Insight Vacations: Country Roads of France
May 6 - 22, 2022
OAT: French Impressions
May 22 - June 12, 2022
For our most recent trip we combined Insight Vacations' Country Roads of France with OAT's French Impressions and then added 5 days on our own in Paris. After watching the Tour de France bicycle race for many years and admiring the beautiful countryside, castles, and chateaus, we were finally able to schedule a tour that took us around the country, not just to Paris. The scenery was grand and we were able to visit many different places from the Medieval towns of Carcassonne, Rocamadour, and Sarlat to the smaller, historical places (Arles, Chamonix, etc.) and some of the larger cities (Nice, Lyon, etc.) and, of course, Paris and Versailles. The weather turned out to be hotter than expected, but we had very little rain during the entire trip, a nice bonus considering all the cobblestones we walked on.
There was some repetition between the two tours (Albi, Carcassonne, and Sarlat), so I have chosen to include all the photos from both visits to these towns in only one section, instead of duplicating entries. Therefore, both Albi visits will be with the Insight tour and the Carcassonne and Sarlat visits with OAT.
May 6-7
May 8
May 9
May 10
May 12
May 13
Fragonard Perfume Factory; Monaco: Palace; Grand Prix; Cathedral; Eze
May 14
Saint-Paul de Vence: Town Walk; Petanque: Aix-en-Provence Town Walk
May 15
May 16
May 17
Albi: Town Walk; St. Cecile Cathedral; Bishop's Palace; San Salvi: Cordes
May 18
May 19
May 20 - 21
Insight Vacations: Country Roads of France Trip Map
Flag of France
Fri. - Sat., 5/6-7/22 - Green Valley to Paris, France
For the first time, we used a shuttle service (ArizonaGo) to get to the Tucson airport at 10:30 AM. It was cheaper than parking and allowed our car to remain in the garage while we were away. We flew American Airlines to Dallas and on to Paris, France. The flights were on time, full of passengers, the rides were smooth and our luggage came with us. In Paris there were no customs controls because we filled out the EU form online and there were no lines at the passport check. Then we hit a bump. Our shuttle service driver was nowhere to be found. He finally showed up over an hour late and we were taken to the Pullman Paris Center Hotel in Bercy (Paris).
We met Laurent, the Insight tour director, and checked in at 3:50. Unfortunately the delays didn’t give us time to do the walking tour of this part of Paris that we had wanted to do. Instead we made coffee in the room, showered, and waited to meet with our tour group at 5:30. There are only 20 people on this trip, not the 40 that could be accommodated. The group includes an Australian woman, a younger couple from Singapore, and two couples from the French-speaking area in Canada. They have a decided advantage here in France.
Dinner was in the Bastille Square Area and included a Champagne toast, chicken and mashed potatoes, and chocolate dessert with a glass of wine and one French roll. Not extravagant, but it was a nice French brasserie.
By 9 PM - or noon Arizona time - we were more than ready to retire.
Sun., 5/8/22 - Champagne and Dijon, France
This morning our group departed for Dijon, by way of the Champagne region, on our lovely 40-passenger, Insight special motor coach with leg room, Internet, in-coach bathroom, etc. Insight's buses are very nice.The land on the way to the Champagne region and on to Burgundy and Dijon was all farmland with large fields of wheat, barley, alfalfa, canola (yellow fields), flax (purple fields), and some maize (corn) - and, of course, vineyards.
Our first stop was for Champagne tasting at Christophe Winery. Supposedly a monk in this region, named Dom Perignon, made the first sparkling wine and invented the wire contraption to hold the Champagne cork in place.Champagne grape vines are planted on the south or west sides of the hills so they get lots of sun but the rain water can run off. Yeast is added to the wine to make the bubbles. Other areas can make sparkling wines by the same process and with the same species of grapes, but only the wine made in this province can be called Champagne. The corks come from Portugal and the dark glass bottles come from Ukraine - bottles may be a problem for this year’s crop.
Stone shelter for workers
The winery's products
Grain elevators dot the countryside
A “surprise” stop at the Colombey les Deux Eglises where there is a memorial and museum to Charles de Gaulle.
Cute sign marking a handicapped parking place
Mon., 5/9/22 - Dijon and Beaune
After an average hotel breakfast, Laurent took us on a tour of the old town area of Dijon. Liberty Street is a pedestrian mall so it was a pleasant stroll. The tour started at Darcy Square across the street from our hotel, crossed the tram tracks and followed Liberty Street past Rude Square and ended at Liberation Square. Along the way we admired the Church of Notre Dame with gargoyles on the bell tower and the large Ducal Palace of Burgundy.
