French Country Adventures are guided, slow travel tours through Southwestern France for no more than 6 people, from early spring to late fall. The less traveled regions of Gascony, the Basque Country, Occitanie, and parts beyond, have all of the charms, but none of the crowds. Within these fabled boundaries you’ll discover the unexpected pleasures of their unique history, time-honored traditions, and local flavors.
If you’re dreaming of having an authentic French vacation, discovering the land of the swashbuckling Musketeers, and taking scenic roads through romantic landscapes, I invite you to join me on a journey back to simplicity.
Bienvenue à la campagne.
“…Thank you for a wonderful trip full of so many fantastic experiences and memories! The weight I gained was totally worth every bite…We all had some good laughs, plenty of Armagnac, delicious food and wonderful outings.You are an amazing lady and a terrific tour guide…no matter who cancelled, you didn’t get rattled….you just stayed calm and made alternate arrangements…We’ll be watching your website for future opportunities!…”
Imagine traveling to the most rural, least industrialized corner of southwest France with the purest air and longest-living people, isolated from main highways and train lines. Include in this picture white clouds floating in deep blue skies, rolling green hills tufted with flocks of sheep, and herds of blonde Aquitaine cows surrounded by myriad
Of Music and Muses: Hector Berlioz’s Obsessive Love It can often be said that love has no limits or boundaries, but obsession does. This is no more true than in the relationship between the French composer, Hector Berlioz, and the Shakespearean actress, Harriet Smithson. In the years following the French Revolution (1789), a new movement
“I think food, culture, people and landscape are all absolutely inseparable.” Anthony Bourdain The lure of France has never dimmed, nor has the lure of French cuisine. In Gascony, the Pays Basque, Occitanie and Provence in particular (where I currently lead slow travel tours) good food, carefully prepared with first rate ingredients is not a
“To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere, without moving anything but your heart.” Phyllis Grissim-Theroux – The other day I waited in my parked car outside the post office in a nearby village waiting for it to open. Adjacent to me was a truck loading mail. Just as the truck driver
“As soon as we leave the urban condition behind us, we confront newness and the profoundly unfamiliar. “ Rem Koolhaas As I drove home from the end of my first women’s only slow travel tour this year, I thought to myself that youth is not a prerequisite for adventure. Originally, this tour was sold out,
“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It’s about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.” – Brené Brown It’s not the wrinkles or gray hair, it’s the death of 4 friends this past
