Treasures of Provence - France - June 5, 2025

        Treasures of Provence - France - June 5, 2025

Just the Facts

We are traveling with Gate-1 Travel on a 12-day Provence Region of France tour. We are arriving a day early and overnighting in Paris.  This is my third Gate-1 tour and the DW’s first.

Wednesday, June 4, 2025 - Travel to Paris - Day 0

We departed the Villa at 3:30 p.m. for the Uber to TPA airport.  We went through bag check-in and had a lovely meal at Chick-fil-A.  Then, the shuttle will go to Terminal E, then through Security, and finally to our gate.  Note to self:  They have a Columbia Restaurant in Terminal E.  We fly through Atlanta, then a direct 8+ hour overnight flight to CDG, Paris.

Thursday, June 5, 2025 - Paris, France - Day 1 

Our flight arrived at about 12:30 p.m., and we cleared French Customs, which went quickly with facial recognition, although, in the end,  you get the stamp on your passport.  We collected our luggage and were met by our private Driver outside and on our way.  Very professional.  It was an hour drive from CDG to the Montparnasse area of metropolitan Paris, to our hotel, The Drawing House.  Montparnasse is the artistic and theater area with many Cafes and Restaurants.  Very pleased with the area once we explored it.  We immediately took a wee nap, then went on a walkabout, discovering many colorful outdoor cafes, shops, and bistros.  One of the famous Paris Restaurants in Montparnasse is Bouillon Chartier, established in 1896 with beautiful Art Nouveau decor.  A very popular place, but we were seated straightaway, avoiding a queue, sharing a table with two ladies on holiday from Marseille, France.  It was great.  I ordered an Avocado appetizer and had to order the Escargot.  It was in the shell, and a very different experience for me.  The DW had Pasta with vegetables.  The waiter writes your order on the table, then adds up your bill at the end of your meal.  I enjoyed the unique room, food, waiters, and experience.  We enjoyed the walk back to the hotel, and the DW got a Crepe at the walk-up window of one of the Creperies along the way.  We retired for the evening.  It was a tiring but easy travel day with the dining reward in the end.  

Friday, June 6, 2025 - Paris, France - Day 2 

We slept well in our unique corner room of the hotel.  The room is more than adequate, and the bed is large and comfortable.  We left at about 10:00 a.m. and walked to the Metro station, only a few blocks from the hotel.  We had the metro passes loaded on our iPhones and successfully mastered the metro routes to the Île de la Cité in the Seine River and Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris.  Still surrounded by construction since the massive fire, but the interior is now open.   The line to enter was too long for us to attempt a long wait, so we enjoyed the restored view of the front, then walked to a cafe for some Coca-Cola and a delicious croissant.  We did a nice walkabout and saw: the beautiful Hotel de Ville (City Hall & under remodel), Saint-Jacques Tower, Place du Chatelet, and crossed over the Pont au Change bridge to Île de la Cité and the same metro station for our return to Montparnasse.  We stopped for lunch at Pho-21, one of several Vietnamese restaurants in the area, I assume popular from the French Indochina days.  We stopped for groceries/goodies before returning to the Drawing House.  We relaxed until our Gate-1 meeting at 5:00 p.m.  We met our G-1 tour manager, Ragia, and the eighteen other members of our small group.  At about 6:00 p.m., we walked a few blocks to L’Atlantique Restaurant for a group dinner.  We sat with a charming Southern couple and enjoyed a nice meal.  We were served Goat Cheese as a starter and a Fish entree with Apple Pie for dessert.  We were also served an apéritif and a choice of wine.  Thank you, Gate-1, for the Welcome Dinner.  We then did a walkabout on the return to the hotel.  We did 16,000 steps today, so I retrieved ice from the Bar for a Coca-Cola and a relaxing time before retiring.  It was an exciting day in Paris.

