France Trip Review: Paris, Avignon, Provence, Local Cuisine, Winery, History, Culture, Nature, Private Tours

There were so many memories.  One of my most memorable days was the lavender fields in Valensole and Senanque Abbey (Gordes); the smell of the lavenders, the sound of the bees, the purple fields everywhere and the taste of lavender in the ice cream, honey and even wine.  Another highlight mentioned was watching the July the 14 fireworks while eating delicious food and drinking wonderful champagne from the rooftop of the hotel in St. Remy de Provence and then proceeding to the town center to see a live band and to watch people celebrate and dance.  Other highlights, I will remember are the private tours through the narrow streets, tasting delicious gourmet foods, desserts and champagnes in Paris and wandering in the Marais district and experiencing what is actually behind those huge wooden doors that line the narrow streets.  The guides were quite knowledgeable, interesting and engaging.  They were more than happy answer many questions and show us where the best macarons might be.  The Musee de L'armee had an amazing exhibit about the French resistance to Nazi occupation during WWII.  I found the propaganda posters, the Nazi German Flag artifact and a letter from an imprisoned French Resistance Fighter to his parents to be quite poignant.  We participated in a group cooking class located in Avignon that culminated into an amazing meal.  We were also able to shop for cheese, olives and charcuterie in the indoor market where the class was held.  I experienced the Market in St. Remy.  The tour of Cassis on the Mediterranean provided a boat tour of the white cliffs and I was able to sit on the beach with the small cobbles and soak my feet in the the cool sea water.  My guide provided a great history of the Palais de Papes in Avignon over coffee.  On the way to the Châteauneuf-du-Pape, he provided great background of the village.  I had a tour of Domaine La Barroche in Châteauneuf-du-Pape that provided a tasting of the same wine from various years.  It was an fine example of how the character of the wine changes as the wine ages.  I also learned about how the character of the soil and age of the wines affects the characteristics of the grapes.  Of course they taught me about the appellations d’origine protegee.   I also learned how to taste wine in order to fully find its character.  In Aix en Provence, I was intrigued by the many facets of the fountain in the Cours Mirabeau. Also, I had a wonderful tour of the city that also involved food.  Our guide was very knowledgeable and engaging.  He talked about the part of Aix from the Middle Ages, the part from the Renaissance and the good king Rene.   Our group of three found him so interesting that we did not want him to leave.  I attended a piano recital of Adela Liculescu.  She played Schumann, Chopin, Kreisler/ Rachmaninov and Liebesleid et liebesbreud nad Gounod/ Liszt.  She was an amazing pianist.  I only had a credit card but the let my attend anyway although they only accepted Euros.  I attended the bull games in  St. Remy and I was told by a gentleman that I left my hat at the arena.  I was quite impressed by the willingness of the French people to help me.