16 days tour with great companions. Wonderful variety of places to visit - from the big cities of Paris and Nice to little villages such as St Paul de Vence and Sts Maries de Mer. Loved Annecy with its lakes and canals; Troyes with its medieval buildings; Chamonix and the wonderful view of Mont Blanc; street market at Aix-les-Bains; Avignon and its little street train. Best of all, the French people to meet (who says the French are arrogant and rude - certainly NOT us - they are a delight, especially if you make the effort to speak French!) With Didier our Belgian driver taking us round, we were in safe and capable hands, especially on round-abouts in the middle of the night! Virginie Gravier was a most informative, witty, and helpful TD (although didn't quite believe her when she said English people speaking French sound 'charming') Loved the way she told us about the various regional delicacies so that we could try the food and drink (as in wines). The French certainly know how to cook and make wine. Came back several pounds/kilos heavier. Will return to France as soon as poss, this time with a bigger French vocabulary!

Hi Eric

Great to hear your experiences where the same as ours on our 2004 trip. Loved the same towns found the French 99% friendly. All that wonderful history that we don't get to see here in NZ. Would love to go back but the world that we want to see/travel to keeps getting bigger which is why we decided to try and do each country as in depth as possible because we didn't know if we would manage to get back. We also did 3 days on our own in Paris at the beginning and did an 8 day Normandy tour doing the top part so that we could say - "well thats France done" (as best we can in the time frame/$'s we have available).

Eric, this sounds enticing. Will you be posting a more detailed account of your trip? We are considering either a Country Roads of France or Easy Pace France for 2006. Just got off of an 11 day Best of Italy that was fantastic!

Hi Dennis
Wasn't thinking of putting in a detailed account. All I can say is if you want a great holiday, staying at a variety of excellent hotels (apart from one, which was more 'interesting' than excellent!), great food and wine, visiting a variety of places, together with interesting commentaries on history, French living conditions, music, art and language lessons - go for the Country Roads tour. If you have Virginie as your Tour Director, so much the better. She'll keep you informed in a humorous way, make sure you're well fed with all the local delicacies, and ensure you get to try each of the region's wines.
Whichever tour you choose - enjoy!
Eric

Hi, All--

Just joined the bulletin board for Insight and was reading comments about TD Virginie Gravier. I have similar feelings about having her as a guide. She is the most delightful, charming, witty and informative guide anyone could have. We took Easy Pace France tour with her, starting in Paris for 4 days, then traveled down to Avignon, Nimes, taking in a lot of little towns such as Orange for an outdoor market in the streets (did some great shopping there!), Aix-les-Bains (also a fabulous street market), Le Baux, Menerbes of Luberon, and down to the French Riveria to Nice, Monaco, and St. Paul de Vence. We tagged on 3 days at the end in St. Paul de Vence, a beautiful medievel village with lots of art galleries and Foundation Maeght Art Museum. We stayed at a wonderful Bed and Breakfast there called Le Orange--lovely. My sister and I shopped for days in the village there and came home with some very nice artwork of famous artists of the area. I would absolutely recommend a stay in this area of the Alps of Vienna. We met so many great new friends on the tour from all over the world--Australia, New Zealand, Canada, England, Ireland, and lots of other states in our own USA. Being from Milwaukee, WI, I found the weather to be much like ours during the time that we traveled (9/23/05--10/7/05). We went to the area around Eze (another beautiful village in the mountains on the Mediterranean) and sampled perfumes made there and also tasted wine in the Provence area. Virginie was right about the French--their reserve is melted away with a few words spoken to them in their language--Bon Jour, Silvousplait, Merci, and a Smile! They all worked for me and I am also determined to learn more French. I did bone up on a few phrases before I went, but hearing the French speak really makes me want to be able to communicate better with them. Most of the opportunities that we had to communicate with them were very pleasurable, and in many cases, they went out of their way to help us, all of us stumbling around with words, trying to make sense of each other. On the whole, I found the French very endearing, generous, and pleasurable to be with, way moreso than I expected. I had heard unfavorable things about how the French do not like Americans, but I had no problem of that kind, quite the opposite. Most of the contact we had in simple little instances such as getting lost immediately when out the door of our Imperator Hotel door in Nimes, when we were trying to figure out a map of the city so we could get the Internet Cafe and the Tobac Shop for stamps, were positive experiences that warm my heart and will never be forgotten. Several times I used the line "Jene comprend pas" (I do not understand) and the people seemed touched that I would try to speak their language. I agree, Eric, that when I get the opportunity to go back some day, I, too, would love to have a bigger French vocabulary, because I found that the instances when I had communication with French locals and propietors at art galleries, etc., were really the greatest experiences of the trip. That is giving the French the utmost compliment, because the tour was so fantastic--exceeding our highest expectations. My wish is for everyone possible who has any interest in seeing Europe, to experience the fabulous 11 days that my sister and I had with Virginie and our group.