Post by Owen on Sept 12, 2014 17:29:30 GMT
1 ~ Easy Pace France ~ xxx ~ Cshenk (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA) ~ IV Tour
This travel tale was written by Cshenk and relates to a Insight Vacations Tour.
It was originally posted on the Insight Vacations forum.
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.