Burgundy and Provence French Cruise 2019
Burgundy and Provence French Cruise November 5-17,2019 Bon Jour! Many of you have traveled with me in the past, or maybe wanted to travel with me. I am once again planning a trip, but not until fall,2019. The wait is so Steve can recover from having his knees fixed. Why am I telling you this so far in advance? This trip can only accommodate 46 travelers, so deposits need to be made quickly to ensure you can travel with us, and this trip tends to fill up. The trip we are going on is quite a departure for us. We are going to spend a few days in the French Riviera city of Nice. We will then travel to the Camargue, a wilderness and rural delta south of the provencal town of Arles. Arles is not only the place where Van Gogh had some of his most productive painting years, but also the home of many Roman ruins, including a sizable amphitheater. In Arles we will board our ship and begin a week's cruise up the Rhone River stopping in Avignon and several tiny villages in Provence as we make our way up to Lyon in the Burgundy region. After a home visit and time to explore,we will then board a scenic bus through the wine country to Macon, and finally we will take a speedy train to our final destination, Paris, for a few days at a centrally located hotel near Gallerie Lafayette and the Paris Opera House. Why are we going in November? The weather will still be quite good, and the cost savings is tremendous. If we went in the month of October we would spend about $1400 more per person, and if we went in September, the cost would be almost double. There will be a pre trip option of more time in Nice and Monaco, and a post trip option in Paris, with 3 additional days. Because there are only 23 cabins on the boat, and only a couple of single rooms, even though the trip is so far off, you will have more options if you make up your mind in a timely manner. Other than your deposit, final payments will not be due until August, 2019, unless you want to participate in Grand Circle's discount program that applies to cash transactions. I will, as always, make souvenirs for our fellow travelers, have tote bags, a class making a small version of Van Gogh's Yellow House, and a mini sales opportunity on board. We will scope out minis where ever we can find them on the trip. Lyon has an incredible mini museum and one of our fellow travelers, Sandi Bender, knows many minaturists in Paris for us to visit. Until I cruised on the Seine several years ago, I had no idea how much I would love France. Paris is an incredible city with all the beauty and history you could ever imagine. However, going out of the city down to the south was even more of an eye opener. The charming towns, the magnificent hills covered on the top by tiny villages like ice cream melting down the slopes, the lavender, the vineyards, the red soil in some areas, the Roman buildings,bridges and roads, the artist homes and views they painted, the quaint markets and local shops, and the friendly people all made this area of the country a place I will never tire of visiting. This trip we add the French Riviera and chateaus in the wine country. What could be better. As early as this is to consider, if any of this sounds good, I encourage you to visit the Grand Circle site, view some of the videos, check out the layout of the ship, and sign up. If you are only interested in a single room, sign up to share a room. You may end up with a single after all. Here is the link to the details of the trip. Grand Circle can even help you with arranging your airfare from many cities around the country at very competitive prices. https://www.gct.com/trips/river-cruises/europe/cruising-burgundy-and-provence-to-the-cote-d-azur/2019/itineraries?icid=global:smallshiprivercruises:rivercruises:ron2019 If you decide to join us, please call the booking department (877-220-2540) and ask to join the Cruising Burgundy and Provence to Cote D'Azure, 2019 with MiniFab, Group code G9-24896. Deposits are $500 per passenger. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at my email address or give me a call. I look forward to seeing you at upcoming mini events. Sue Herber, sue@sueherber.com, 425-454-2399