Travel  Itinerary  Travel  Destination:  Languedoc-­‐Roussillon,  France  

Travel  Dates:  16October-­‐26October,  2015  

 

Coastline  Advisor:  Cathy  Moha  

Email:  cathy.moha@coastlinetravel.com  

Phone:  +1.800.448.2374    

 

 

 

     

 

 

2015  Itinerary  Overview  Day  1  16  October  Fly  from  Los  Angeles  to  Montpellier,  France  

Day  2  17  October  Arrive  in  Montpellier-­‐  Private  transfer  to  Disini  Hotel  ****  

 Day  3:    18  October  Explore  Camargue  and  Arles  

Day4:    19  October  Visit  Montpellier  at  leisure  

Day  5:  20  October  Discover  Le  Pont  Du  Gard  and  Nimes  

Day   6:   21   October   Check-­‐in   at   Chateau   des   Ducs   de   Joyeuses***.   Discover  Carcassonne.  Wine  tastings  in  Corbières  with  Sophie  and  Didier  

Day  7:  22  October  Explore  Cathar  Castles.  Rivesaltes  wine  tastings  and  Wine  &  Food  pairing  with  Isabelle  

Day   8:   23   October   Narbonne   at   leisure,   Enjoy   a   Cooking   Class   &  Wine   pairing   in  Roussillon  with  Heather  

Day  9:  24  October  Check-­‐out.  Séte  at  leisure.  Check-­‐in  Grand  Hôtel  de  Sète***  

Day  10:  25  October    Local  farmers  at  the  Central  Market  in  the  heart  of  town.  Afternoon  surprise!!    

Day  11:  October  26  It  is  time  to  go  back  home!  Private  transfer  from  Grand  Hotel  to  the  Airport    

All  dates  are  subject  to  change  according  to  airline/hotels  availabilities.    Hotels  and  air  schedule  as  show  on  this  itinerary  are  not  guarantee  until  booked.    

 

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

Languedoc  Roussillon  wine  and  vineyards  region  

 

 

 

 

     

 

 

Detailed  Itinerary  

Day  1:  Los  Angeles  to  Montpellier  

Flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Montpellier

16OCT AF0069 Los Angeles (LAX) Depart 6:35P 16OCT Arrive 2:15pm Paris Paris (ORY) - Montpellier (MPL) 17OCT 6:25pm 17OCT 7:40pm AF7552

Day  2:    Arrival  in  Montpellier  Private transfer by minibus to our hotel Hotel Disini http://www.disini-hotel.com/# (or same category)

This 4-star luxury hotel and spa contains 16 luxury rooms and Suites, and beautifully combines elegance and the « ethnic smart », style in the green peace of the classified oak forest, while being connected to the outside world. The sophisticated decoration, and the beneficial silence, give a very particular charm to this place. Here the natural materials are next to the uncluttered forms of the design so creating a soft, felted and comfortable atmosphere. We will relax in this gorgeous property, and enjoy our first French regional dinner (included). The Disini gourmet restaurant, recognized by the Guide Michelin, is an address in itself. The Epicureans do not make a mistake there.

Day  3:    Camargue  and  Arles  Camargue is a unique place in Europe. The conjunction of the Mediterranean Sea and the largest delta in Europe, the Rhône River one, has designed a very unique landscape with salted lakes and marshland, which are the shelters of a lot of birds, poultry species, and fish. Sandbars are the home of wild horses and bulls. Camargue is also the region where the traditional Gypsy culture is the most important and the oldest one. Music, traditional cuisine, local architecture are part of the living legacy of it. You will visit a typical local farm called a Manade, and discover its unique culture. Have lunch at the Manade Des Baumelles for local recipes and products (included-   http://www.manade-­‐des-­‐baumelles.camargue.fr/lamanade.html), have a chart tour of the surroundings: rice and salt are part of the local productions.

 

     

 

Later in the afternoon, visit the Roman amphitheater of Arles located in the north outskirts of Camargue. Discover the Roman city and meet Van Gogh.

Dinner in Arles (included) at Le Criquet. They are known for their Mediterranean Cuisine.

 

     

 

Arles,  the  Roman  amphitheater  

 Day  4:  Visit  Montpellier  

Spend a day at leisure at your own pace in Montpellier. Montpellier is a town to walk, and stroll from narrow shopping paved streets to colossal 19th century architecture.

