Meet Monty in Provence Travel Passports Train Seats Please ensure your 10-year British Passport is not On all legs of the journey you have reserved seat out of date and is valid for a full three months and carriage numbers which are shown clearly on beyond the duration of your visit. EU, Andorra, your ticket. Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino or Switzerland valid national identification cards are also acceptable for travel to France. Baggage As with most trains, passengers are responsible for Visas carrying baggage onto and off the train. Baggage British and EU passport holders are not required to can be stored on overhead shelves or at the have a visa. entrance to the carriages. Trollies are available at St Pancras and Lille, but bags do need to be carried on For all other passport holders please check the visa to the platform. Porters are sometimes but not requirements with the appropriate embassy. always available at St Pancras. French consulate: PO Box 57, 6A Cromwell Place, Travel Editions recommends a luggage delivery London SW7 2EW; Tel (020) 7838 2000/1. service called thebaggageman, where your suitcase Information Service: Tel (0891) 887 733, Fax: (020) can be picked up from your home before departure 7838 2046. Opening hours: 0900-1130 (and 1600- and delivered straight to your hotel; therefore 1630 for visa collection only) Mon-Fri (except removing the worry about carrying your cases onto British and French national holidays). and off the trains. For further information: www.thebaggageman.com Tickets Labels You will be issued with return train tickets. Please use the luggage labels provided. It is useful Please take care not to lose your tickets and please to have your home address located inside your check that the details on your tickets are accurate. suitcase should the label go astray. Your ticket is non-transferable and non-refundable. No refund can be given for non-used portions. Transfers Standard Premier on Eurostar tickets is indicated by On arrival in Aix, transfer by coach to your hotel – two asterisks in the class type section in the top The Best Western, Aix-en-Provence (approx. 15 right-hand corner. A light meal will be served to minutes transfer). passengers travelling Standard Premier on Eurostar. Standard class Eurostar tickets do not include any Special Requests food or drink on board, although there is a buffet If you haven’t already, please notify Travel Editions car serving drinks and snacks. of any special requests as soon as possible to allow sufficient time to make the necessary TGV tickets do not include any food or drink on arrangements. board, although a buffet car is available. Accommodation Best Western le Galice, Aix-en-Provence Hotel Le Galice, a 4-star hotel with 90 rooms ideally Almost all restaurants offer two types of meals: a la located a 10-minute walk from the famous carte (extensive choice for each course, generally Rotonde, in the city centre of Aix-en-Provence. The more expensive) and le menu (a set meal at a fixed hotel enjoys an exceptional location, which will price). allow you to discover Aix-en-Provence and its The bill (l’addition) will not be presented until it is secrets to the rhythm of the Provençal traditions. asked for, even if clients sit and talk for half an hour Discover our restaurant Le Galice, enjoy a relaxing after finishing their meal. Usually, a discretionary moment with a drink in our bar and enjoy our service charge is added to your bill in restaurants outdoor swimming pool (open from May to and bars, and no further tipping is required. September depending on weather conditions). The comfortable room feature private facilities with Generally speaking, mealtimes in France are strictly either a bath or shower, TV, Wifi and tea / coffee observed. Lunch is as a rule served from noon to making facilities. 1330, dinner usually from 2000-2130, but the larger the city, the later the dining hour. For more information visit their website https://www.hotellegalice-aix.com/ Drink Food Wine is by far the most popular alcoholic beverage Colourful red and yellow peppers, glorious in France, and the choice will vary according to tomatoes, aubergines, fresh fish, Provencal herbs region. Provence is best known for its rosé wine; (basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, marjoram…), olives the pink wines of Massalia (today’s Marseille) were and olive oil, citrus fruits ripened in the already famous in Roman times. Côtes de Provence Mediterranean sunshine form the basis of the AOC is the main wine region, producing about 75% Provencal cuisine. Traditional dishes of the region of all wine in Provence, of which 80% is rosé. include Ratatouille (stew of courgettes, tomatoes, In elegant restaurants the wine list will be separate red and green peppers and aubergines braised with