History of the Artist Series Quest

I was skimming my blog and realized I haven’t posted much on my Artist Series Quest in quite some time. One might think I haven’t been actively collecting – but one would be wrong. I have about 20 labels already taken off, with another…at least 30 ready to be taken off. But my inability to finish projects is not the point of this post- it’s to talk about the reason for my affection towards “artist series wines”.

When I was .. well, we’ll say a bit younger.. I worked a restaurant that had an excellent wine list and the owners were committed to their staff knowing about wine so we often had the opportunity to taste wines before a shift, or if a table wanted to give us a glass, we could share a little bit with them. It was a wonderful kick start to my wine knowledge – but also propelled my palate quickly past the “entry” level wines, thus I’ve always had a taste for wines that are more expensive than my pocketbook would like. One of the wines I learned about was the Kenwood Artist Series. I had mentioned it in another post, but since then the link has changed, so I’ll tell the story now:

In 1974 Kenwood released a wine (what is now their Artist Series) with a drawing of a naked lady on it. It was rejected by the ATF because it was “obscene”. They then submitted a new label, but with a tongue in cheek twist-it was the same label but with a skeleton where the lady was. It was also rejected. So, finally in 1975 they released the “Hillside” label- the same label, just with no lady, no skeleton. (no…fun). Times changed and in 1994 they released the same “Naked Lady” label – the originally rejected one – and it was accepted! Here’s a picture of the 1994 label, along with a very grainy picture I took at the Kenwood winery earlier this month of the 3 labels:

This was a very interesting story with a nice twist of sex, art, and booze. (while at the winery we also picked up 2 free posters; one of which was indeed, the 1994 label!) Times have certainly changed - you can find all sorts of provacative labels now! The best part about the Kenwood Artist Series is the wine is always great and ages well. So, I decided to try other wines with art-based labels -  typically if a new "artistic" label is released for a bottle, it's because the wine is special, whereas if it's just mass printed year after year, it may or may not be special.   I've liked most, if not all, of the wines with a true unique-to-the-vintage "artist series" label, thus, the Artist Series Quest was born! Currently my quest is focused on the Gundlach Bundschu artist series - a bit pricey, but I'm on the lookout for a deal....

Sonoma Map

Napa & Sonoma, here we come

So Mr. Lush and I are finally making it to Napa Valley in January. I've been before only for a couple days, but it was many years ago - when tasting fees were $5-10 instead of $20! We're going for a long weekend and will likely spend 2 days in Napa and one in Sonoma.

We're joining a couple wine clubs of places we know we will like prior to going, so we can get tasting fees for free. But we're also looking for some small scale hidden gems we've got some good ones from GMWC, but are always looking for some more recommendations.... do you know of any?

Napa's Siren Song

Is Napa calling to me? Perhaps to say, hey, you don’t need no stinkin French wine….good stuff is here in your country and a lot easier to get?

Why do I think Napa is calling to me, you ask?

In the past few days I’ve been lightly researching Yosemite Park – next year is Mr. Lush’s vacation pick and he does like “outdoorsy” vacations, so I thought perhaps we might look at a week in California – a few days in Yosemite and you know, maybe, just maybe, since we’re RIGHT THERE, go to Napa or someplace else in Cali Wine Country. Some could say that I'm trying to take over "his" vacation by making it mine, but others could say that I'm trying to make it a vacation we'll both enjoy. (I couldn't handle a week of outdoorsy vacation!)Like I said, some light research, nothing big, since the earliest we would go would be March.

Well, last night I got a “save the date” / invite to my aunt’s reception over Labor Day Weekend in California. (a little backhistory - my aunt is only 4 years older than me, so much closer to a sister/cousin than a typical aunt/authority figure and we were very close in my pre-teens. She got married last year in a very small ceremony (just parents)) Anyway, the reception is in Davis, California.

The first thing Mr. Lush says is “is it close to Napa?”. I look it up, and why yes, yes it is. Its just outside Sacramento and is a short 45 miles from Napa.

What to do? What to do? I priced flights and they are about $500-550 total. I have some miles, but of course because its over a holiday weekend so in order to use them we’d have to stay a whole week (or somehow find a way to earn 70,000 miles in the next month) but that's a little too long - we may not have that much vacation time. But, certainly IF we go to the reception, we couldn’t just IGNORE that lovely wine country is calling to us – in September, no less! We just don't know what to do.

Napa, oh Napa, why are you such a siren?

Burgundy - booked!

Ok, Burgundy is booked. We really had a hard time deciding where to stay in Burgundy – we really want to experience a lot of the region’s wines, but as with the rest of our trip, proximity to a main road is important along with relatively easy access to bus or train station (ie not a 25km taxi ride). We also wanted to stay somewhere that we could conceivably walk to at least one or two other vineyards. I sent out a ton of emails and didn’t get a ton of responses, either because they were booked, don’t read English, don’t like Americans or combination of those.

