Travel Itinerary

Travel Destination: Languedoc-Roussillon, France

Travel Dates: 16October-26October, 2015

Coastline Advisor: Cathy Moha

Email: [email protected]

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.