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October in Provence and Chateauneuf du Pape
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Join us on this one of a kind trip to the wine region of Châteauneuf du Pape. We'll explore delicious wines, dine in wonderful authentic locales, visit beautiful villages and take amazing photos
Our low-key approach is like having a friend with special expertise traveling with you as you explore these spellbinding destinations. As a small group, you will have personalized attention and the level and type of activity that you prefer. No prerequisites to join this trip! Your desire to see and do things that most tourists never get to experience is all you need! Whether you are a novice or expert --photographer or wine lover -- this trip is something special. (Don't believe us, look at our 
Just sit back and enjoy the ride. We'll help you navigate the beautiful landscape and ensure that you will see and experience things that only an insider could see and do.
For more information and a full itinerary, please visit our website at 
Bliss Travels | 3 Hemlock Court | Princeton | NJ | 08540
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Tour Provence: Vacation in Provence in a Day!
Tour Provence: Vacation in Provence in a Day!
From the ancient ruins you can freely climb through --to photography, to hiking, to pondering n'importe quoi... or just to put out a blanket and enjoy the view...
To the village panoramas...
To the life within...
Why not open the door on a new adventure. It's Bliss!
But first, read what others have to say...Don't take our word for it.
After you are through, book our last room. Watch the lavender flower, and experience the fragrance when a field is cut...It permeates the air for a quarter mile around it!
July 17-22 Provence (possible early arrival for Paris too!)
or
July 28-August 4 (Mediterranean and Paris) This trip is not advertised. It's a small private trip. contact us for details wendy@blisstravels.com
Tour France: Experience Provence...like a local
Tour France: Experience Provence...like a local (menu suggestions below)
Wondering down the village road
to visit the local market --set up from the town parking area through the main square, and on several little streets. Not the biggest area market --but a very authentic and less touristy one.
Taking our picnic items to a nearby olive grove where we walk along and see the first lavender blooms.
peeking in corners at gardens
Paints quite a nice picture of the day --we think it's Bliss
Tour France: Best Summer Festivals in Provence (with schedule)
Tour France: Best Summer Festivals in Provence and Festival Schedule.Schedule:Cherry Festivals in mid and late JuneMelon Festival in JulyLavender festivals in late July and AugustBastille Day --July 14Tour de France --July 14 in ProvenceWine and art festivals...July etc.Fete Votives: late June, July and August.Summer is festival season. Provence is full of a huge variety of festivals.There are themed festivals. There is a honey festival, several wine festivals, art festivals, a melon festival, a cherry festival...and pretty much a celebration of any food product you can think of. Below are some photos of past festivals.
Being inducted into the "royal order of the melon". Really.
A special melon dish. Lobster or prawns are baked in this one of a kind "plat". We have been privileged to do this with the chef several times.
The meal following the festival celebrating the town's release from the dragon.
Walking around the Lavender festival last August.
There are "fetes votives" in each village. Those include things like dancing in the town square to live music, Champagne "stands", carnival games and perhaps even a special market. I love these local festivals. They bring such romance to a Provencal night.
The cafes take advantage of the closed roads to set up table everywhere. 
Bands play on the side walk --trumpets and all!
Evening fireworks over a Mediterranean village.There is Bastille Day. This brings a weekend full of festivities. In Paris, it is dominated by parades andfireworks over the Eiffel Tower. In Provence, it is marked by celebratory town wide meals (Pistous and Aiolis), dancing and fireworks in the town centers and huge, luscious markets full of tantalizing treats and products.
Tour France: Vacations in Provence with Bliss Travels
Tour France: Vacations in Provence with Bliss Travels:Some shots from our current trip -- A professional makes all the difference! Whether it's knowing what and how to shoot -- or where to find the authentic places and uncommon sights.
One of the paths that lead to an old Roman road...
Poppies under a 2000 year old bridge
Morning light!
Tour France: What is Bastille Day in Provence?