In the end, we chose Maison Jean-Philippe Marchand in Gevrey Chambertin. Gevrey-Chambertin is between Dijon and Beaune and has 9 grands crus and 26 premiers crus. The village only produces red wines, which is fine, we’ll certainly pick up some whites here and there. It’s a little village so it looks like there’s much great wine to be had within a decent walk. (note to self- we’re planning a lot of walking …. must start walking a lot daily to get into the groove) It also appears there is a bus station about ½ mile away, which can take us down to Beaune as well as way south, to Macon for the day. Here’s a link to directions from Gevrey Chambertin to Macon to give you an overall view of where it is.

It appears Burgundy has a decent bus system, however, as with most sites, there isn’t as much info in English as in French but I feel relatively good that we’ll have at least some options to get around the region using public transportation – we might be limited on where we can based on where the bus drops us off at, but we’ll deal. (I have run across enough reminders looking at Chateau, Domaine, and tourism websites reminding me that drinking and driving don’t mix to decide we for sure aren’t renting a car)

We contemplated staying 2 of our 4 nights in one place and 2 in another place, but at the price of 55 Euros per night….its hard to justify staying somewhere else at 95 Euros per night. However, should you be visiting, here’s a couple other places I considered:
Chateau Andre Ziltener (ok, I considered it until I found out the price – 220 Euros per night, but looks very lovely)
Bergerie de Fuisse – 90 Euros per night and it wasn’t a vineyard, but the rooms do notably look nicer than the one we chose. It was way south, however.
Hotel de Vougeut – Probably the biggest contender in the Clos de Vougeut area. Its part of Domaine Bertanga and is a separate house turned into a hotel. Price was the biggest factor, while reasonable at 98 Euros per night – it just came down to saving 45 Euros per night. Ultimately, not matter where we stayed, we’d have to get transportation to other areas, so we thought we’d rather have the money to buy more wine.

Whew. Now I can start picking what wines we’ll have.

To rent a car or no?

Ok, our initial plan was to take public transportation around France - then we don't have to deal with driving at all- muchess worrying about being intoxicated and driving. However, I'm reconsidering it for one reason - while public transportation is a-plenty within the country, its a-plenty to cities/towns, not always within cities towns. So while I know how I'm getting to St. Emilion, I'm unable to find how I'm going to get around St. Emilion- from our Chateau to the town center, for example.

Well the pros with having a car is that we're in charge of our own schedule and would have no problems getting to and from where we're going without waiting on someone else. Cons are worries about knowing the driving rules, paying for insurance, high gas prices, finding parking, and of course, the doozy of worrying about drinking and driving. Without a car we have to pay for train tickets and then find and pay for transportation around within the areas we visit. Some prices aren't horribly bad - one taxi company off the St. Emilion had a half day tour advertised for 25 Euros per person, however a Chateau told me a taxi from the train station to the Chateau (which is maybe 15km away, or so I thought) is 30Euros (total).

Even with rental, insurance, and gas, I'm sure we'd spend more on doing the train/bus/taxi route, even with trying to save as much as we could. I suppose there's also a possibility of someone at our Chateaux taking us to a destination, whether it be the owner or another guest or if the owners know someone who is starting out in that business, etc, and who knows, it might end up costing less than I think. I like the idea of not driving, but I don't want to be stuck unable to get where we need to go.

See why I'm torn? What are your thoughts?



What are your thoughts?

St. Emilion - update

A few posts ago I told you that we were eliminating CDP and staying in Bordeaux and St. Emilion for 4 nights and that I wasn't sure if Chateau Monlot had a room available for all three nights. They do - unfortunately after many exchanges (hate the language and time difference barriers) - we booked our chosen room for 2 nights at 98Euros and a suite for 130 Euros. Ouch. (yes, that means we have to switch rooms) But, at this point, we're talking about a Saturday night stay and everything is booked so rather than search, I just took the hit on the one night stay. Its done and its a Grand Cru vineyard, there could be worse things!

I've still not booked Burdundy yet - I didn't get responses from all the places I emailed and so I sent a few more out yesterday. Hopefully we can get that hammered out in the next day or two. Then I just need to pick out the wineries we're going to visit.

The best plans.....and Burgundy paydirt

Well, good news and bad news. I guess I'll give you the bad news first. To get from Bordeaux to the CDP area is an all day train ride - as in leave at 8am get there at 5pm. Our plan was to go Saturday, however, we don't want to waste an entire Saturday travelling there, particularly since not much is open Sunday. So, we've opted to take CDP out of the mix. It just didn't seem like it was going to be worth the travel time and addition to a few other reasons: there's one or less hotel in CDP so everything would require a car, which we didn't want to rent and there's no public transportation so we just felt like we'd spend an arm and a leg on taxis. Sad, I know. We'll make sure to drink some CDPs if we have the chance and to buy some as well to make up for not visiting the region.