Beginning as a small group of rural villages linking the Gallo-Roman cities of Nimes and

 

     

 

Narbonne, the city of Montpellier was born in 985, a millennium after its cousins. Sited near the Domitian Way and the Way of Saint-Jacques de Compostela, with a port in Lattes next to the sea, the city developed around trade, attracting pilgrims and travellers who inaugurated its strong cosmopolitan tradition. This activity led to the emergence of an important intellectual center, to the extent that Montpellier became the site of the first medical school in the kingdom of France and beyond, where Nostradamus and Rabelais both studied! The botanical garden adjoining the university, founded in 1593 by Henri IV to provide medicinal plants, is thus the oldest in France. Montpellier’s prosperity continued to rise for over two centuries, first with the Guilhem family - founders of the city - then as part of the kingdom of Aragon. Today, The Ecusson, the historic center, remains the heart of the city and its major pedestrianisation scheme has made strolling through the streets even more enjoyable. The Musée Fabre, one of the finest provincial museums of Fine Arts, is a sumptuous setting for prominent works, like those of Courbet and Delacroix, not to mention the beautiful room dedicated to Pierre Soulages, and has attracted tens of thousands of visitors since its reopening. Narrow streets, lined with discrete seventeenth and eighteenth century townhouses, weave their way through the center, leading to magnificent buildings such as Saint Pierre Cathedral, the Peyrou, a park with views over the countryside, the charming St. Anne, or the lively Place de la Comédie with its ornate buildings from the prosperous 19th century.

 

Dinner  will  be  at  Alliance des Plaisirs  (Included-­‐  http://www.lalliancedesplaisirs.fr).  

 

 

 

 

     

 

Day  5:  Pont  du  Gard-­‐Nîmes  After  breakfast,  embark  on  a  day  trip  to  Roman  times!    

Our  driver  will  take  us  to  this  jewel  of  architecture,  unique  in  Europe,  which  is  Pont  du  Gard  (Bridge  of  the  River  Gard).  

Our  local  guide  will  take  us  to  a  priviledged  tour  of  the  historical  site,  including  an  introduction  to  the  museum,  a  guided  tour  of  the  museum  and  the  bridge,  and  an   impressing  guided  tour  through  the  channel  on  the  third  level  of  the  acqueduct!    

Lunch  will  be  at  the  local  restaurant  “Les  Terrasses”,  facing  the  monument  (guided  visits  and  lunch  included).  

Later,   let’s   explore   the  Roman  Coliseum  of  Nîmes,   as  well   as  Maison  Carrée,   another   vestige   and  piece  of  work  of  the  Romans.  Stroll  the  paved  streets  at  leisure.  

Dinner  on  your  own  at  Disini  (Included)    

 

Pont  du  Gard  

 

     

 

Maison  Carrée  

 

Day  6:  Middle  Ages  and  Corbières  tastings    

 

 

     

 

After breakfast, we’ll check-out from your hotel Disini. Our chauffeur will pick us up for a drive to another historical period inland to the gorgeous medieval rampart city, Carcassone. On our way to Carcassonne, our first stop will be at the saltpans of l’Ile Saint Martin, also called Salins de Gruisan, for a guided visit of the island Saint Martin where salt is produced (Visit at 11:00am), as well as oysters and mussels. Oyster and seafood tastings    (not included) .

Our second stop will be at Capendu Village to visit the Chateau de Capendu. This estate is located in the heart of the village that dates back to medieval times, since 1063, has been the focal point since the 19th century, frequently documented in the history of the village. On the property one can find a huge open well, 10 meters in diameter, which supplies water to the village through the windmill. Located at the foothills of the Alaric Mountain, the entire village has been built on a rock and channels the water coming from slopes of the mountain. At Chateau de Capendu, you will taste various wines, expression of the Corbières region. Chateau de Capendu owners are passionate about their estate and their production, using the local products to produce surprising creations to please your palate, such as the aperitifs based on wine and the salt with wine, which will change your dinners into unforgettable moments of Languedoc conviviality.

We continue our journey inland to reach 20 minutes later in Carcassonne, the Middle-Ages jewel of France. Carcassonne is stunning. With its troubadours and singing stars, its equestrian tournaments and its little trains, the Museum of Torture and the toy wooden swords, Carcassonne is one of the most beautiful and unique fortified towns in Europe.