Darcy Square Park
Porte Guillaume (William) - "Entrance" to Liberty Street and once an entrance to the old city - There is a plaque to Thomas Jefferson on the monument.
Djion Trolley
Cute sign marking one of the walking tours of Dijon
Le Darcy Cinema
There are many impressive half-timbered buildings in Dijon
Statue of Bacchus stomping on grapes in Rude Square
Beautiful tiled roof on the old treasury building
Ornate window decorations
Church of Notre Dame
Gargoyles on the Church of Notre Dame
Magic stone owl carved into the corner of the Church of Notre Dame - the oldest church in Dijon.
He is the city’s symbol and unofficial talisman. The carving sits about six feet off the ground on an otherwise unremarkable corner of the church, and as the tradition goes, if you touch him with your left hand and make a wish, your wish will come true.
Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy
Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy
Fancy window in the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy
Ceremonial staircase in the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy
Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy
Maille Dijon mustard store
Later in the day, we walked back down Liberty Street and bought some “real” Dijon mustard at “Maille since 1747.” This means the mustard seeds were grown in France not Africa or Poland.
After lunch, Insight offered an optional tour ($31 each) to go to the town of Beaune to look at the medieval hospital that had a remaining patient until 1972. On the drive through the Burgundy wine country, we stopped for a photo op at Close de Vougeot, a winery since 1298! Their wine is so “superior” that only true wine aficionados are able to buy a bottle. Macron hosted Merkel at this winery for a Farewell dinner.
Laurent talked more about vineyards: A grape plant lasts for 50 years and takes 7 to 8 years to produce harvestable grapes. Some vines are over 100 years old but they produce many fewer grapes. Grape vines in France that are not irrigated have roots that go down 30 feet to find moisture and nutrients. The vines in France are short so the grapes grow closer to the soil to maintain the heat from the ground over night. Grapes are harvested 100 days after the little grape flowers appear. Leaves are cut off around the grape bundle so the grape skin gets sunshine. The industry is profoundly regulated in France. A vintner can not expand his vineyard to make more wine because this would lower the price of his “prestigious” wine. A vineyard must be sold only to another French vintner to protect the labels of all “French” wines.
Vineyards on the way to Beaune
Chateau for the vineyard
Vineyards on the way to Beaune
Clos de Vougeot's chateau
In Beaune (pronounced Bone) we took a short walk around the pedestrian area of shops, cafes, and small restaurants. Laurent told us he only buys from shops labelled “artisan” because they use only local ingredients and are not chain shops “like McDonalds.” Beaune is a cute town.
Wonderful tiled roofs
Tempting!
Sign outside a wine store
The primary objective of the tour was to visit the museum at Hostel Dieu (also Hotel Dieu de Beaune or Hospices de Beaune). It is a medieval hospital that was run by nuns from 1443 to 1972 and was primarily a place where sick people came to die because there were no cures for most of their illnesses and the techniques of blood letting and use of leaches, etc., never helped.
An audio guide helped to explain what the hospital was like when it was in full swing. There was a section (building) for poor people who were given minimal care and another building across the courtyard for rich people who received much more attention. The wards with canopied beds, the displays of medical instruments, the kitchen that fed the nuns and patients, and the apothecary were well preserved and presented.
The hospital became very rich as some patients who died there had no relatives so they gave their estates to the hospitallers. The very famous Wine Auction from the vineyards the church owns now allows the Hospices de Beaune to finance the museum and maintain its cultural heritage.
Entrance
Hostel Dieu
Courtyard - beautiful tile roofs and a well in the yard
Room for the poor
Ceiling detail
Surgical instruments
Medical appliances
Tower from the remaining ramparts
Back in Dijon, we went out to walk and to find two churches listed as “must see” on the internet: Cathedrale Saint-Benigne and Eglise Saint Philibert. Their bell towers were visible from our hotel room and were easy to find.
Cathedrale St-Benigne
Cathedrale St-Benigne
Eglise Saint Philibert
We looked at cafes but none were serving food yet - it was only 6 PM - and the tables were full of beer and wine glasses. So we found a Subway and got a steak and cheese “30 cm” sandwich and cookies to eat in our room - it was not “artisan” but it was tasty. All and all it was an interesting and full day
