. These four castles
constitute a single entity, even though they are not a single
structure.
The castles at Latours were a centre of Cathar religious activity
during the 13th century. The castle village sheltered numerous
'Perfects' homes and the Cathar bishops went to stay in Cabaret.
In 1229, the fortress launched the Cathar resistance in the
Languedoc. This period was called the Guerre de Cabaret (War of Cabaret).
The site of Termes includes a charming small village, two spectacular gorges, and the remains of one of the
best known fortresses of the history of the Crusade against the Cathars.
Lodging
Hôtel Le Donjon
(B)
8
Day 8 – Friday, May 27, 2016
Carcassonne
There is still more to explore today on our full day as we explore more intriguing places following the steps
of the Cathars.
• Château d'Aguilar – No Guided visits – Visit on your own with
document in English - Duration: 1h00
• Château de Quéribus – Guided visit in English – Duration: 1h15
• Château de Peyrpertuse - No Guided visits – Visit on your own
with audioguide English - Duration: 1h30
The strategic location of the Chateau d’Aguilar castle on a hill
overhanging the plain of Tuchan allows supervision of the corbières.
There is a small underground chapel of Saint-Anne below the keep.
Queribus is one of the "Five Sons of Carcassonne.” Five castles
strategically placed to defend the French border against the Spanish,
until the border was moved in 1659. It is sometimes regarded as the
last Cathar stronghold. After the fall of Montségur in 1244 surviving
Cathars gathered together in another mountain-top stronghold on the
border of Aragon.
The name Peyrepetuse is derived from Pèirapertusa, Occitan,
meaning Pierced Rock. The lower part of the castle was built on a
strategic location by the kings of Aragon in the 11th Century and the
higher part by the French King Louis IX later on, after the area was
annexed to France. The two castles are linked together by a
staircase. The castle lost importance as a strategic castle when the
border between France and Spain was moved in 1659, causing the
castle to be abandoned.
The castle ruins are impressive, set high on a defensive crag. From
the approach road it is difficult to see where the rock stops and the
castle starts. It houses the church of Sainte-Marie and the governor's
residence.
Lodging
Hôtel Le Donjon
(B)
9
Day 9 – Saturday, May 28, 2016
Carcassonne
The final set of Cathars castles and villages will share their stories and secrets as we wind down our route of
this amazing region in southern France.
Today we visit the following Cathars sites:
• Château de Puilaurens – No guide needed here - Duration:
1h00
• Saint-Paul de Fenouillet – Stop in the village for lunch time
•Gorges de Galamus with stop at the sanctuary of The
Hermitage of Galamus for a visit on your own (no guide)
The Hermitage of Galamus seems to be glued to the rock. This
hermitage is known for its Magdalen cave, rock church and
mysterious magical square of Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas.
Lodging
Hôtel Le Donjon
(B, D)
10
Day 10 – Sunday, May 29, 2016
Lourdes
This morning walk around at leisure along the fortified and world renowned UNESCO city of Carcassonne.
The city of Carcassonne became strategically identified
when Romans fortified it around 100 BC. The history of
the city is re-told in the novels Labyrinth, Sepulchre and
Citadel by Kate Mosse.
Did you know that portions of the 1991 film Robin Hood:
Prince of Thieves were shot in and around Carcassonne?
After lunch we journey to Lourdes. Did you know that the former regional language of this area used to be
Gascon Occitan?
Meet your English speaking guide at the Hotel for a 2-hour
guided visit of Lourdes, the sanctuary with the grotte and
churches (open until 7:00 pm). End of the visit at 7:00 pm.
We call “Message of Lourdes” the gestures and words that
were exchanged between Virgin Mary and Bernadette
Soubirous, at the Grotto of Massabielle, during the time of the
eighteen apparitions.
“God is love and he loves us as we are.”
“This grotto has become an astonishing school of prayer,
where Mary teaches everyone to contemplate with love the
face of the Christ.”. - Jean-Paul II, in Lourdes in 2004
Lodging
Mercure Lourdes Imperial
(B)
11
Day 11 – Monday, May 30, 2016
Toulouse
Morning at leisure for some additional meditation or time to regroup and find meaning in all we have seen
over the last few days.
After lunch we travel by coach to the city of Toulouse, the capital city of
the southwestern France.
Toulouse is the center of the European aerospace industry, with the
headquarters of Airbus and the Galileo positioning system.
A city has a unique architecture made of pinkish terracotta bricks, which
earned it the nickname la Ville Rose ("the Pink City"), Toulouse counts
two (2) UNESCO World Heritage sites, the Canal du Midi (designated
in 1996), and the Basilica of St. Sernin, designated in 1998.
Join us this evening for a Farewell Dinner in a restaurant of Toulouse
where you will taste the famous Cassoulet!
Our journey may end this evening in Toulouse but as the beginning to the
Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route, it is just the beginning of our
next adventure.
Dinner (3-courses dinner)
Lodging
Mercure Hotel
(B, D)
Day 12 – Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Toulouse / Toulouse Airport
Say farwell to your fellow travelers as we travel by coach to the airport of Toulouse and return to the USA.
Safe travels!
(B)
12
TRIP COST:
$3,995 Per Person based on 12 guests participating
Travel Protection:
$339 per person required for each guest at time of deposit
(will also protect your air reservations)
Included in your tour:
the transportation as per the program
accommodation for 11 nights in 3 or 4 star hotels as per the program (in double/twin rooms;
breakfast and city tax included)
Breakfast daily (12)
Dinner on days 3,5 and 10 as per the program (excluding drinks)
Cassoulet dinner on day 12 (including drinks)
the service of English speaking guide on Day 4 and Day 11 as per the program
the entrance fees/visits underlined in the program
2 Tour leaders Joy Abbey and Virginie Paradis
Welcome drink on arrival day
Not included in your tour:
Single Supplement: $1,145 for the 11 nights
« Evening » or « early morning » extras in case of early or late arrival/departure for the
transfers in/out airports (Day 2 and Day 13 – upon request)
Porterage service for the transfers and at the Hotel (upon request)
All services not mentioned in the program
13

Monday, February 04, 2008

Transcription

Similar documents

She Didn`t Slip, She Wasn`t Pushed, She Fell Head Over Heels in Love

Klahanie Shopping Center

Yza Ya Bandinfo english

How did Marseilles evolve on a historical and geographical

INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION FNAIM

Read Sanfillipo`s August 20-15 Update.

Info-pack EVS Marseille

water week news - World Water Council

brochure - Digital Deluxe

Handelsmissie Franse Kunstenaars – 7

Neighbor to Neighbor - Eastside Friends of Seniors

this PDF file