“Provence,
the ancient roman Provincia (province), impresses with beautiful
vistas, charming villages, and wondrous works of ancient Rome, still
standing after almost 2,000 years. The Roman arenas, theaters, and
monuments are found in the heartland of Provence, the mainly flat,
rich farmland near the Rhone River. Cycling in the core region of
Provence is generally easy—with only occasional small slopes or
lightly rolling, small hills.” – Web article by Q. May.
This is a self guided tour so we will set our own pace and stop
for sightseeing wherever we wish to. After traveling from Paris,
where the trip starts, to Avignon via high speed TGV rail, we’ll
ride three days through very scenic towns and countryside to the
Camargue, the Rhone river delta, where there is abundant wildlife
(white horses, black bulls, and even flamingos!) and the Mediterranean
beach for a rest day. Then we go back to Avignon by a different
route and back to Paris. September weather reported to be ideal
in Provence and our average miles per day is a very doable 31, probably
a bit over three hours of actual riding.
Visit our tour operator’s special
Sanctuary web page for complete information about this fantastic
trip by clicking on this link:
www.BikeToursDirect.com.
To book this trip:
You will book directly with our tour operator, Bike Tours
Direct, instead of with the ski club starting August 16th.
Use the link given above and
click the "Book Tour" button.
Do read and understand the "Terms / Conditions" on the web
site.
Price $1560 (estimated, depends on exchange rate) + air fare.
$200 deposit required when you book.
Note that air is not included and here's the reason:
Our thinking is that if individuals get their own air from
whatever web travel site they choose they'll probably do as
well or better than an air fare that could be pre-packaged.
And then some of you may want to use rewards points or delay
your return to stay longer to see other parts of Europe as well.
September 2007 air fares are now available from several
web sites.
Regarding air fare:
Check all the web sites to find the best fare.
In addition to Orbitz
www.Orbitz.com,
Travelocity
www.Travelocity.com,
and Expedia
www.Expedia.com,
see sites such as
www.farecompare.com,
www.kayak.com,
www.1800flyeurope.com,
www.airfare.com,
and www.travelzoo.com
(use their "supersearch" option).
If anyone sees a really good deal we all can share the news
by e-mail. Pay attention to their terms and conditions
as well. BTD partners with Nonstop Travel and may also have
good fares - contacts are
Yvonne@nonstoptravel.net
or 1-800-949-6362.
You need to be in Paris on Sep 16 for the start of
this trip so most of us will leave here on Sep 15 but you
can go earlier or stay longer after trip ends on Sep 26
if you wish.
Dave Meisner,
dmeisner@ameritech.net
|