Saturday, June 7, 2025 - Paris, France - Day 3 

We woke early and enjoyed a nice breakfast buffet at 7:15 a.m.  I had scrambled eggs, bacon, grapefruit juice, watermelon, banana, and some very nice cantaloupe.  We boarded our bus at 8:00 a.m. for our tour of Paris.  We have a full-size coach with only 20 in the group, so plenty of room.  We did a panorama tour of Paris with photo stops at Hôtel des Invalides, the Eiffel Tower, and the Arc de Triomphe.  All impressive.  We then drove the length of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées to Place de la Concorde and observed the numerous statues, government buildings, hotels, and fountains.  We also drove past Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris, Musée d’Orsay, the original Hermes and Louis Vuitton locations, and other posh department stores.  We were dropped off at the former spectacular Palace, now the home of the Louvre Museum.  We were oriented and left on our own for several hours to roam and discover the treasures inside.  We had visited several times before, but had four favorites to see today: The Venus de Milo statue, the Winged Victory of Samothrace statue (aka Nike), my favorite, the Delacroix painting of Victory leading the People, and the world's most popular painting, the Mona Lisa by DaVinci.  We could view various other art items, and seeing some of the French Crown Jewels was a new addition to the museum.  We could stay longer or return to the hotel on the bus, and most returned as did we.  DW took a wee nap, and I updated this blog and rested before dining at La Liberte near the hotel.   At about 5:30 p.m., we had a very unique tour.  We had nine convertible French Citrón cars, which took us on a grand tour of the Left Bank.  These small vehicles can navigate the narrow streets of the Latin Quarter and old medieval streets.  We stopped at Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the oldest church in Paris, founded in 542 and rebuilt in 1000 A.D.  We passed many well-known sites, including the Sorbonne, and saw countless other incredible sights.  The cars returned to the hotel at about 8:00 p.m.  It was a fun experience.  We retired to pack as we have to have our bags out by 6:45 a.m. for pickup.  It was a fantastic day touring and motoring around Paris.

Sunday, June 8, 2025 - Avignon, France - Day 4 

We were up early to get the bags out on time, then enjoyed a nice buffet breakfast at the hotel.  We soon boarded our bus that took us to Paris Gare de Lyon rail station for our 9:30 a.m. TGV bullet train to Avignon, France.  It was exciting riding the rails on a bullet train; it was my first time, and it was fast.  We also saw our first blooming Lavender fields from the train today.  We arrived at the Avignon TGV station at about 12:30 p.m.  We immediately walked to our very nice awaiting bus for the half-hour trip to Pont du Gard.  The Pont du Gard is a masterpiece of ancient Roman engineering and the best surviving Aqueduct in the world.  This UNESCO Heritage Site has been on my bucket list for a long time, and it was finally great to see it in person.  I didn't walk around much, but we enjoyed some good ice cream and looked at the aqueduct in amazement.  We returned to Avignon and checked into the Hotel Mercure Pont d'Avignon.  At 4:00 p.m., we walked the few blocks to the Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes), Europe's largest and most important medieval Gothic building.  This massiv.e complex hosted six Papal Enclaves during the 14th century.  It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, our second to visit in one day.  Afterward, I enjoyed two fine local beers at a street Bistro before returning to the hotel for an excellent Group Dinner at the hotel restaurant.  We took a final walk to see the Palais before retiring.  The weather was ideal on this great day in Avignon.  