Tour France: What is Bastille Day in Provence?Bastille Day --July 14, is the day the peasantry stormed the Bastille (Paris prison). The revolutionary spark was presumably lit by Marie Antoinette's suggestion about the starving peasantry to "let them eat cake." Of course, we'll never know her real intent. And, truthfully, by the time the Bastille was "stormed", there weren't many prisoners left. However, the day has become a major celebration in France, much like July 4th is for us in America.Paris is lit up. There are parades, military services and fireworks over the Eiffel Tower. It's truly a sight. But, we find our Bliss in Bastille Day in Provence.If you tour France and have the chance to visit Provence on Bastille Day --you can find:Stupendous special markets with special street fairs and fun fair attached to them
Group meals with Provencal specialties that entire towns attend (and you can too)
Running of the bulls through the streets
Bull fights (but not the kind that hurt the bulls)Outdoor "toasts"Parades
We have one such trip planned --and it's going to be a once in a lifetime --probably 6 person --visit to Provence --where we spend a weekend doing all of these things--as well as wine tastings and a stay in the Luberon --the most beautiful part of Provence.What is Insider Access & Insider Photos from Provence & Burgundy
What is "insider access"?
5 Reasons Why Burgundy Once Again Surpasses Bordeaux!
Well, it's official. Burgundy, the Gold Coast wines of legendary quality, are once again the preferred wines of wine lovers and experts alike.
Need further proof of Burgundy's prominence in the world? Just look at the below results of the recent auctions, as reported by the Wine Spectator:
Move Over Bordeaux: Burgundy Steals the Show at Asia Auctions
Recent sales lead top auctioneers to wonder if Bordeaux may be toppled as the premier blue-chip collectiblePeter D. Meltzer
Posted: November 29, 2011What’s top on the buyers' wish lists? ....all of which have achieved record prices in recent sales. Vintages in demand include 1985, 1990, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2002 and 2005.As a category, the 102 Burgundy listings tracked by the Wine Spectator Auction Index rose 16.42 percent from the third quarter of 2010 to the third quarter of 2011....
There are many reasons behind Burgundy’s escalating popularity. Limited supply contributes to Burgundy’s appeal. “The quantities of great Burgundies on offer are so small that we never get much to sell,” noted Sotheby’s wine CEO Jamie Ritchie. “By value, in 2010, only 17 percent of the wines we auctioned were from Burgundy. The realization that these wines are extremely scarce has created a new-found appetite.”
This is what we've been saying for years! That's why we go to Burgundy. On our most recent trip, we focused on 1999, 2005 and 2009 wines. Yep, that's right! And they were amazing! The 2007's and 2008's needed time and breathing space.
5 Holiday Treats You Can Bring Back from Paris for Family & Friends!
It's all just too good! Right? That's what you're thinking as you take another bite of something wonderful or walk by another specialty shop or Christmas market chalet...Too much to try and too little time!
And what about your sister, best friend, mother, boss, neighbor....Wouldn't it be great if they could just taste this? Maybe then they'd believe you that it really and truly is better in Paris!So for those of you who are traveling to France over the holidays (you lucky guys and girls), even if you aren't traveling with Bliss Travels, here are some treats you can safely bring back to the US to share and extend that fabulous holiday experience (video)!1. That fabulous bottle or bottles of wine. Pick a bottle that gives you a great memory, or a small growth French wine you can't get in the US. Someone keeps spreading rumors that there's a two bottle limit. Not so. You can bring as much as you can carry yourself. 
You cannot ship wine into the US without a license (US regulations prohibit that), but you can carry it in your suitcase. You must check it though because it's a liquid over 3 to 4 ounces. Wrap the wine in your clothing and put it in the center of your suitcase. Have your case marked fragile.
