Welcome to the Fall season Italy With Friends Tours.

Hello Everyone.  Yes, it is time for another season of IWF's tours.  I left a hot Texas on September 9th, saying goodbye to some very sad eyes as all my animals watched me drive away.  They just seem to know that the larger suitcase means that I am going to be gone a bit longer.  I flew into Rome and picked up my van. Then I hit the Autostrada for a two-day drive into France to the town of Fontvieille.  This will be the base for the next few days of the Kemm Family & Friends France/Italy Adventure.  The Hotel Le Val Majour is lovely and a perfect spot to call home while touring around the Provence region. 

On Thursday, September 12th, I picked up the VC (Vernon County, Missouri) connection at the Avignon TGV train station.  They had flown into Paris and spent a day seeing all its amazing sights.  Two of the couples, Nancy & David Wallace and Russ & Joy Kemm have traveled with me before.  Russ came up with the idea to return to Europe and bring along some family and friends.  His son, Brandon and his wife Haley joined the group along with friends, Craig and Paula Heard.  We loaded up the van and hit the road right away.  Everyone was in pretty good shape and raring to go and see the sights in Provence.

We drove to one of France's most popular sites, the Pont du Gard.  This Roman aqueduct bridge over the Gardon River was built in 19AD.  It is the only one still standing anywhere from the ancient Roman world.  It is one of the many UNESCO World Heritage sites in France.  It is truly amazing to behold.  We enjoyed a little hike around the area and then sat down to a cool welcome at the little Terraces Bar.  With the Pont du Gard as our backdrop, how could you not enjoy this drink?

Then we drove to our hotel and after everyone settled in a bit, we met to walk into Fontvieille for our welcome dinner at Les Bel Oustau restaurant.  Just as you might dream of, we sat outside in a pretty courtyard for our dinner.  We began our meal with a bottle of Rose wine.  Here is Provence, Rose is very popular and also very good.  It is nothing like that awful Beringer's White Zinfindel that so many of us used to think was the only wine to drink.  LOL  In fact, many in this group loved it and decided to drink it instead of a white wine with their meal. 

Our dinner was an amazing experience.  Everyone was adventurous and tried some new dishes.  Every dish came prepared and served beautifully.  We opened a bottle of local red wine that was also very nice.  The desserts were all works of art and very tasty.  When we departed around 11PM, everyone was happy and our tummies were full.  Thank goodness we did have a little walk back to the hotel.  It was a very good way to start a new tour with a wonderful group of family and friends.

On Friday, everyone felt refreshed and ready to go exploring.  We woke to a lovely day which is perfect for sightseeing.  Our destination for the day was the Luberon Valley.  Here you find some of Provence's most beautiful villages.  We chose Gordes for our first stop.  This high perched village is listed as "one of the most beautiful villages of France."  It is easy to see why.  I was so excited to be able to see it in the sunshine, as it always seems to be a bit dreary when I am here.  Seeing the views of the Luberon Valley from this perched village was a lovely surprise.  

We then drove the curving roads to the town of Roussillon.  Another lovely hill town, Roussillon is known for its huge deposit of Ochre, a red clay and iron oxide mixture that creates colorful cliffs. 

We headed into the center of Roussillon, another very cute village. It was very busy with a lot of people enjoying a day of sightseeing.  We sat down to a delicious lunch at Le Grappe de Raisin.  They have a pretty terrace with views over the city.  The food was once again great to eat and to look at.  After lunch, we walked up to the viewing point of the village and had an amazing view of the valley below filled with little villages and vineyards.  Wow!  There was then time to take a little hike through the Ochre canyon and see all those vibrant colors that are created by Mother Nature.

Near Roussillion is a fabulous example of Roman engineering, the Pont Julien.  This bridge with one large arch was built in the first century AD.  It was used for centuries until only a few year ago when they diverted the road around it.  It has withstood Roman legions marching across, floods, and car traffic.  It is pretty amazing to see today.  On the way back to Fontvieille, we stop at the Auchan Supermarket, which is always fun.  Who doesn't like visiting a supermarket on their vacation?  Everyone found something to buy including some of the most delicious macarons ever.  We ate them on the way back to the hotel.  YUM!