The gardians, as the cowboys of La Camargue are known, invite
you into their unique world in this wild corner of southern France along the western edge of Provence... a seemingly endless expanse of tall grass and swampy marshland known for its beautiful wild horses and the prized black bulls the gardians wrangle on farms or ranches (called manades) like the one you’ll visit with Tauck. The best of the bulls are chosen for the course camarguaise, the popular and humane Provençal bull games in which players attempt to grab paper tokens, or attributs, from the bulls’ horns. It’s all part of a proud and colorful Provençal tradition that you’ll learn about firsthand when you join the gardians and owners of a family-owned farm in the Camargue for a festive meal featuring local Provençal specialties, wine, folklore and fun.
5. STORIES OF POPES (& WINE) IN AVIGNON Lovely Avignon might still be something of a backwater had it not been for the popes who moved the papacy here when things got “uncomfortable” in Rome around 700 years ago. Although the pontiffs reigned here for less than a century, they built themselves one humongous palace; the fortress-like Palais des Papes, which you’ll visit today, is one of Europe’s largest and most significant Gothic buildings and the centerpiece of this walled medieval city. Avignon’s popes all shared a fondness for wine, produced in this region for over 2,600 years; sample the locally grown Châteauneuf-du-Pape (which translates to “new castle of the Popes”) on an afternoon wine tasting in a hilltop setting overlooking the village for which the variety is named. Meals BLD
voyage at a Glance 9 Cruise Days
Paris
6. BACK IN TIME IN VIVIERS In the Middle Ages, the town of Viviers on the banks of the Rhône had two distinct parts which reflected the equally distinct social divide of the time. “Common folk,” artisans and tradespersons lived on the river plain, while the bishop and his upwardly mobile friends lorded over them from the hilltop above. Go back a thousand years as you explore this medieval city – one of the best-preserved in Europe – and its unusual castle-like cathedral on a walking tour with Tauck’s local guides; you’ll be delighted by its authenticity. Spend the rest of the day cruising the Rhône aboard ms Swiss Emerald, bound for Tournon-sur-Rhône; onboard activities include a demonstration of the Provençal game of pétanque (weather permitting). Meals BLD
Day Destination Monte-Carlo to Paris
1 Arrive Monte-Carlo Fairmont Monte Carlo
2 Monte-Carlo
3 Nice / Embark Arles 4 Arles / La Camargue
Mercurey
Châlon-sur-Saône Mâcon
FRANCE Lyon Vienne Tain-l’Hermitage
Viviers Tournon
Avignon Arles
Nice MEDITERRANEAN SEA 24 ITALY Beaune SWITZERLAND
5 Avignon / Châteauneuf-du-Pape 6 Viviers 7 Tournon / Tain-l’Hermitage 8 Vienne 9 Chalon-sur-Saône / Mercurey
10 Mâcon / Cluny 11 Lyon
12 Disembark Lyon / Beaune / Paris Hilton Arc de Triomphe
MONACO
13 Paris 14 Depart Paris
Day Destination Paris to Monte-Carlo 1 Arrive Paris Hilton Arc de Triomphe
2 Paris
3 Beaune / Embark Lyon 4 Chalon-sur-Saône / Mercurey 5 Mâcon / Cluny 6 Lyon 7 Vienne 8 Tournon / Tain-l’Hermitage 9 Viviers 10 Avignon / Châteauneuf-du-Pape 11 Arles / La Camargue
12 Disembark Arles / Nice / Monte-Carlo Fairmont Monte Carlo
13 Monte-Carlo 14 Depart Monte-Carlo
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