Monday, June 9th, 2025 - Touring Provence - Day 5 

A full day of scheduled touring, so we began with a buffet breakfast at the hotel.  At about 8:00 a.m., we were off for our bus and the city of Arles.  We started our tour at the Rhone River quay, where four riverboats are docked this morning.  The City has markers of locations that Vincent Van Gogh, the famous painter, had sat to paint.  The photo of the painting at each site is terrific.  The first was here at the riverside.  We walked by the Thermes de Constantine into Arles's quaint old city center and the  Roman Arena of Arles.  They still have Camargue-style Bullfights here.  A blend of the ancient past and modern times.  Our second Van Gogh marker, who spent his final years in Provence, is of the Roman Arena.  We next stopped at the Bar frequented and painted by Van Gogh in a small Arles square.  We then viewed the beautiful Romanesque Cathédrale Saint-Tropine d’Arles with a wonderfully carved entry, then Cloître Saint-Tropine in a larger city square.  My favorite final stop with a Van Gogh marker was L’espace Van Gogh, a small Garden painted by Van Gogh that maintains the plantings just as they were when planted.  We had some free time here and could enjoy it.  There are two nice museums here to be seen on a future trip. We then met our coach, drove a few miles out of town for a short photo stop at an old Bridge painted by Van Gogh and preserved with a Marker.  We were then off to a farm/ranch for a wee tour on a tractor-pulled wagon of a cow/calf operation and view some bulls raised for the Camargue bull fights.  Here we had lunch of Rice grown on the farm and their own seasoned shredded beef.  The meal was delicious, and the farmhouse and grounds were impressive.  We then drove to the Mediterranean Coast and a Natural Wetlands Park to see flamingos.  I did not associate them with France.  We were then off to our final destination, an in-home dinner with a celebrity French Chef, Yvan (photo from book cover), who cooks local cuisine for you in his home, and we dine al fresco in his garden.  Group members did tasks including helping prepare the food, setting up the table, and more.  I was unsure about this, but the chef's personality was very entertaining, and it was a wonderful experience.  Perhaps my favorite.  We then returned to our hotel in Avignon at about 8:00 p.m..  It was a great 12-hour tour of the Camargue area of Provence.

Tuesday, June 10th, 2025 - Touring Provence - Day 6

I slept very well and woke to leave our bags out at 7:30 a.m.  I had a light breakfast before our departure at about 8:15 a.m.  Our first stop was at Carrièeres de Lumièr. This is a fantastic light show located inside a rock quarry, with images broadcasting on cavern walls, buttresses, Pillars, and the floor.  A complete show with art and music inside the otherwise dark cavern.  This year's (2025) show is based on Monet's art and is quite an amazing and unique experience.  We next went to the nearby Les Baux de Provence,   a small village on a cliffside founded in the Middle Ages.  There are many interesting Shops, souvenirs, Churches, and more.  The cobblestone streets and steep passageways can be difficult.  We made it around the main areas and had time to enjoy a Coca-Cola at a Restaurant.  Soon, we stopped at a rural farm called Chez Tata & Simone for another wonderful luncheon with various fresh food items from Provence.  We dined al fresco and enjoyed wine and dessert.  The local food has been terrific,  especially with this Mediterranean climate and abundant water.  After lunch, we were back on the Van Gogh trail with a visit to the Saint-Paul asylum in Saint-Remy-de-Provence.    (click for Great Link).  During his stay there, he was confined to the grounds and painted everything around him, so there is an extensive series of paintings from this one year of his life.  We visited his room and a small studio.  The Hospital is well preserved, and the markers of Painting locations are throughout the grounds, gardens, and fields.  We had a one-hour stop in town, where most of us enjoyed the main square and observed a local wedding in the Church.  DW had a wine, and I had a nice Leffe beer.  We then went to Aix-en-Provence, and our nice accommodation was at the Grand Hotel Roi Rene.  We have a very nice room for the next four nights to tour Provence.  Dinner was in the hotel dining room.  I had a nice chicken entree, and the DW a vegetarian gnocchi entree.  We retired after dinner after another big day of touring.  A great day in Provence.  

Wednesday, June 11th, 2025 - Aix-en-Provence and Touring Provence - Day 7 

I slept well, woke early to update this blog, and then went to the very nice hotel breakfast buffet.  I enjoyed Scrambled Eggs with Tabasco (They had a large bottle next to the eggs), Bacon, Juices, Yogurt, and Hot Milk.  Afterward, I took a small plate back to the room for the DW.  Croissants are a given, but I knew she would be happy as they offered a fine selection of her favorite Nuts.  We are relaxing this morning while many of the group are walking around Aix-en-Provence.  At about 11:30 a.m., we boarded a bus to take our group of 20 to a Wine Tasting at Chateau De La Galiniere, only about 20+ miles from Aix.  We had a tour of the wine production area, which included views of many vineyards and beautiful scenery (photo).  We then sat at our 20-seat table and tasted three wines: Rose, White, and Red.  Afterward, we were served a light lunch and more wine.  It was a very nice operation; it reminded me of our ranch in Texas.  We returned to the hotel by 3:30 p.m. and the rest of the day was free.  Most of the group rested and then walked into the old town when it cooled off for the evening.  We strolled around, then at about 7:00 p.m. decided to eat at Cafe du Roi in the old town, just across from the Roi Rene Statue.  I had a steak and DW had a Pizza.  It was good, but nothing special.  We did enjoy the people watching, though.  We saw new friends and lingered a while visiting.  We returned to the hotel, and I washed some seersucker shirts to wear in the upcoming hot weather before retiring.  It was a good rest and recovery day in Provence.

