Creative Arts Holidays

Painting Provence and Cruising the Rhone River with Valerie Kent

The sun-washed Luberon and Verdon regions of Provence are a walker's paradise, filled with vineyards, orchards, herb-covered hills and ancient Roman ruins. Provence delights the senses with its fragrant smells of lavender, rosemary and sage along with its luminous light that has inspired artists, musicians and writers. No wonder Cezanne stayed here all his life, Van Gogh made splendid canvases here and Gaughin was as happy with the colour here as in the South Pacific.Come along and paint with us, this wonderful region of France, escorted by Artist/Instructor Valerie Kent.

In Brief
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Full Itinerary
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Tour Details
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Day	Date	Itinerary	Meals
1	Sunday July 25th	Arrive Aix-en-Provence, France	Breakfast
2	Monday July 26th	Aix-en-Provence, France	Breakfast
3	Tuesday July 27th	Aix-en-Provence, France	Breakfast
4	Wednesday July 28th	Aix-en-Provence, France	Breakfast
5	Thursday July 29th	Aix-en-Provence, France	Breakfast
6	Friday July 30th	Castellane, France	Breakfast
7	Saturday July 31st	Castellane, France	Breakfast
8	Sunday August 1st	Nice, France	Breakfast
9	Monday August 2nd	Depart Nice, France	Breakfast

Saturday July 24th - Depart Home City Board your international flight to Marseille, France. (As a full service travel agency were happy to assist with flight arrangements to join this tour. We suggest booking early to obtain the best flights and rates available.)

DAY 1: Arrive Aix-en-Provence, France Welcome to France! Meet up with Artist/Instructor Valerie Kent and other members of the group in the city of 'Aix'. After settling into your hotel room, there will be a walk around the environs to familarize passengers with this fascinating old city. Later on Valerie will invite everyone to join her to pick a restaurant for dinner.
Overnight: Aix-en-Provence

The City of Aix-en-Provence The city of Aix-en-Provence was first known as Aquae Sextiae (the water of Sextius). Sextius Calvinius was the Roman proconsul who founded the city in 124 BC after finding the thermal springs here. Even now, 'Aix' is referred to as the "City of 101 Fountains" The city's old-time elegance reflects its former role as regional capital.

"A complacently conservative and stunningly beautiful place that considers culture the sustenance of life."

The medieval quarter and the Cours Mirabeau, a majestic tree lined avenue in the heart of the city, (a verdant tunnel of foliage protects against the Provençal sun. Aix's life revolves around this very area) are just steps from our hotel. Lining the north side of the street are cafés (namely the Café des Deux Garçons, once an important meeting place for artists and writers such as Frédéric Mistral, 1901 Nobel prize winner and founder of 'Le Félibrige' society whose aim it was to preserve the history, culture and language of Provence).

DAY 2: Cassis on the Mediterranean and the Route des Crêtes Today after breakfast we enjoy the drive down from Aix to the sleepy fishing village of Cassis on the rugged Mediterranean coast. It shows off the Mediterranean just as we picture it in our mind-sparkling and brilliantly blue as it contrasts with the sun-baked white of the limestone fingers that reach into the sea and shelter pockets of sand beaches between them. Cassis, with its wide semi-circular quay is a great location to paint with its shops and cafés on one side and bobbing sailboats from everywhere around the world on the other. After some free time for a leisurely lunch or optional boat ride to view the amazing 'calanques', we will leave the village and travel the 'Route des Crêtes' offering a Mediterranean view that you will always remember.
Meals: (B) Breakfast
Overnight: Aix-en-Provence

DAY 3: The Villages of the Luberon After breakfast we travel north of Aix and up onto the Luberon Plateau. Here are the timeless villages kept a secret until the book, 'A Year in Provence'. Just as Peter Mayle tells it, these tiny villages, dotted sparsely over the plateau, have a timeless quality. Everyone who explores them will come away with an idea of what the Provençal are about. We will be painting in the village of Lourmarin, considered one of the most beautiful villages of Provence and we go there on Market Day! Now we get to experience a country market when everyone of the village is out socializing and adding even more colour to this lovely rural scape. We paint and enjoy these lovely villages, view a true Roman bridge, and admire a fortified castle perched like a broach on the Luberon slope, before returning to Aix late in the afternoon.
Meals: (B) Breakfast
Overnight: Aix-en-Provence

