New Languedoc Cycling Trip Coincides with Feria de Pentecôte Nîmes
OutdoorHub 02.28.12
ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours, which in 1972 became the first North American tour company to offer pedal tours in Europe (http://www.experienceplus.com/), has scheduled one of two new-for-2012 cycling tours of the Languedoc to coincide with one of France’s most lively festivals, Feria de Pentecôte in Nimes May 23-28.
“Come to Nimes a few days before our 11- or eight-day tour starts,” suggests Maria Elena Price, co-owner of ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours. “You’ll be totally immersed in local culture, traditions and authentic cuisine.” The festival includes parades, concerts, displays of art and dance, evening markets and fireworks to mark the festival which was first observed in Nimes in 1952 and has been expanding ever since.
Cycling the Languedoc Region of France is an 11-day journey of over 430 miles at $4,550 per person, double, that begins and ends in Nimes / Perpignan. Another option is a shorter eight-day version of the tour at $3,595 that ends in Carcassone. Both encompass a premier wine region overlaid with French and Spanish languages and cultures, positioned between the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Today this region is classic Mediterranean France with vast expanses of vineyards and vestiges of Roman history in Nimes and Narbonne. A highlight of this tour is two nights in Carcassonne, perhaps the best preserved medieval fortress town in Europe. This year’s departure dates are May 27 and Sept. 2. For tour details see:
11-day: http://www.experienceplus.com/tours/tours.html?tid=2705 and
8-day: http://www.experienceplus.com/tours/tours.html?tid=2721
Feria de Pentecôte is one of the largest festive events in France. The city acquires a joyful atmosphere and resounds with the sounds of the arena and music played by bands in the street. Large paintings are displayed along the boulevards. People listen to peñas (small brass bands), dance the ‘Sévillane’ in the bodegas until late at night, eat paella in a Camargue or Seville style village, go to concerts, watch water jousting in the Canal de la Fontaine, enjoy the evening market, attend mass in Provencal in the cathedral and watch the Pégoulade, the opening procession at the Whitsun Féria. See the video
France’s Languedoc has always been a border region between Spain and France, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and, in ancient times, between Rome and northern Gaul. Today it is classic Mediterranean France with vast expanses of vineyards, vestiges of Roman history in Nimes and Narbonne, and a mix of languages that include classic French, traditional Occitan and Catalan. The tour ranges from Nimes to the Cévennes Mountains, made famous to the English speaking world by Robert Louis Stevenson in his classic travel book, Travels with a Donkey. The Languedoc plain brings flat and quiet country roads across the Canal du Midi, passing wine estates and wine villages.
The tour ends with two days in the foothills of the Pyrenees exploring river gorges and plateaus in one of France’s most spectacular bicycle regions. As on all ExperiencePlus! tours, food is central to this ride and there will be a mix of French, Provençal and Catalan cuisine with local wines.