from the main menu, but in less opulent garlic, olive oil and Herbes de Provence), establishments will be printed on the back or along Bouillabaisse (fish soup), Soupe au Pistou (vegetable the side of the carte. The waiter will usually be glad and bean soup with fresh basil), Pissaladière to advise an appropriate choice. If in doubt, try the (golden onion, anchovy and olive pizza), Daube house wine; this will usually be less expensive and Provençale (classic French beef stew), Aïoli (garlic will always be the owner’s pride. mayonnaise generally accompanies fish, vegetables or crusty bread) and tapenade (luscious Provençal Meals included in the price of your holiday are: paste made with olives, olive oil, anchovies, capers Breakfast – daily and garlic). Lunch – lunch on day 4 Enjoy the traditional Provençal sweets, such as Tarte aux fruits, Calisson (made from a paste of Dinner – private dinner with wine on day 4 plus ground almonds, candied melon and orange peel, dinner on the first night at the hotel covered with bright royal icing) and Nougat. Coffee is served after the meal and will be black, in small cups, unless a café au lait (or crème) is requested. A typically Provençal apéritif drink is Pastis (such as Ricard), an aniseed liqueur. Destination Aquajardin Known as the city of a thousand fountains, the Designed by Alain Stroppiana, this Aquatic Garden former capital of Provence, Aix, is a lovely spa town of more than 15,000 m² invites you to discover, in a with a host of classical mansions, elegant magnificent setting, multiple varieties of plants, boulevards and beautiful paved squares. The city’s shrubs and trees. You will also discover colourful koi most famous son is Paul Cézanne, whose studio is carp and a collection of water lilies. Listed by the preserved exactly as he left it when he died in 1906. Parks and Gardens of France Committee for several Other sights include the Cathedral of St Sauveur, years, the Garden has been labelled "Remarkable noted for Froment’s “Triptych of the Burning Bush” Garden" since November 2007. and several museums, including the Musée Granet of fine art and archaeology and the Tapestry For more information about Aquajardin, visit: Museum. It is a wonderful place to linger, too, at an http://www.pontdugard.fr/en outdoor café, particularly one of many along the elegant tree-lined Cours Mirabeau. La Jeg La Jeg is one of the best gardens in Provence. During your trip you will visit: Designed by New Zealand landscape artist Anthony Paul and owned by art lover Tony Stone, the garden Val Joanis nestles into the foothills of Mont Ventoux and is Created in 1978 with the help of landscape blasted by Mistral and Sirocco winds which scorch gardener Tobbie Loup de Viane, the garden of the soil. Boldly planted with lavenders and other Chateau Val Joanis has been noted as "Remarkable drought loving plants, the garden also contains Garden" since 2005 and elected "Garden of the some beautiful sculpture carefully chosen and Year" in 2008. Conceived with the images of the placed by Anthony and Tony. The garden melts gardens of the XVIIth century, three terraces unfold easily into the surrounding borrowed landscape to in the shelter of the mistral. The old-fashioned create a truly harmonious work of art. vegetable garden, ensuring self-sufficiency in vegetables and fruits, coexists harmoniously with For more information about La Jeg, visit: the important collection of perennials, roses and https://clivenichols.com/la-jeg-france/ other Mediterranean species. Clos Pascal For more information about Val Joanis, visit: This garden is situated not far from the centre of https://www.val-joanis.com/ the classic hilltop town of Ménerbes in the beautiful Luberon valley which has national park status. The Pavilion de Galon garden was created some twenty years ago by the The Pavillon de Galon was built at the end of the owner and designer of the better known La Louve 18th century as a hunting lodge and is located on garden, Nicole de Vésian. Every garden is different, the south side of the Luberon mountain range of but in its combination of style and terrain Le Clos southern France. Its 5 hectare garden, which Pascal has a particular quality which stays in the contains a modern French formal garden created in memory. It divides itself into two very distinct parts 2004, was awarded the "Remarkable Garden" label although throughout there is the unifying style of by the French Ministry of Culture & Environment in topiary at which the French excel. 2010. This label is awarded for 5 years and requires the garden to be open to the public at least 40 days La Louve per year. La Louve was designed and built by Nicole de Vésian, a designer with Hermès who specialised in For more information about Pavilion de Galon, visit: textiles and later in life turned to gardens.