DAY 4: Mont Ste-Victoire - Cezanne's favorite location to paint After breakfast we travel just a few miles out into the countryside to paint in the little village of Le Tholonet. Cézanne consistently walked to the little village and set up his easel on the porch of a windmill, offering a stunning view of his beloved Mont Ste-Victoire, which he painted more than 50 times in his life. It's a lovely little village and Cezanne's presence is still felt here.
Meals: (B) Breakfast
Overnight: Aix-en-Provence

DAY 5: Market Day in Aix Free day in Aix-en-Provence, and it's Market Day! Of all the town markets in France that I've been able to experience, Aix truly is the best. The entire 'old town' is taken over with stalls offering traditional sweets, art crafts, antiques, linens, provençal fabrics, china, pottery, hats, clothing, scarves (the quality and selection is to die for!) and so much more! A very indulgent day, even if you are not a shopper it is amazing experience and a wonderful insight to Provençal life. Enjoy the market or just be plain ole Provençal and plant yourself in a café along the Cours Mirabeau and be a 'Provençal'.
Meals: (B) Breakfast
Overnight: Aix-en-Provence

Optional Cooking School Excursion: One of the best ways to get to know the Provençal is to learn their cooking! We have arranged for the opportunity today to join Marc Heracle at his "Cuisines du Sud" cooking school which he orchestrates in his oh so charming 17th century chateau in a small village outside of Aix-en-Provence. This is a demonstration class but it is more than just a cooking class. It's a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a visit and indulge in a day in the life of the Provençal including lunch with wine in the garden. Please note this must be booked early (by March 1, 2010) - It is limited to a small group. Cost $189.00 including transport. (Minimum of 4 paying participants required, maximum of 8)

DAY 6: Moustiers Ste. Marie and Verdon Gorge After breakfast today we leave Aix and travel by coach to the region of 'Alpes de Haute Provence' and to the charming market town of Castellane. Our route takes us along the stunning 'crete sublime' giving you a full-length view of the Verdon Gorge, which has carved out deep ravines along a stretch of land more than 21 kms in length. The spectacular scenery creates a wonderful backdrop for our lunch break in the village of Moustiers Ste. Marie. This village seems to clamber over the rocks that cling to the hillside of the Verdon Gorge. Originally named Monsterium it was so named after the monastery founded here in the 5th century. After lunch we carry on to 'Castellane' where we will spend the next two wonderful nights!
Meals: (B) Breakfast
Overnight: Castellane

DAY 7: Castellane Today we will have our painting workshop in and around the lively market town of Castellane. It's little streets, alleys and squares lined with cafes and shops are a delightful place to paint. Our hotel is right on the main square and fountains can be found throughout the town. Castellane, although provincial and small has seen a lot of history over time. Situated on the 'Route Napoleon' at the eastern end of the great Verdon Gorge the surrounding scenery creates a terrific backdrop and Napoleon himself was known to take a night's shelter with his men here as he travelled back toward Paris after his exile on Elba.
Meals: (B) Breakfast
Overnight: Castellene

DAY 8: Entrevaux and Saint Paul de Vence After breakfast we travel from Castellane down into the 'Riviera' region to Nice. Enroute we take the time to visit Entrevaux, an amazing little village hugged within a loop of the Var River. We enter the village of Entrevaux by crossing the drawbridge (over the river providing a natural moat) and through the "Porte Royale" gate. The Town was fortified by order of Louis XIV's masterful military engineer "Vauban". This along with the totally pedestrian streets, tall, narrow houses, ancient fountains in the little public squares and fascinating zigzag ramps to the citadel - all set in this rugged region, gives us the experience of an authentic fairytale escape into another world and time. We also make a stop in the timeless village of Saint Paul de Vence, which has been called 'The most beautiful village in the world' due to its spectacular location between the mountains and the sea, overlooking the Mediterranean, the Alps and the Esterel mountains. This is a timeless, ancient village that is further complemented by an amazing array of art shops and galleries within it's walls as testiment to its beauty. We will arrive in Nice in the early evening.
Meals: (B) Breakfast

