Rhone Vineyards and Festival d’Aix-en-Provence

LYON, AVIGNON and AIX-en-PROVENCE

Visit Beaujolais, Orange, Pont du Gard and Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Opera performances in Aix-en-Provence:
ORPHEE AUX ENFERS by Jacques Offenbach
GOTTERDAMMERUNG by Richard Wagner
IDOMENEO by Wolfgang Mozart

Departure: 02 July 2009 - 11 Days.
Return 12 July 2009

LAND COST: (includes orchestra level seats, wine tasting and wine with all dinners.)
Double occupancy: $4,950 per person - Single supplement: $850
Deposit: $750 per person - Balance due ten (10) weeks prior to departure.

Day 1. - July 02. (D)*. LYON
Depart this evening aboard any airline of your choice to Lyon, France. Dinner and light breakfast served on the plane.

Day 2. - July 03. (B,D). LYON
Independent arrival at Lyon International Airport. We meet you at the centrally located HOTEL LE ROYAL, where we stay three nights. Briefing and Gala Welcome Dinner at the hotel.

Day 3. - July 04. (B,D). LYON
Morning sightseeing of this 'City of Light' begins with a walk to the Old Town, to see St. Jean Cathedral built in the 11C, the Archaeological Gardens and through alleyways known as 'traboules,' fronting many mansions, which housed royal dignitaries, bankers and silk factory owners, built during the height of Renaissance (15C to 17C). Afternoon free to take in any of the fine museums nearby. This evening we will have the Independence Day dinner at a local gourmet restaurant.

LYON, the 'World Capital of Gastronomy,' has a superb geographical situation at the confluence of the Rhone and Saone Rivers, making it the center of motorway networks that link Scandinavia to Spain, and Italy to the Atlantic coast. It was silk which in the 16C made Lyon a major industrial city, giving rise to cultural and scientific advances including works of Ampere, the great physicist and Jacquard who in 1804 invented a loom which, by using a system of punched cards, enabled a single worker to do the work of six.

Day 4. - July 05. (B). LYON - BEAUJOLAIS
We take a morning sightseeing tour of this historic city, by sailing on one of the bateau-mouche boats. This afternoon we drive through the vineyards of the Beaujolais and Macon regions for wine tastings.

Day 5. - July 06. (B). ORANGE - AVIGNON
This morning we drive south to stop first in Orange to see the well-preserved Roman public buildings, which include the Triumphal Arch and the Roman Theatre. We continue our journey to Avignon, where we stay two nights at the centrally located HOTEL LE CLOITRE ST. LOUIS. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 06. - July 07. (B,D). AVIGNON
Morning sightseeing of this city of art and culture begins with a visit to the Palace of the Popes to see the maze of chapels, galleries and chambers, where for a hundred years, from early 14C on, seven French popes held the Holy See, meeting cardinals, ambassadors and princes, with the pilgrims gathered in the courtyard waiting to receive the pope's blessings. Afternoon drive to Chateauneuf-du-Pape to taste the headiest of all the Rhone wines, renowned all over the world.

AVIGNON is remembered more for its St. Benezet Bridge than for the Palace of the Popes, from the nursery rhyme 'Sous le pont d'Avignon, on y danse, tous en rond,' built in late 12C across the river Rhone. The town's destiny changed when the court in Rome became difficult to rule, due to the political differences. The newly elected (1305) French pope under the name of Clement V decided to move the court to France and to build the Holy See on the Doms Rock near the port of Avignon. From 1309 to 1377 the city flourished while the pontifical and cardinal courts lived on their grand scale, sometimes attracting marauding soldiers (today called terrorists) who had to be bought off by the popes with payments of very large sums of monies - in 1310 and 1365. Hence the fortifications we see today.

Day 7. - July 08. (B,D). PONT DU GARD - AIX-EN-PROVENCE
This morning we drive west to stop first to see Pont du Gard one of the wonders of Ancient Times built by Romans circa 14 BC as an aqueduct to carry spring water almost 30 miles to the town of Nimes, an important Roman settlement. We continue our drive east to arrive in Aix-en-Provence where we stay four nights at the charming CHATEAU de la PIOLINE. This evening we will see the opera ORPHEE AUX ENFERS by Offenbach at the Theatre de l'Archeveche. Dinner at the Chateau.

Day 8. - July 9. (B). AIX-EN-PROVENCE
Morning sightseeing of this old capital of Provence begins at Place du General-de-Gaulle and down the wide avenue, Cours Mirabeau lined with old mansions with lovely wrought-iron balconies and fountains. We visit the St. Sauveur Cathedral built over several centuries incorporating Romanesque, Gothic and flamboyant styles. This evening we will see the opera GOTTERDAMMERUNG by Wagner in the Grand Theatre de Provence.

Day 9. - July 10. (B). AIX-EN-PROVENCE
Morning visit to the studio of the famous impressionist painter Paul Cezanne, who was born in Aix in 1839. The studio has been left as it was at the painter's death. This evening we will see the opera IDOMENEO by Mozart at the Theatre de l'Archeveche.

AIX-EN-PROVENCE's golden age occurred under the rule of Good King Rene in the second half of the 15C. Besides studying Greek, Latin, Italian, Catalan and Hebrew, he composed music, painted, wrote verses and understood mathematics, astrology and geology. His incredible talents brought many artists and scholars to Aix, who to this day give the city enlightenment and individualism.

Day 10. - July 11. (B,D). MARSEILLES
This morning is free to take in any of the fine museums in the city. Afternoon drive south to arrive at the Marseilles International Airport where we stay overnight at the HOTEL NOVOTEL. Gala Farewell Dinner at the hotel.

Day 11. - July 12. (B). MARSEILLES - BACK HOME
Fly this morning from Marseilles back home arriving the same afternoon. Au revoir.

See you on another H.A.T. Tour 

*B-Breakfast, L-Lunch, D-Dinner (including wine)

Airfare is not included. Individuals make their own flight arrangements. Please make sure that your airline ticket reads: U.S.A. to LYON and MARSEILLES back to U.S.A.  We urge you to check airline cancellation penalties before purchasing airline tickets since international departure times and flights can change. Tours can be cancelled due to low enrollment. H.A.T. Tours does not accept liability for cancellation penalties related to domestic or international airline tickets purchased independently in conjunction with this tour. 

The group is limited to fifteen persons maximum. The Managing Director Grethe Arani and/or Aspee Arani will personally escort this tour. Local English-speaking guides are provided in each of the cities visited.

Please send your deposit to:
H.A.T. Tours
PO Box 46876, St. Petersburg, FL 33741
Phone toll free (800) 472-4448 or Fax (727) 360-8459
gnahat@EuropeanOperaTours.com
www.EuropeanOperaTours.com