Egalières in Provence

I recently took a long weekend to spend time with an American girlfriend and her husband, who had rented a six-bedroom house in Egalières, for themselves and 8 others (family & friends) – located about 45 minutes from Avignon in Provence. So, there we were – 11 of us – old friends, family members, and new acquaintances alike:  sitting by the pool, taking day trips together to local markets, and trying out new restaurants as a fun-loving (and yes, loud) partying group!

We ladies took an in-house cooking class, learning how to filet a fish and knife cutting skills to cut julien style veggies for a great lunch – harder than it looks!  That evening, the chef cooked and served a luscious dinner to all of us staying in the house – wine flowed, songs were sung, and rugs were rolled up for after-dinner dancing of fox-trot and cha-cha.

Another evening, we went to a local restaurant called “Gilles,” where Jolie-Pitt’s “Pink Floyd” wine from Château Miraval was on the menu – I only had a sip of this “famous” rosé, which was going for 18€ a bottle (see slideshow photos) – a sweet wine at a sweet price!

All in all, it was a great time in a great area of Provence!

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Immersed in Impressionism

I recently traveled to Les Baux de Provence – specifically to see this year’s multimedia show,  “Carrières de Lumières.”  Located in the heart of Les Alpilles, this “Voyage around the Mediterranean” light and sound show was projected onto ~45 meter high walls and onto the flooring inside the limestone quarries – dug out to extract the stone needed to build the Château and the village of Les Baux.  I was totally surrounded with mostly impressionist portraits and accompanying music, as well as some Fauvism and contemporary works of art.

There were two shows, with continual repeats:

• Main Impressionist show, “Monet, Renoir..Chagall Voyages en Méditerranée” (about 36 minutes)
• “Dream” – a fascinating voyage through the elements and their diversity: space, the ocean, and mother nature. (2 minutes)

You could stay and watch as long as you wanted, although the temperatures were chilly inside the quarry. This presentation runs every day from 9h30-19h00 until September 30th, and then October 1st to January 5, 2014 from 10h00-18h00; Les Baux is 15 km from Arles, 25 km from Avignon, and 70 km from Aix-en-Provence.

The images and music were absolutely mesmerizing and so beautiful – I was moved to tears!

Eurostar to Southern France: An Update

Following my previous post about Eurostar’s new service:

London to Aix-en-Provence trains will begin running every Saturday in May and June, stopping in Lyon and Avignon.

Prices are €99 in standard class Lyon-London and €199 in premier, rising to €109 standard and €249 premier for Aix-London.

The first train leaves St Pancras on May 4 at 7h17 and arrives 4h43 later in Lyon Part-Dieu, 5h52 later in Avignon and 6h17 later in Aix at 14h34.

However, travellers heading from France to London will face longer journey times due to customs checks needing to be made at Lille. On the London outbound services these checks are done before boarding at St-Pancras.

Trains leave Aix at 15h57, Avignon at 16h21 and Lyon at 17h38 to arrive in London at 22h39. The Aix-London journey takes seven hours 42 minutes.

ALL ABOARD!!

(Source:  Connexion)

Eurostar launches new services to southern France

Eurostar is launching a new direct service from London and Avignon to three popular holiday destinations in the South of France – Lyon, Avignon and Aix-en-Provence.

The new weekly spring service, which complements Eurostar’s existing Avignon services, is perfect for travellers looking to secure an early summer getaway.

The service will be offered for a trial period during May and June 2013 and tickets will go on sale on the December 11th 2012 alongside tickets for Eurostar’s existing weekly summer services to Avignon.

Passengers who choose the new Lyon – Provence service for travel from May 4th to the June 29th 2013 will enjoy a direct journey from London St Pancras International or Ashford International to Lyon, Avignon and Aix-en-Provence, travelling non-stop through the magnificent French countryside.

On the return leg, they will disembark in Lille Europe to complete the necessary security and passport checks required for transit through the Channel Tunnel before re-boarding a dedicated Eurostar service to the UK.

Nick Mercer, commercial director for Eurostar commented: “Our direct Avignon summer services grow in popularity year on year and our customers tell us they’d like to see it extended to offer even more choice of holiday destinations.

“We are committed to listening to their feedback, which is why we’re testing this new service to Lyon, Avignon and Aix-en-Provence, three of the most popular destinations in the South of France.

“By trialling this new service for future years, and by opening sales to our existing annual summer Avignon services earlier than usual, we are giving customers even more flexibility and choice when planning their trips to the south of France next year.

“Journeys with Eurostar avoid the summer scramble at the airports and we encourage passengers to book early to avoid disappointment.”

Source:  Breaking Travel News