DAY 13: Depart for Home City After breakfast our program is over. If anyone would like to extend their stay in the area we are happy to assist with your travel details. Nice is a convenient departure point for both rail and air in the region.
Meals: (B) Breakfast

Tour:	Come Paint in Provence - 8 Nts / 9 Days
Artist/Instructor:	Valerie Kent
Dates:	Sunday July 25th to Monday August 2nd, 2010
Arrival City:	Aix-en-Provence, France
Departure City:	(NCE) Nice, France
Overnights:	- 5 Nts Aix-en-Provence - 2 Nts Castellane - 1 Nt Nice
Price:	- $2,889.00 per person - Double or shared twin - Single rate upon request - All taxes inlcuded
Tour Highlights:	- Visit the ancient village of Entrevaux - The spectacular Verdon Gorge - The villages of the Luburon made famous by Peter Mayle's book, "A Year in Provence' - The beaufiful village of Cassis - Painting Mont Ste. Victoire from Cezanne's favorite vantage point - Stunning fields of lavender - Market Day in Aix-en-Provence
Tour Inclusions:	- 5 Nts Aix-en-Provence Hotel - 2 Nts Castellane Hotel - 1 Nt Nice Hotel - Tour transfers per itineary - Sightseeing and excursions per itinerary - Daily painting workshops and painting opportunities - Fully escorted by Artist/Instructor Valerie Kent - All taxes
Meals Included:	- Breakfast daily
Tour Exclusions:	- International airfare to Aix-en-Provence, France and from Nice, France - Airport transfers, optional excursions or deviations from itinerary - Tips, Gratuities and Baggage Handling - Personal insurance (medical, baggage, cancellation, etc.) - Passports, Visas and Immunizations - Meals and Beverages not included in itinerary - Laundry, Hotel and Personal charges - Items of personal nature and souvenirs

Terms & Conditions:

Creative Arts Holidays (hereinafter referred to as CAH) and/or their agent's act solely as agents for the Travel Service Suppliers such as airlines, hotels, local sightseeing and adventure companies, bus companies etc... who are providing their facilities as described on CAH's website and in CAH's brochures. We do our best to select such suppliers but exercise no control over them and cannot be held responsible for the failure of these suppliers to carry out any obligations. Any and all bookings made with these suppliers by us, for you, are subject to the terms and conditions of each and every such supplier.

Suppliers' liability may also be limited by law, tariffs, or conditions set forth in their documentation, tickets, etc. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, CAH and its agents are not responsible for any and all claims for losses, damages, delays, illness, injuries, inconvenience, loss of enjoyment, or anxiety arising from:

Fault of negligence or omissions on the part of said travel suppliers;
Illness, theft, strikes, mechanical problems, quarantine, governmental intervention, weather conditions, acts of hostility or violence and any other grounds beyond their control;
Your failure to obtain passport, visas, inoculations or other ground documents;
Your failure to report on time at an airport or ground transfer facility;
Material damages, theft or other mysterious disappearance of your goods;
Personal injury or death;
Force Majeure - event(s) beyond our, or our suppliers' reasonable control including, but not limited to, acts of God, strikes, lockout or other labour disputes or disruptions, wars, blockades, insurrections, riots, earthquakes, weather conditions, floods or acts or restraints imposed by governmental authorities.

Liability:

Where travel services are purchased separately, and not as part of an inclusive package, CAH's responsibility shall extend only to the provisions of advice as to industry standard or supplier recommended, connection and check-in times. Provided CAH supplies such advice, it shall not be responsible for missed connections or departures, regardless of the cause.

Promotional Material:

CAH programs very often include photographs of our past tour participants that may be used on our websites and promotional material. If any of our passengers do not wish to have pictures, which include their image used by CAH, said passengers must advise CAH prior to departure in writing.

Website and Brochure Accuracy:

Every effort has been made to describe the travel services on our website as accurately as possible, but please note there may be different living standards and conditions with respect to the provisions of utilities and services than you are accustomed to at home. Information and photographs contained herein were accurate at time of printing and are subject to change: however, we will do our best to inform you should any significant changes occur. CAH reserves the right to decline any passenger as a member of any tour at any time. It is understood that all passengers reserving on any CAH program are personally physically mobile.