 

     

 

 

 

Check-in at Château des Ducs de Joyeuses for 3 nights (or same category), Dinner at the hotel restaurant (Included). http://www.chateau-des-ducs.com

Hotel Chateau des Ducs de Joyeuses: Set in a lovely park through which the river Aude flows, this fortified castle, listed as an historical monument, offers a legendary hospitality. Its modern comfort is skillfully combined with the splendor of its past. The refined standing of the rooms and junior suites is perfectly associated with the medieval decoration of this noble place.  

Dinner at Ducs de Joyeuses (Included)

 

     

 

Day  7:  Catharism  and  Castles  Catharism, a dissident Christian movement spread by preachers starting in 1140, rapidly acquired a following in Languedoc, was recognized by its ruling nobles, and established dioceses in Toulouse, Carcassonne, Albi, and Agen. To counter the influence of this religion, which refuted the dogmas and the authority of the Catholic Church, in 1209 Pope Innocent III undertook the Albigensian Crusade. Led by Simon de Montfort, this Crusade was merciless, massacring the population of Beziers, Carcassonne, Minerve and Lastours, and the villages fell one by one. The county of Toulouse was conquered. The Treaty of Meaux (1229) put an end to the holy war, while the Inquisition continued to harry heretics, who took refuge in the fortified villages of Minervois and Corbières. The Cathar adventure, which had become a war of independence of the South against the Kingdom of France, ended by the fall of these villages and the joining of Languedoc to the crown of France.

The epic history legacy is still told by the castles of the “Pays Cathare”. Peyrepertuse (the most imposing), Aguilar, Termes, Puilaurens, Quéribus (the last stronghold of the Albigensians, who surrendered in 1255), and Puivert are among the most important. Soaring yet massive, the remains of these fortresses, perched at more than 2100 feet of altitude, seem to be poised on their rocky spurs or to surge from the very rock itself, while their crenellated walls give an impression of unyielding strength.

After an early breakfast, our driver will pick us up at 9:30am to take us southbound, on the Cathar Castle road. We will visit the castles of Peyrepertuse and Queribus: please make sure you wear comfortable shoes, no high heels. The wind can be very strong and cold, make sure you wear comfortable clothes.

Later on our way to the south, we will stop for Rivesaltes wine tastings.

The vineyards flourished for twenty centuries, with wine becoming the region's main economic driver. Languedoc and a part of Roussillon were nothing but rows of vines as far as the eye could see. People spoke of a ‘sea of grapes’ between Carcassonne and the Rhône. For thirty years now, Languedoc-Roussillon has been redefining the vintner’s trade to make the most of the quality of its “terroirs”. A quality combined with diversity in a region cultivating naturally sweet wines (the muscats of Lunel, Mireval, Frontignan, Saint-Jean-de-Minervois, Rivesaltes, Banyuls, and Banyuls Grand Cru), sparkling wines (including Blanquette and Crémant de Limoux) and many reds, whites, and rosés as well. No other region boasts such variety, with over thirty different grape stocks being grown.

Lunch will be at Star-Michelin awarded Chef Jean Louis Marin’s restaurant  Auberge  du  Cellier  (http://www.aubergeducellier.com/carte.aspx) for some French specialties (not included but

 

     

 

reserved); the restaurant is located in Perpignan.

Peyrepertuse  overlooking  Roussillon  vineyards  

After lunch, we will have a walk by the Mediterranean Sea, and discover the seashore. Continue your day at Carcassonne. Explore the rampart city on own. Dinner at Le Blé Noir (not included).

Day  8:  Narbonne  After breakfast, we will meet our driver at 9:30am, and reach Narbonne after less than one hour’s drive. Founded in 118 BCE, Narbonne’s geographical location made it a veritable crossroads on the Mediterranean coast. You will love discovering the little town: the monumental cathedral, the pedestrian shopping paved streets, the riverbanks where you can have lunch. Morning at leisure.

 

     

 

 

 

 

At 2:30 in the afternoon, we will meet in front of the cathedral, and get back to our minibus.  

We will head to Millepetit for a very exceptional experience: a cooking class by the river Aude and the Canal du Midi built in the 17th Century under Louis XIV, now inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage. Heather will be our host in her gorgeous property. You may be a skilled cook who wants to be completely “hands-on” or someone who just likes to sit back, watch and learn. We will learn to adapt each dish to suit the produce available and share tips on traditional techniques such as curing and preserving and simple cheese making. Basic knife skills will also be covered. Most of all, let’s have a relaxing and fun time, and let’s enjoy the meal that we will prepare together, accompanied by expertly paired local wines (included) for our farewell evening!

