PARIS & PROVENCE! September 18-28, 2019 Are you a lover of art, fine wine, food and classical music? Then why not join fellow All Classical Portland travelers, for a custom in-depth exploration of Paris and the South of France? Your classical adventure begins in Paris where you ll enjoy a private tour of the Garnier Opera House and walk in the footsteps of Debussy, Chopin and Ravel. Attend a classical music performance in Paris and a chamber music concert at the Sainte Chapelle. You ll also visit the Musée D Orsay, to preview the coming attractions of artists such as Matisse, Cézanne, Van Gogh and Picasso, in whose lives and art you ll be immersed in Provence and the Côte d Azur. Stay in Nice, on the sparkling Mediterranean sea, where you ll tour the Matisse Museum and embark on an excursion along the coast to Antibes and the Chateau Grimaldi, home to an extraordinary collection of Picasso s art. Visit the charming university town of Aix and stay in Arles, a town Van Gogh once called home, for four nights. This magical region beckons you with its colorful markets, vineyards bursting with plump grapes and natural beauty, no matter where you turn. Join All Classical Portland and a merry crew of travel companions to savor this perfect blend of art and architecture, music and food, villages and towns in Paris and Provence!
Some spots are the cradle of genius. Provence is one. Lawrence Durrell YOUR JOURNEY AT A GLANCE 4 Nights Paris 2 Nights Nice, Côte d'azur 4 Nights Arles, Heart of Provence TRIP HIGHLIGHTS Tickets to the Paris Orchestra (*or equivalent) Classical chamber concert in the Sainte Chapelle Tour of the Garnier Opera House Historic walk in the heart of Paris Private tour, Musée D Orsay Cézanne studio in Aix St Paul de Mausole (Van Gogh asylum), St. Remy Picasso Museum, Antibes Colorful Provençal market Wine tasting Roman arena of Arles Traditional dining in cafés and bistros Roman aqueduct Pont du Gard Meal in a Michelin restaurant A small group of like-minded All Classical Portland travelers who share your passion for art, food, travel and music! IT S INCLUDED Travel with All Classical Portland host Warren Black Two classical music performances in Paris All breakfasts plus 10 additional meals featuring regional specialties Wine and hors d oeuvres happy hour with your classical hosts Entrances to all sights listed in itinerary and tours led by knowledgeable guides Outings to a village market, Roman ruins of Arles, St Paul Mausole Wine tasting in Provence Guided by an Earthbound Expeditions expert bi-lingual guide Ten nights of accommodation in charming, superior 3 and 4 star hotels Transport by private air-conditioned coach and one-way flight from Paris to Nice Porterage service at hotels (not included at airports) Gratuities for your drivers, local guides, group meal waitstaff and Earthbound guide TRIP FACTS 11 Days/ 10 Nights (land) $4,995 per person based on double occupancy Land Package $995 Single Supplement (waived if you are willing to share and a roommate is found) Optional Group Flight departs Portland on Sept 17, 2019 Journey begins in Paris at 6:00pm on Sept 18 Journey ends in Arles after breakfast on Sept 28
SAVE $250! Reserve your space before April 1, 2019 and save $50 All Classical Portland travel alumni save $100 Pay your final balance by EFT or check and save $100 NOT INCLUDED: International Airline tickets, airline luggage fees, beverages with meals (other than coffee, tea and water), any meals not mentioned, room/mini-bar service, gratuities for hotel staff, travel insurance, items of a personal nature and anything not listed in the Included in your Journey section above. DELTA AIRLINES GROUP AIR: $1,455 per person (subject to availability) DL5742 17 Sep 1:15pm PDX 17 Sept 2:12pm SEA AF355 17 Sep 4:20pm SEA 18 Sep 11:15 am CDG AF7663 28 Sep 10:35am MRS 28 Sep 12:05pm CDG DL 338 28 Sep 1:10pm CDG 28 Sep 2:30pm SEA DL5725 28 Sep 5:22pm SEA 28Sep 6:19pm PDX *More flight options may be available by booking flights independently. Those extending their stay or planning to depart from a city other than Arles should contact our office about alternative travel plans before booking.