Itinerary Changes:

Although every effort will be made to keep itineraries, hotels and carriers as they are shown on our website and in our brochures, we reserve the right to substitute itineraries, hotels or carriers due to conditions beyond our control. In such cases, we will do everything possible to ensure that the locations visited, the excursions taken and the hotels offered are similar to the ones originally planned. Any change to itineraries will not result in eligibility for a refund.

Personal Documentation Requirements:

All passengers must travel with a passport valid for at least 6 months after the return date of the trip. Visas may be required by some passengers for entry into another country - please contact a CAH representative at 1.888.830.5324 for further details. Please note that entry into any country may be refused even if the required information and travel documents are complete. It is the passenger's responsibility to obtain at the passenger's expense, all documentation required by all relevant authorities. In the event that the passenger does not possess the proper documentation, the carrier (cruiseline, airline etc...) reserves the right to refuse passage. It is absolutely necessary for CAH to be aware of the citizenship/nationality of all its passengers to ensure that we provide correct information regarding personal documentation requirements.

Pricing:

Prices in this brochure or on our website are for the most part per person, based on two persons sharing a room, and are in effect at the time of printing or loading and are subject to price increases. Costs for this program are based on the exchange rate at the time of printing and are subject to currency fluctuation. Please note that no price increases are permitted after the customer has paid in full. If the price increase is more than 7% (except for increases resulting from an increase in retail sales or federal tax), the customer has the right to cancel the booking and obtain a full refund.

Bookings, Payments, Cancellations and Refunds:

A deposit of $500.00 (CAD) per person plus the applicable insurance premium is payable at time of booking. The balance of payment is due no later than 70 days prior to departure. Please note that the deposit is non-refundable and the balance subject to cancellation charges according to the date of cancellation by the by the passenger. Please see applicable cancellation charges below:

Cancellation notice received more than 60 days prior to departure - Forfeits full deposit of $500 (CAD) per person
Cancellation notice received 60 - 30 days prior to departure - 50% penalty of full fare †
Cancellation notice received 29 - 0 days prior to departure - 100% of full fare †

† Full Fare is defined as the cost of any tour, land and air element purchased from Creative Arts Holidays. Voluntary or involuntary termination by the passenger of a tour in progress will result in no refund, nor can they be exchanged for alternative travel arrangements. There is no refund for unused services or if portions of the tour are missed.

Note: Please contact a CAH representative for suggested insurance options which could protect you from the above cancellation charges.

Insurance:

Please note that Cancellation, baggage, medical, emergency medical and various additional insurance coverages are strongly recommended and are available at the time of booking your vacation. A CAH representative would be happy to offer you an insurance quotation for your upcoming vacation. Please feel free to contact an CAH representative at 1.888.830.5324 or info@creativeartsholidays.com

Tour Documents:

A tour document packet is sent two weeks prior to a passengers departure. If you request documents earlier there is a $100 CAD handling charge to cover the extra costs of early processing. If a reservation is made within three weeks of departure, a late booking fee of $100 CAD may be assessed to facilitate RUSH documentation

Booking Revision Fee:

A $100 CAD revision fee per revision is charged for any changes made to a reservation after the written confirmation is sent. Please use the names of the travelers exactly as they appear on their passports. A change in name or departure date may constitute a cancellation, and penalties may apply.

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Promotional Material:

Website and Brochure Accuracy:

Itinerary Changes:

Personal Documentation Requirements:

Pricing:

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Insurance:

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Booking Revision Fee:

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Creative Arts Holidays

Terms & Conditions:

Liability:

Promotional Material:

Website and Brochure Accuracy:

Itinerary Changes:

Personal Documentation Requirements:

Pricing:

Bookings, Payments, Cancellations and Refunds:

Insurance:

Tour Documents:

Booking Revision Fee:

Tour Registration

Tour:

Artist/Instructor:

Dates:

Arrival City:

Departure City:

Overnights:

Price:

Meals Included:

July Weather (Min to Max):

July Weather
(Min to Max):