A Week in Provence
October 6-13, 2006
The magic of France, the pure delight of Provence, the best time of year! Fall is the time to see Provence. The summer tourists have left. The weather is clear and dry. Farmers are harvesting their crops. The villages are alive with activity.

Come join a group of fun, interesting women for a memorable week of leisure learning as Now Is My Time takes you to another of the world’s most charming places to visit.

Where We’ll Stay in France
In French, La Maison aux Volets Bleus means The House of the Blue Shutters - indeed, the bright colored shutters of Martine and Jerome Maret's charming home can be seen from far below the hilltop town of Venasque. Follow a winding road up from the plains to this restored ancient town, which has become a haven for painters and art lovers. Located in Provence not far from Avignon, Venasque is classified as one of the 126 "most beautiful villages of France."

An old stone archway leads to the Marets' romantic walled garden and their picturesque home is filled with colorful dried-flower bouquets hanging from every available rafter. The cozy living room opens onto a balcony with a sensational panoramic view of Mont Ventoux. Each delightful bedroom is unique and charmingly-decorated with Provencal prints.

Weather-permitting, breakfast is served in the shaded flower-filled courtyard, the balcony or terrace - all with magnificent views.

Itinerary

Friday, October 6, 2006
You’ll be met at the friendly Marseille Airport where we’ll all gather to begin our week’s adventure. We’ll then drive you to our delightful B&B, La Maison aux Volets Bleus in the Provence countryside of the gorgeous Vaucluse Valley. There will be time to unpack and look around before a no-host dinner at a nearby country inn.

Saturday, October 7, 2006
After a delicious breakfast, we’ll visit the charming village of Seguret. You’ll be the guest of the delightful owner of Domaine Mourchon winery, where we’ll learn why French wines deserve the steller reputation they hold with ample samplings. We’ll begin the Now Is My Time course that afternoon with a Provencale dinner that evening.

Sunday, October 8, 2006
After breakfast we’ll head off for L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. This village is the antique-lovers capital of France, and favorite weekend haunt of dealers, decorators and photographers. It is a charming town surrounded by the Sorgue River with numerous water wheels and bridges. There are tiny specialty shops and table-laden stalls to poke through for furniture, fabric or just plain fun. Early afternoon, we’ll lunch in a café on the river’s edge.

The weekdays will unfold with a wide range of activities to touch everyone’s interests. Specifics may change due to last minute opportunities, but the kind of things we’ll do include –

We may visit an olive farm in Nyons – the olive oil capital of Provence -- getting clear on that “extra virgin” vernacular, plus tasting olives like you’ve never had in the States. You may want to take home freshly-pressed olive oil from the local cooperative.

We will definitely participate in market days at the most colorful Provencal villages, as they are a great way to see how the French live. You’ll love the baguettes and croissants fresh from the oven of tiny bakeries. A display of 30 or more cheeses, all bursting with fall flavor. Fresh olives in local oils. And the pastries! Oh la la! A perfect excuse for a picnic, don’t you think?

Food is only the starting place at the markets. There are charming Provencal textiles, lavender soaps and bouquets, hand-carved regionally-dressed dolls, colorful pottery, lace scarves, locally-woven baskets, water-colored picture books, and delightful household ornaments. New artwork and antique rugs. My favorite is the furniture vendor who carries a chair or table through the streets to advertise his latest creation. Watching the French in their day-to-day routines offers a visual education of their delightful lifestyles.

You’ll learn secrets of real French country cooking in a hands-on class just for our group, ending in a mouth-watering feast to sample all you’ve made. And recipes to make at home.

Peter Mayle, who wrote A Year in Provence,etc. made the Luberon area famous, and deservedly so. We’ll visit Loumarin, Rousillon, and Gordes and sit outside a quaint café and you’ll feel as if you’re an extra in the movie “Chocolate.”

Herbed goat cheeses or chevres have become so popular, and are sooo good! If you want, we’ll go see it made. And pet the goats.

A secret Provencal textile store is in the area, if you’d like to buy tablecloths and napkins for gifts for back-home friends.

The spectacular Abbe de Senanque is nearby. We can walk its hand-carved halls and cloistered gardens.

Each afternoon we’ll come back to La Maison for our workshop, three hours of discussion and exercises carefully planned to get your juices flowing and your life moving forward. Guaranteed to interest, educate, and entertain you.

Every day you’ll be escorted to new, fun places with an American guide who has spent part of each year in Provence for the past decade. We’ll pick great hideaway restaurants for our no-host dinners, and add surprise picnics and other treats for lunchtime.

Each evening we’ll dine at cozy rural restaurants where the owner is often both the cook, and most gracious host. And their children will no doubt be the servers.

You’ll meet delightful women and after a week together, typically want to plan future girlfriend vacations.

Cost is $3,295 (excluding airfare) with a final reservation deadline of September 1, 2005. Call or email immediately to hold your place.

Here’s What Others Have Said About Now Is My Time --

"The supportive atmosphere allows us to really focus on goals in a stress-free environment. . . . Lucy helped me see that I already possessed the ability to take charge of my life. And staying in a gorgeous villa in a quiet Mexican town bonding with great women didn’t hurt either."Now Is My Time participant, quoted in Flair Magazine

"Now Is My Time isn’t about me, me, me. It’s realizing you can’t effectively take care of others if you’re not fulfilled," Lucy Martin in Oregonian interview

"Lucy has a caring attitude." Barbara Roberts, former Governor of Oregon

"I can’t imaging anyone not wanting to take this course" (Rebecca Webb, host, AM Northwest, KATU-TV)

"All I can say is: why didn’t I give this to myself years ago?"

"What an amazing talented group of women share in your workshops. I learned from everyone."

"Some of this I kinda knew. A lot of it was new ground for me. But this is the fist time I’ve really been invested in making any changes."

"France in the fall! I’ve died and gone to heaven."

"Of course I procrastinated in writing this, but I really learned a lot of useful tips in the session on procrastination and self-sabotage."
(Back to Top)