Our trip started out as a tour of France but could have 
easily been seven separate vacations.  
Each stop might have been a two or three week stay
instead of the two or three days we allotted.
We moved often, and to distinct areas, which caused 
Mary Anne, one of our tour members, to give our tour 
the official name,"The Blur De France"


  Lake Lugano  

Lake Lugano was only meant to be a stopover on our way 
to the French Riviera but the lake was so appealing and the 
weather so beautiful that we wanted to stay much longer.
We took a boat cruise of the lake, walked the lakeside 
promenade and had two very good evening meals.
For some reason there is a statue of  "Georgio" Washington
on the lakeside promenade.  Yes, our president is there by 
the lake and nobody in Lugano seems to know why.
Lunch at the restaurant at the top of Monte Brè gave us an
awesome panorama of the lake.  This is a "must see" spot.
Lugano may be Swiss but the flavor is very Italian.
Off to the Cote D'Azur and our favorite village.


 Villefranche Sur Mer 


Villefranche Sur Mer is one of those unexpected finds on 
the French Riviera.  Charming yet affordable with a good 
local beach and easy striking distance to Monaco, Nice, 
Cannes, St. Tropez, and the hilltop village of Eze.  We 
took day trips to all five place and a night trip to the 
Casino at Monte Carlo with a good meal at the Zebra Lounge 
along the waterfront.  They even had fireworks for us that 
night.  At St. Tropez we had lunch at Club 55.  
The restaurant is set back in foliage, nearly out of sight 
of the water.  No one swims at Le Club 55. They brunch. 
The restaurant, styled like a small Moorish house with 
tables in the interior courtyard, is pleasant. The food
is good, but pricey.  The film crew of  "And God Created 
Woman" created Le Club 55 and it is still a hot spot 
today.  It's a café which grew out of a beach cottage 
whose owner was asked to provide meals for the film 
crew and seized the opportunity to start what is now the 
elegant Club 55.  Here the rich and occasionally famous, 
arrive by yacht and exotic cars, rent a mat to lie in the 
sun, then enjoy languid lunches. 
The beaches at Cannes are wide and sandy not rocky like 
most Riviera beaches. It would be fun to come here 
during the film festival in May.  
Take a drive up to the medieval village of Eze, with its 
exotic garden and the 16th century church. There are
magnificent views of the coast as you stroll the 
cobblestone streets.  I think this is the best panorama
of the Cote D'Azure.  Three days was just not enough time 
to spend at our second stop.

We had a wonderful treat at our friend's vineyard on the
drive to Provence.  Gilles Pons and his family gave us a 
private tour of Château Les Valentines. 

 We had one of our
best lunches in the little 
village by the winery.





 Provence 

Everywhere you look in Provence there is beauty; 
beautiful views, shops, people, chateaux, and 
especially the colors.
It was lavender season.
We stayed at Le Prieuré in Villeneuve Les Avignon,
which is just across the river from Avignon.
   The Garden at Le Prieuré

François Mille and his staff gave us excellent service.
We took day trips to the Roman Ruins at Glanum and the 
asylum of Saint Paul de Mausole where Van Gogh was 
committed.  We were afraid to go in.  With this group, 
they may not let us leave.
We Spent Sunday at the street fair at Isle Sur La Sorgue.

    Isle Sur la Sorge

In Avignon we went to the Palace of the Popes.



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