Living Up To a Lifetime!
Not so much procrastination but a plan, I decided to hold off my post about my time with Off the Beaten Path, Provence (May 21-26, 2024) in order to do an experiment with my thoughts and memories. Before we left for Christy's tour, one of my friends and travel companions said, "this will be the trip of a lifetime for you." The only way for me to gauge the truth of that claim was to wait awhile (8 months in this case) and see whether in fact that promise held up to the intangible but real sense of happiness, delight, and nostalgia that comes along with memories of experiences past. Verdict: Absolutely! I've thought about our OBP Provence tour, with our charismatic, delightfully knowledgeable, guide Philippe, the warm, smart, and ebullient Summer, the expert driver Philippe (2), and -- not to be forgotten-- my seven wonderful tour mates, first strangers, now friends -- almost every day since then. In a world rife with trouble and trauma, I have found myself going back to moments (mental and material) that relive the tour's lively, leisurely, and well-organized travels throughout Provence -- the delightful Hotel Gounod and its expert staff, the beauty of the landscape and the hospitality of our many French hosts (chef Catherine!, chef and architect Michelle!), so many superb meals, none of which I'll ever be able to replicate, the "French pour" accompaniments, historical sites both intimate and grand, the "tastings," the beauties from Saint Rémy & Les Baux-de Provence, to the Luberon with a walk in the poppy fields, seaside and perfumes in Cassis, a picture perfect lunch with the unforgettable chef Jean-Claude in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, the markets and cobblestone streets, the colors of Provence, and all the rest (and the restfulness). Philippe and Summer, you were the (five) stars of the show! It's now 2025, time to sign up for this year's OBP Provence tour. I'm here to bet that it may well be the experience of a lifetime for you, as it was for me.