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”.