2. Fabulous Artisan walnut bread or fig bread. Buy it the day of departure. Wrap it in wax or brown paper, and then wrap in plastic. Reheat gently in an oven when you return (it will make it feel and taste fresh) or freeze for another day! Serve it with goat cheeses or foie gras or just plain with butter.3. Cognac soaked candied chestnuts. Amazing amazing treat. If you can manage not to eat them all on the flight home, whoever you give these too will love you forever.4. A tin of pure goose foie gras (sold in the duty free). Chill before serving. Serve with a fig or cherry compote, brioche, Poilane bread (or the bread above), and coarse sea salt --And of course, one of those fabulous bottles of wine you brought home with you!5. For those of you who don't cook, pick up a tin of Pierre Herme Hot Chocolate "mix". It's decadent and worth the price --unless you know how to make real hot chocolate yourself. Then, of course, just bring back fine chocolate tablets and great spices!Of course, you could simply come with us. We provide all of that and have a few (dozen) more treats up our sleeves for our guests!
Top 4 Ways to Have an Amazing Journey into Provence!
Want to have almost as much fun getting to Provence, as you have in Provence? Here are 4 easy ways to do that!1. Pack light. Don't make your travel a wrestling match with your luggage.2. Try to get an upper level seat on the TGV for a great view! 
3. Pack a gourmet picnic and a great bottle of wine. Our picnics are highlights of our trips...and we include things like foie gras stuffed ballotin of chicken or homemade zucchini flans with goat cheese and roast tomatoes, walnut cabbage salad, smoked duck, sausages, quiche, fig bread, muscat grapes, tapenades....In other words, "the best items" from our favorite hand selected places. In our world, there is no such thing as "over doing it".
-Pair with a wonderful Chateauneuf du Pape white, or white Croze Hermitage in Spring and Fall, or a great rose in summer!4. Have someone meet you in Avignon, and, literally, "head for the hills" --away from the hustle and bustle of it all. And enjoy being there!
7 "Musts" for the Ultimate Wine Tasting in Burgundy
Want to have the "ultimate" experience in Burgundy, tasting wines and visiting vineyards? Who doesn't! Here are some tried and true tips for ensuring your trip is over the top fabulous!
1. Location, Location, Location! Experience the "terroir". Find someone to take you around and "introduce you" to the various parcels of land. You know that fabulous Chardonnay you love? The one from "Les Charmes" (perhaps). Well, visit that plot. See where it's grown. It's all about real estate. 
2. Think Small! Some of the best vineyards, and best wine production in Burgundy is from small parcels of land. Just cause it's tiny and just cause you haven't heard of it means nothing. Good things often come from small packages!3. Timing is everything! Yep, that's right. The year's very important. And not just because it might be a "good" or a "bad" year. It's more complicated than that. A wine from one year might be fabulous and open immediately. A wine from another year might be fabulous (and open) 10 years later. Knowing the year of your wine and when to open that wine, is very important.4. Talk to the winemaker. You must find a wine maker to take you through his or her cellars and discuss their philosophy and methods. Nothing (and I mean nothing) beats that! If you don't have any personal connections (and let's face it, most of us don't) then find someone who does. Do you have a friend in the business? Can you join someone who's already doing this? Whatever it takes, as the saying goes, "just do it"!
5. It's all about You! Trust yourself. Often people are bamboozled by the expert or the name. You're the one drinking the wine. So, you are the one who has to like it. Do a blind tasting so that you're not overly influenced by extraneous factors. You'll be surprised by how much you know and how consistent your taste really is.
6. Learn to Read a Label. It's more than art. Each word has a reason, and helps you identify the wine. It includes things like vineyard, ranking, year, winemaker etc. Can you imagine how you might choose a wine if there was no label? Well, that's what you're doing when you don't know how to read the label! Information is power!
7. Relax. Everyone is just too intense about wine. It's meant to be enjoyed. So, enjoy yourselfWant to learn more about our photos or a trip to Burgundy visit www.blisstravels.com. Or contact wendy@blisstravels.com.