Thursday, June 12th, 2025 - Aix-en-Provence and Touring Provence - Day 8 

I slept well and went to the breakfast buffet, having the same routine as yesterday.  This morning, we met our tour bus to visit Provence's hills, valleys, and mountains.  Our first stop was at the beautiful Village of Gordes, built into the mountainside (Lead blog photo).  It was so unique that it is hard to describe, much like the magical Brigadoon, but only in French.  Please check out Gordes here.  Our next stop, which was DW's favorite, was Senanque Abbey, located near Gordes in a valley surrounded by Lavender Fields.  We’re just a wee early for full bloom, but it will be even moreamazing in a few weeks.  They offer tours and a great Abbey Tourist building.  About an hour away was the Village of Roussillon and the Ochra Path with interesting geological formations.  We chose to take a limited walk into the Ochra, returning to the Village (photo) to shop at the Market area.  We then proceeded up this mountainside Village to the main plaza and enjoyed an excellent view and meal at Cafe des Couleurs.  We had Escargot, an Angus Burger, extra Fries, and Coca-Colas.  It was very good with outstanding service.  Our final village, less than an hour away, was Lourmarin.  DW did some shopping, and I stopped at a local cafe to enjoy a beer as the day's heat wasn’t conducive to exploring the village.  Soon, we were on our way back to Aix and the hotel.  We returned at about 5:15 p.m. for a short rest as we had a group dinner tonight.  At 6:45 p.m., we walked a few blocks to Restaurant La Pinede.  We enjoyed the starters, I had Short Ribs and DW had Hummus with Cheese Rolls.  Neither of us cared for the entrée: Pasta with Truffle Sauce.  Two drinks were included, so thanks to Gate1.  We returned to the hotel and retired after such a long and hot day.  We enjoyed the beautiful and unique French Villages today.

Friday, June 13, 2025 - Aix-en-Provence and Touring Provence - Day 9 

I slept well, but not long overnight as I was updating this Blog.  I went to the Breakfast Buffet and had my usual.  I appreciate the Hot Milk, and DW appreciates my delivery of her croissants.  We boarded the Bus at about 8:15 a.m. to drive to Cassis, a former fishing village and now a resort area on the Mediterranean coast surrounded by a National Park.  Very quaint town with small streets, so we parked the coach and boarded a Choo-Choo to carry us to the old docks in the old city center.  We soon boarded a sightseeing boat for an hour+ cruise of the Calanques National Park's unique coastline.  Once returned to shore, we had some free time, and I bought some white linen shorts at Blanc de Nil needed for White Nights on cruises.  We were then off to Marseille, southern France, a port city that has been a crossroads of immigration and trade since its founding by the Greeks circa 600 B.C.. At its heart is the Vieux-Port (old port), where fishmongers sell their catch along the boat-lined quay.  We drove to the old port for lunch at the La Nautique Restaurant on a floating harbor barge.  What a great location and experience this private yacht club has.  I had a very nice chicken entree, and DW had a risotto, which was also very good.  Afterward, we did a panoramic drive around Marseille until reaching Basilique Notre-Dame de La Guare.  A lot of stairs are involved with this visit.  We then drove to the old town of Marseille, we were too tired to walk it, but we took a break at Bar du 13 Coins and enjoyed two Hugo Spritzers.  From here, we began our trip back to our hotel in Aix, arriving just after 5:00 p.m.  We rested two+ hours waiting for the weather to cool before taking a walkabout on our final night here.  We first went to a food festival in a Park just behind our hotel, then walked to the large Fontaine de la Rotonde (photo) on the boulevard.  We stopped at an ATM, then enjoyed a beer and snacks at a nearby Cafe to watch the fountain and people.  We ended the day with an ice cream on the way back to the hotel.  A very busy day in Provence.

