April 22 - 30, 2007

Depart your gateway city for the overnight flight to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.

Arrive in Paris early in the morning and transfer to the connecting flight to Biarritz.

In Biarritz, transfer by van to the hotel Chateau de Clair de Lune, an elegant fin de siecle family house set in a quiet park. Each morning breakfast is served at the hotel’s grand table.

After getting settled, walk next door to have a wonderful evening meal at Campagne et Gourmandise.

Explore Biarritz and its beautiful Atlantic beaches (on a clear day you can make out Cape Cod Lighthouse, only 3000 miles to the West). The expanses of soft sand are interspersed with rocky headlands covered with exotic plants - pink tamarisk and purple and white hydrangeas. There are many promenades for strolling and viewing the Atlantic surf.

Many of the finest buildings in Biarritz date from the Belle Epoque, Art deco and Art Nouveau periods. Victor Hugo visited and fell in love with Biarritz as did Queen Victoria and her son, the Prince of Wales, who came annually for several years. Germany’s Bismarck and Leopold of Belgium also vacationed here. There was so much royalty sojourning in Biarritz that it was called "the beach of kings".

Throughout the Belle Epoque, Biarritz was at the height of fashion with Chanel, Patou, Lanvin and Hermes building villas in outlandish styles. In the 50’s it attracted American film stars Gary Cooper, Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth as well as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Ernest Hemingway also came but stayed in nearby Bayonne.

After touring glittery Biarritz, stop at the market to sample the Basque cheeses, view the vast array of fresh fish, fruit and vegetables and, perhaps, to indulge in some chocolate confections for which the city is also famous – there is a museum of chocolate. Lunch is on your own in the vieux port at la Mere restaurant.

After a restful hour at the hotel, drive to St Jean de Luz, a chic little fishing port. In this picturesque city, Louis the XIV married the Spanish infanta Maria Teresa in 1659 after the Treaty of the Pyrenees which ended the war between Spain and France. Visit the church where the wedding took place. As we wander the old streets of the port see many fine houses - both half-timber and stone. A few date from the 16th century having survived fires and tidal waves.

We end the day in Ciboure on the other side of the harbor for dinner at Margot, a beachside seafood restaurant. Ciboure is the birthplace of the composer, Maurice Ravel (1875-1937). It also has a 16th century fortified church.

Drive by bus to St Jean Pied de Port deep in the French Basque country. Inland, the gentle rolling hills are dotted with spotless whitewashed houses with their inevitable red or green trim and shutters. Sheep graze everywhere. We stop at several typical Basque villages to see the finely arcaded Basque churches and typical Basque houses with the family name carved over the door - wonderful opportunities for sketching and photography.

St Jean Pied de Port was - and still is - an assembly point for pilgrims for the passage through the Puerto Ibaneta, a main crossing point over the Pyrenees Mountains into Spain en route to the shrine of Santiago de Compostela. The 16th century bridge, cobble stone street through the town and original guest houses for the pilgrims remain. It is an "authentic" town. The pilgrims continued their journey through the porch with its stone benches and past the Gothic Eglise de NotreDame.

There will be time to buy the famous Linge Basque and the fabulous cheeses and breads. In the evening we return to the hotel.

Dinner is on your own and the bus is at your disposal to take you to Biarritz to enjoy one of the numerous restaurants by the beach or, if preferred, to take you to the Moulin d’Alotz - a former mill and now a hidden jewel of a restaurant off the beaten track.

On our last day in Biarritz you leave early and drive to Hendaye via the Cote des Basques - a coastal road along a seaside cliff reminiscent of the moors of Ireland with the sheep grazing on one side and the steep cliff descending to the ocean on the other.

A short ferry ride takes us to the medieval Spanish town of Fuenterrabia (in French, Fontarabi). Being on the border with France, the town was often under siege and therefore its heights are dominated by a castle. Many noble homes still have the family coats of arms above their doors.

There is time for lunch on the Plaza de Arma. It offers fabulous views of the sea and of the beautiful homes around the square. Then it is back on the road to travel farther into Spain on our way to San Sebastian where we spend the afternoon and the evening.

Placed like a necklace around the shell shaped bay of la Concha, San Sebastian is one of the most beautiful cities of Europe. In the Basque language, the city is called Donastia. It was a small fishing village until Isabel the 2nd, Queen of Spain, came to spend the summer, Her son, King Alfonso, continued the visits and San Sebastian became fashionable. It has a turn of the century charm, stately boulevards, quietly elegant hotels and 19th century mansions. The splendid beach is lined with Tamarind trees and city dwellers stroll the Paseo de la Concha (the waterfront ) well into the night. Fine eating is a tradition in San Sebastian and one can find many excellent restaurants on the cobbled streets of the old city. Then, back to Biarritz for the night and packing for tomorrow’s drive to Pau.

Depart early en route to Pau and then on to Collioure.

Pau is located approximately one-third of the to the Mediterranean Sea along the Pyrenees Mountains which form the border with Spain. In the 15th century it was transformed from a modest Chateau into a royal city. Henry the IV was born here. In the 19th century the city was so frequented by the British that it was called la ville Anglaise. The old town is full of charm. There is a picture perfect view of snow capped mountains from the Boulevard des Pyrenees. After an early lunch we drive to French Catalonia and Collioure on the Mediterranean Sea.

Collioure is the gem of the Cote Vermeille. It was first discovered by Matisse in 1904. He was inspired by the brilliant light, the fishing cottages painted turquoise pink and yellow, the sapphire blue of the sea and the palms and cacti that prosper in the balmy climate. Soon Derain and Dufy as well as Juan Gris joined him. A whole new art movement called fauvism was created. Incredibly enough, the little port has not changed except for the tourist shops along the cobbled streets.

Here we unpack our bags at Hotel Les Templiers where Matisse and Braque stayed. They paid their keep with their paintings which still adorn the walls of the restaurant. We dine on local seafood and wine on the hotel’s terrace.

We tour Collioure following the Chemin du Fauvisme around the town where empty frames focus on the views painted by the artists. Dearin described the colors of Collioure as sticks of dynamite. Matisse’s landscape at Collioure is a riot of color balanced with untouched white canvas conveying the intensity of the sunlight. Now, the chateau of Collioure that Picasso once tried to buy is used for exhibition of modern art. Here one can buy pottery, locally woven espadrilles, and regional wines. After lunch on your own we visit the Museum of Modern Art. It harbors lesser painters that followed the fauve movement as well as an excellent collection of Moorish ceramics that inspired Picasso.

Dinner is on your own in one of the many restaurants along the water’s edge.

This is our last day on the coast. We travel a few miles to Ceret very close to the Spanish border. There the tiled and painted facades and loggias have a distinctive Spanish feel. The people speak Catalan and dance the sardana. Ceret has been called the Vatican of Cubism.

Picasso painted landscapes at Ceret in 1911 and Braque painted his rooftops there. After lunch on our own we move to Banyuls sur mer. Banyuls is famous for producing a strong sweet wine from the terraced vineyards that cling to the hillsides. It is also famous as the birth place of the sculptor Maillol. We visit his house and see many of his works. Our last dinner in Collioure is at the Restaurant des Templiers .

We drive to Marseilles to catch our plane to Paris and the connecting flight back to your gateway city.

There is a possibility for a 2 or 3 nights extension in Paris.

The price (land only) is $2,685.00* and includes:

          * Note:

          The single person supplement is $500.00.