The only love affair I have ever had was with music Maurice Ravel Your All Classical Portland Adventure Begins DAY 1, Sept 18: Bonjour la France! Bienvenue Welcome to Paris! The group flight arrives today. We will transfer all guests arriving on the group flight to the hotel by coach, get the luggage stowed, then step outside to do a neighborhood orientation walk. We ll have a Welcome to Paris dinner together tonight, hosted by your All Classical Portland host, Warren Black and your Earthbound Expeditions guide. Sleep in Paris (D) DAY 2: The Heart of Paris Enjoy a brisk stroll this morning with your local Parisian guide, who will set the historical scene for you and orient you to this bustling and beautiful city. We ll have lunch together, then set you free to enjoy your personal choice of all the wonderful sights Paris has to offer. This evening enjoy a concert at the Sainte Chapelle*, built by King Louis IX to house relics brought back from the crusades. Sleep in Paris (B, L) DAY 3: Musée d Orsay We ll have a private, guided tour of the lovely Musée d Orsay after breakfast this morning, with a local expert guide to view the highlights of the museum s wonderful collection. After an included lunch together, enjoy free time in the afternoon until we meet up again for an *evening concert in one of the many spectacular venues in Paris. (Details on the musical events will be published when 2019 schedules are posted, in March, 2019). Sleep in Paris (B, L)
Discover the Palais Garnier (Paris Opera House) DAY 4: L Opéra Garnier We ll tour the stunning 19 th century Garnier Opera House with its frescoed ceiling painted by Marc Chagall, followed by lunch at a classic Parisian bistro. This afternoon, enjoy some free time in Paris to make your own discoveries or visit one of the many museums independently. Sleep in Paris (B, L) DAY 5: Journey South and the Picasso Museum of Antibes This morning, we make a short flight south to the sparkling Côte d Azur. We ll head straight to Antibes and the Chateau Grimaldi, which became the Picasso Museum on December 27, 1966. Picasso stayed here from mid-september to mid-november 1946 where he produced a great deal of work of which he donated 23 paintings and 44 drawings to the town of Antibes. Since 1952, many additional donations and purchases, including donations from Jacqueline Picasso in 1991, have greatly enriched the Picasso collection in the museum. We ll have a private tour of the museum, returning to Nice in the early evening to check into the hotel and have an included dinner together. Sleep in Nice (B, D)
DAY 6: Nice and Matisse We ll have a leisurely stroll in old town Nice to get acquainted with this bustling seaside city. Nizza has an Italian past, the influence of which can still easily be felt in the cuisine, the colorful architecture and even in the local Niçois dialect. We ll have a private tour of the Matisse Museum, housing one of the world s largest collections of his works. Situated on Cimiez hill, it s not far from the Franciscan monastery and the Hotel Regina where Matisse lived from 1918 to 1954. The Museum s collection of works was left by both the artist and his heirs. We ll dine together tonight. Sleep in Nice, Côte d'azur (B, D) DAY 7: To Arles via Aix-en-Provence Board the coach this morning and depart the Côte d Azur for Provence. Our first stop is Aix-en-Provence: the birthplace of Paul Cézanne and bursting with Baroque architecture, sparkling fountains and lively terraces. It was Cézanne s work that inspired Picasso and his Fauvist contemporary, Georges Braque, to focus on the substance of things rather than their appearance from a single viewpoint and in doing so, they invented Cubism. Picasso made no secret of the debt. Cézanne is the father of us all, he said soon after the French painter s death, in 1906. It was a relationship that revolutionized modern art. In 1959, Picasso, then in his 70s, moved to Provence. It was partly to escape the glare of public life in Cannes, but mostly to be closer to Mont Saint Victoire, the mountain near Aix-en-Provence that served as the subject of more than 40 paintings by Paul Cézanne, whom Picasso called "my one and only master." After buying Château de Vauvenargues, at the base of the mountain, Picasso contacted his dealer, Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler. "I have just bought Cézanne's St.-Victoire," he boasted. "Which one?" the dealer asked, assuming Picasso was referring to a painting. "The original!" the artist replied. This was an essential acquisition for Picasso, who bought the site in 1958. Pablo and his wife, Jacqueline, rest here today under a statue of a bronze nude by the artist. We ll see the original Mont St Victoire en route to Aix and visit Cézanne s studio. After an independent lunch, we head to Arles: a gem of Provençal history. Ancient Arles, with its seven UNESCO World Heritage monuments and sites, has been an inspiration to artists, most notably Pablo Picasso and Vincent Van Gogh. Tonight enjoy a typical Provençal dinner together. Sleep in Arles (B, D)