Saturday, June 14th, 2025 - Nice and Côte d’Azur (French Riviera) - Day 10 

I slept well, but awoke at 7:00 a.m. to pack and have my breakfast buffet.  At 8:15, we were off to Nice, arriving by noon.  We did a guided orientation walk of the old town and the market area, then released on our own for three hours of free time.  I like this as I can walk at my own pace.  I was already hot, so we stopped for a light lunch.  We had a Nicoise Salad at Le Romarin in the old town, then we walked to Fenocchio for the best ice cream in Provence.  Lunch and ice cream are all within sight of Cathedrale Saint-Reparate de Nice (photo) in the busy Place Rossetti area.  Using Google Maps, I noticed I had a Want to Go on Wayne's Bar in Nice.  It was on our way to our meet-up place, so we went to find it, only a few blocks away.  What a great surprise.  Known for live music and a party spot for English speakers in the French Riviera, it was a haven on this hot day, as it had the best air conditioning of any place we had been.  Friendly and excellent beer selection.  We were the only people on the inside.  We met our bus at about 3:15 p.m. and were off to the Marc Chagall museum.  We were to go to the Rothschild Villa, but it was closed to the public today for a function.  We were disappointed as we had not been there.  The museum was not interesting to me or DW, and it was a wasted stop, IMHO.  At about 5:20 p.m., we arrived at our new hotel for the next two days, the Marriott’s AC Hotel-Nice, located just a block off La Vela Beach on the Promenade des Anglais.  It has a nice view from the rooftop bar and the best A/C of any previous hotel…it was nice and cool.  We retired early for some refreshing rest.  It was an enjoyable day in Provence.

Sunday, June 15, 2025 - Eze and Monoco - Day 11 

I slept very well, only waking up to post on this Blog entry at night.  As we begin our final day of touring, I went to the rooftop restaurant for a buffet breakfast.  They had an omelet station and a wide variety of items.  Lovely fruit, delicious baked goods, eggs, bacon, grilled tomatoes, juices, and more.  We met at the Bus at 9:00 a.m. for our journey to Eze and Monaco.  Our first stop was a place I requested of the driver, we stopped at a viewpoint, Belvedere, Villefranche-sur-Mer, a beautiful overlook over the bay where some of my Mediterranean Cruises have anchored.  We were soon in Eze, where many walked up steep steps to the Village garden.  DW and I saved that effort and enjoyed Coca-Cola and Beignets below, we then met the group at Parfumerie Fragohard for a tour of the perfume factory and showrooms.  After the tour, we were off to the Principality of Morocco.  Our first stop was the Old Town, the Prince's Palace, and the Cathedral of Monaco, where Princess Grace and Prince Rainer are buried.  We then had free time and ate at the same crêperie we ate at on our previous visit here, Creperie Du Rocher.  It was good.  We then had a walkabout and took photos of some Medieval costumed dancers performing at an event on the Palace grounds.  Our next stop was at Casino Square, which is the location of the famous Monte Carlo Casino (photo).  We all entered the building foyer, and some went into the casino to gamble.  We went to the Casino Cafe du Paris for some dear Hugo Spritzers…very good though.  We met our bus at 4:15 p.m. for the return trip to Nice, arriving at about 5:00 p.m.   At 7:00, we had our Farewell Dinner at Les Jardins Du Capitale.  My Veal was excellent.  After all the goodbyes, we returned to the hotel to start partial packing and retire.  It was a great final day in Provence.

Monday, June 16, 2025 - Travel Day - Day 12

I slept well in our cool hotel room and woke at about 7:00 a.m. to finish packing.  We had an excellent rooftop breakfast buffet before meeting our 9:00 a.m. airport shuttle.  We went from Nice to Philadelphia to Tampa and Ubered home at about 11:00 p.m. local time. 

Gate1 Travel

I was very impressed with Gate1 Travel, which has a loyal clientele.  The routes and attractions are well thought out based on their previous experiences, yet they are flexible as needed.  This was a Discovery tour limited to fewer than 22 and better hotels.  I think I will only do this type of tour in the future.  Our tour guide was Rajia, an experienced and knowledgeable European tour guide.