The City Of Lights – day one
After watching the film Midnight In Paris, while en route to the city of lights, it was only appropriate that we started our amazing Paris Provence experience, with a glass of champagne at the oh so 1920s bar Les Deux Magots (one of Ernest Hemingway’s most favoured hotspots)… at midnight of course!
This was the start of six days of delicious food and fine wine indulgence. Feeling like royalty, we had some of the most amazing and unique experiences, with Trafalgar Be My Guest lunches and incredible Hidden Treasures on our guided holiday throughout both France and Italy.
After our late night arrival, the following morning we were met by our Travel Director, Jonathan, at the Marriott Courtyard, centrally located in the very chic and beautiful Neuilly Sur Seine area of Paris. Jonathan is an absolute expert when it comes to France. He has been living and breathing it his entire life and was a superstar when it came to providing us with his secrets on where to eat, shop and sightsee in our free time.
After settling in, we met our fellow travellers and got to know each other over a Welcome Dinner at the oldest restaurant in Paris, tracing back to 1610, La Petite Chaise, located in in the famed Latin Quarter, where we got a taste of some well-known French cuisine, such as a delicious onion soup and foie gras.
From Paris to Provence – day two
From One of the unique points of difference about a Trafalgar guided holiday is that different modes of transport are often utilised. To get to our next destination, Avignon, we arrived at the Gare de Lyon station where we were hopping on the super-fast TGV High Speed Train. Before boarding, our Travel Director Jonathan insisted we all check out one of his favourite Hidden Treasures within the station, the Le Train Bleu an absolutely incredible restaurant with an amazing ambience and design which made us feel like we had gone back in time. Some of the travellers with us had been to Gare de Lyon station over a dozen times, yet they had never found this very special Hidden Treasure. After a delicious coffee hit (still a little jet-lagged), we hopped on our First Class journey south to Avignon. Provence is famous for its fine cuisine and we sampled the very best of it at the beautiful little restaurant – Les Jardins du Quai, located in the town of Isle sur la Sorgue. Owned by world renowned chef, Daniel Hebet, we were not only treated to a delicious lunch, we also experienced a very special demonstration on the art of making macarons by Daniel himself.
Next stop was the magical ‘City of the Popes’, Avignon. We wandering along the cobble-stoned streets and did a spot of shopping and finished the day with dinner with a view – overlooking the Palais des Papes, followed by a short drive to our elegant hotel in the heart of Aix-en-Provence, The Grand Hotel Mercure le Roi Ren.
Our first Be My Guest experience – day three
This morning was ours to relax a little and enjoy some free time. Aix En Provence is a university town, filled with quaint side walk cafés and beautiful locals just watching the world go by. It is the ultimate people watching destination! I chose to visit the farmers markets, where I pottered around tasting the delicious local fruit, breads and cheeses. We met up at lunchtime quite excited as we were off to our very first Trafalgar Be My Guest lunch at the absolutely stunning Chateau la Dorgonne. Upon meeting the owner Baudouin Parmentier, we learned about his family and hearing about the history of the chateau and chatted to him as we walked through the winery located on the property. We then were welcomed by Baudouin and his family into his very homely, warm chateau. Feeling very relaxed in a beautifully set dining room we grazed on a smorgasbord of home-made La Dorgonne Courgette Flan served with a cream, mint and herb sauce, provencal casserole, Luberon Goat’s Cheese and a delicious berry panna cotta. While we also sipped the chateau’s signature wine, the Blanc Château Dorgonne 2010, Rosé Château Dorgonne 2010, Rouge Château Dorgonne 2009. Some members of the group enjoyed the wine so much they bought some to take back home.
Feeling very relaxed after a lovely long Be My Guest lunch, we headed off on a drive through the peaceful Provençal countryside to the National Park of the Luberon. And just when we thought our day couldn’t get any better, Jonathan showed us his expert local knowledge by taking us to a tiny little village restaurant Hostellerie le Chateau, right on the rushing la-Sorgue river. Dining on trout caught from the river below us, we felt like we were having a truly authentic French experience. No other tourists in sight, just us and the locals. Another amazing day!
Daniel Hebet’s macaron demonstration
The Popes Palace in Avingnon