Visit the The Pont du Gard, an ancient Roman aqueduct! DAY 8: St Rémy Market and Van Gogh Today we drive into the scenic countryside to delightful St. Remy, home to a wonderful Provençal market! We ll have lunch together in St. Rémy, then head just outside of town to the peaceful St Paul de Mausole, a veritable masterpiece of Provençal Romanesque architecture, built in the neighborhood of the Gallo-Roman site of Glanum. The covered walk of the cloister frames a lovely little garden. This is the famous asylum where Vincent Van Gogh spent time resting and painting, and is still a psychiatric institution today, which encourages therapy through art. You may glimpse some irises and other frequent subjects of Van Gogh s paintings on the grounds here. Return to Arles for a free evening and independent dinner. Sleep in Arles (B, L) DAY 9: Arles, the Little Rome of Gaul Enjoy a walking tour of the highlights of medieval Arles, then have lunch together in a restaurant loved by locals. In the afternoon, enjoy some free time on your own to visit one the many wonderful great museums here: Arles Antiques, a Roman history museum; Musée Réattu with sketches by Picasso; the Fondation Van Gogh with rotating expositions and many photography and art galleries. Sleep in Arles (B, L)
DAY 10: Le Pont du Gard, Avignon and the Wines of the Côtes du Rhône This morning we make our way to Europe's best preserved Roman ruin, the 2,000-year-old aqueduct, le Pont du Gard. Admire this feat of Roman engineering and beauty before continuing on to Avignon. We ll tour the summer palace of the Popes, then have a festive farewell lunch together, followed by a jaunt along the Rhône Valley. This stunning area was the first region to produce wine in France. It is said that the first vine was planted by wine growers from Marseille, known then as Massilia. We ll be treated to some beautiful scenery as it will be harvest time, and delight in tasting the marvelous wines of this region. This evening we ll toast to our memorable adventure and leave you some free time to pack and prepare for our early departure tomorrow. Sleep in Arles (B, D) DAY 11: Your Journey Concludes There is a group transfer to Marseille Airport this morning. Have a bit of extra time? Spend a few more days on the Côte d Azur or catch a high speed train to Paris or beyond! Bon Voyage! YOUR HOST: Warren Black When I visited Portland for the first time I decided that I wanted to live here. It would take about 15 years before I pulled it off. Similarly, I first got involved in radio (a four-hour classical shift twice a week) during my freshman year of college in my hometown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It really was a blast but almost two decades would pass before I returned to radio, joining the staff of KCUR (the NPR affiliate in Kansas City) as an announcer and producer. During those two overlapping intervals, I managed to cover a lot of ground: working as a writer, editor, actor and voice over artist in San Francisco, New York, Chicago and Seattle. One recurring theme throughout that time, and my life in general, has been music, whether I was participating in it as a singer, writing about it, or appreciating it from the audience. The world can be a crazy mixed up place, but with luck you arrive where you're supposed to be. And I do feel very lucky to be able to work with radio heroes of mine at All Classical Portland, an outstanding broadcast service in a great city.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO *Your Custom Itinerary is Subject to Change https://earthboundexpeditions.com/the-boring-stuff/ Luggage: You should be able to comfortably manage your luggage at the airports and over short distances. Hotel porters will generally be available to assist you. Some of the castles, hotels and country inns we utilize do not have porters, but most of our lodgings are equipped with elevators. The key is not to over-pack. Concerts, Festivals and Events: If (for any reason) the organizers of a scheduled concert, festival or event cancel or postpone a planned activity with little or no notice, Earthbound Expeditions will do its utmost to secure a similar event or secure another concert(s). Strikes, unscheduled delays, lack of funds and acts of God are beyond the control of Earthbound Expeditions. Cancellation of an event, festival or concert is not cause for refund. Hosted Journeys: If a host or special guest is unable to attend as planned, Earthbound Expeditions will do its utmost to find another host who has similar interests, talents expertise. The inability of a host to participate in a tour is not grounds for a full or partial refund. Reservations: Please call Earthbound Expeditions or visit us online. A $500 per person deposit for the land portion of your trip is required to secure your space. An additional $200 per person deposit is required if adding the group flight option. A cancellation penalty of $75 per person applies for cancellations received within 60 days of deposit or 90 days prior to departure, whichever comes first. Final payment is due 60 days prior to departure, July 18, 2019. We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance within 2 weeks of making a tour deposit. RESERVATIONS AND QUESTIONS Info@EarthboundExpeditions.com T. 800.723.8454