 

 

     

 

                                 

Day  9:  Séte  After breakfast, check-out from Château Ducs de Joyeuses. We will drive for 1.30 hour to the south to the Mediterranean Sea. The charming little city of Séte is by the sea and waterways. It is definitely turned to the Big Blue, and activities are mostly related to fishing, boating, and seafood. This has developed through time a special culinary culture with recipes that you will not find elsewhere in France.

 

Upon arriving, we will visit the local Grand Market where 75 local farmers sell their products:

 

     

 

fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, but also local dishes that you can taste on site. This is a very authentic experience, colorful and a nice way to feel and see how people live there.

 

Lunch at the Grand Market (not included). Afternoon at leisure in Séte.

Check-in at  Grand  Hotel  (or same category)  http://www.legrandhotelsete.com/fr/accueil  

Grand  Hotel*** is a charming 19th Century 3-star hotel in the heart of Séte, setting in front of the canal in the heart of the old town. Its 19th Century glass-roof is stunning, as well as the very Parisian interior staircase is. The rooms are all decorated in a unique way; it is a very comfortable boutique hotel.

 

     

 

Dinner will be at La  Pomme  de  Pin (Not included-http://www.lapommedepin-sete.com)

There is a Casino in town! Fancy some French slot machines and gambling? For those who like music, we will end this evening listening some live music at a “Piano Bar” (Not included-to be confirmed)

Day  10:  A  very  special  last  day!    Morning and lunch (not included) at leisure. Take your time to stroll the streets, enjoy the canal banks with the fishmongers and the breeze from the sea.

 

     

 

 

The afternoon will be very special, but this is another story: a surprise awaits!

Farewell dinner included at La Coquerie (included- http://www.annemajourel.fr/horizon.html)

Day  11  Monday  26  October:    Let’s  go  back  home!    Check-out from Grand Hotel.

 

     Bye Bye Séte!

     

 

     

 

 v Option1- Fly back home!

Private transfer to Montpellier Airport.

Flight from Montpellier to Los Angeles

26OCT AF7685 Montpellier (MPL) - Paris (CDG) Depart 835pm Arrive 1005P

Transfer to IBIS CDG AIRPORT with the 24/24 shuttle CDVAL (duration 30 minutes, every 4 minutes, free)

27OCT AF 0066 Paris (CDG) – Los Angeles (LAX) Depart 1005A Arrive LAX 210P

v Option2 Continue your tour in France: Stay in Paris until 29OCT (3 nights/3 days)

Private transfer to Montpellier Station High Speed Train TGV6218 Depart 526P Arrive Paris Gare de Lyon 853P

Itinerary on request-Quote on request

29OCT AF 076 Paris (CDG) Depart 710P Arrive Los Angeles (LAX) 1050P    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

 

 

SOME  INTERESTING  AND  FUNNY  FACTS  ABOUT  FRANCE  

 

-France was originally named Lutetia. - France is the largest nation in Western Europe and has seven mountains and five major rivers - France is about the same size as Texas, with twice the population of California -It has nearly 3000 miles of seashore, with three major water bodies: the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and the English Channel. -French was the official language of England for over 300 years. - French is the official language of many countries including: Switzerland, Canada, Ivory Coast, Luxembourg, Monaco, Congo and Niger. It’s the mother tongue of 75 million people worldwide -French the official language of the United Nations -France is home to 28 UNESCO World Heritage sites -France has around 40,000 castles -The Eiffel Tower which, stands at 300 meters tall, is painted every 7 years. It was originally intended to be dismantled and sold as scrap after its construction. -France has the highest number of ski resorts and of kind of cheese: 300! -There are 17 distinct wine-producing regions like Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Loire and Provence that continue with the tradition of wine making in France. -The number of times the French kiss each other as a form of greeting varies depending on region. In Corsica, the number of kisses can be as many as 5! In Paris, it is 4 and in the South of France only 2! -Grasse (French Riviera) is known as the Perfume Capital of the World -France has won the most Nobel Prizes for Literature than any other country in the world, and the second most in mathematics. - Georges Perec's 1969 novel, La Disparition, does not contain the letter E. -It’s against the law to take pictures of police officers and police vehicles and it is illegal to call a pig Napoleon. -The concept of jean clothing was born in the Languedoc-Roussillon city of Nimes, France, from where it was imported by Levi Strauss to California to make tough clothes for gold diggers.