On to the good news - that means we'll get more time in Burgundy and Bordeaux. We're going to spend 4 nights in each instead of 3 and we're going to spend Sunday travelling between the two so its really not much of a lost day (it also is an 8-9 hour train ride). While looking at the train schedules and really plotting out the actual itinerary, I was starting to stress how we'd have to fit in everything we want, so this will work out best anyway and give us more time in each region.

(sidenote:I'm actually not 100% sure our chosen Chateau Monlot has availability for all three nights - he hasn't responded yet- but that's ok, we'll deal with it. I'll keep you posted.)

In the meantime, I hit paydirt with a couple of Burgundy sites - the general Burgundy Tourism site and the Burgundy Wine Tourism site, which is most useful as it lets you search Domaines that also have rooms available. Oh, I was excited when I saw that!!!! I've already sent about 6 emails out asking about availability. Its about 3 in the afternoon there, hopefully they respond soon so I can finish my booking this week!!! Wish me luck!

Bordeaux - booked!

Bordeaux is booked. The night we arrive in France, we opted to stay in Bordeaux “city centre” (downtown) because there will be options for eating and drinking when we arrive. As I said, we planned on throwing in a couple of cheaper nights in our trip overall because we can certainly suffer through one night of a two star, no matter how bad it is. However, upon searching on Trip Advisor, Acanthe Hotel is a “top value” hotel and was ranked #21 of 120 hotels in Bordeaux and is 66 Euros per night for a double standard room, includes free-wifi in the room. The reviews were generally favorable and it appears it was recently remodeled (per a review in March of this year) so we’re doing it.

That night we’ll probably grab a late dinner and some wine at a wine bar, then in the morning we might hit the tourism board for some more wine or something before catching at train to our St. Emilion, where we will stay at Chateau Monlot. We hemmed and hawed about where to stay – we really wanted a working Chateau in St. Emilion and were hoping to stay under 115 E (Euro)/$155-ish per night. Our first choice, Chateau Franc-Pourrett, was already booked. Then it was between two, Chateau Monlot, 95 E /$125 per night and Chateau de Mole, 112 E / $150 per night, both include private baths and breakfast. It appears Chateau de Mole recently converted to a B&B – the rooms do look VERY nice, however, they don’t accept credit cards. I don’t have a problem paying for the room in cash, however, the owner wanted me to wire her the deposit or get a Euro cashier’s check. Fees for those run $25-45. Since its so new, I couldn’t find any reviews, but I was able to find some reviews on Chateau Monlot, which were very favorable, had pictures that were better than their website, and they take credit cards, both for deposits and paying. (Oh- and it’s a Grand Cru vineyard :)

So, all in all, because it would end being a difference of about $80 USD in fees and additional room costs, we chose Chateau Monlot. Because really, that’s $80 more in wine we can have!

(I apologize I don’t have a ton of info on place on the left bank side of Bordeaux (the Cab based side), we prefer the merlot based side. However, here is one we considered that was in our price range)

Oh and should you want to splurge, here’s another one in St. Emilion we considered for a brief moment, the Relais Franc Mayne – absolutely beautiful. But, its 170-240 Euros per night. We don’t have the funds for that and would rather have that extra money for more wine. However, should you be in a different situation, I’m jealous!

Help on info on places to stay in Bordeaux

Ok, so I've been struggling with figuring out how we're getting where within France. Mainly, how to get from train stations to a hotel or Chateau. The Rail system map makes it look like it stops at bigger cities only and while I can search for tickets and times, I have to know the station names. ARRGGGH.

So finally, I found a map that you can search and it lets you add in the option to see some "wine tastings" - usually these are Chateaux, possibly tourist boards. Here you go. Click in the child-like map and a new window pops up. After you check the grape box at the bottom, your screen will look something like this:

If you zoom in you can see the train track lines, which should help, albeit a little, to guide on how far you are away from the train stations and which towns/villages might be close to which stations.

However, it appears this is just for Bordeaux. But that's fine at this moment because that's what I'm researching. I'll worry about Burgundy when I get there. The map isn't perfect and I warn you, it will move to make room for those info boxes...BUT at least I can see if I want to stay at a certain Chateau that offers nightly accomodations, I can check to see the closest city. It helps, a little.

Answer to a burning question

A bit ago, I posed the question:

Is it rude to stay at one Chateau and go visit another?
(To clarify, by Chateau, I mean a wine making Chateau that also operates as a B&B.)

Well, one would think it wouldn't be, as long as you buy wine from the Chateau you're staying at. However, I don't know for sure and have been trying to find an answer to this question. While researching a review on a lovely Chateau (which sadly is booked for the days we're there), I ran across a review that pretty much answered my question:

".....However, for those seeking a more catered or organized experience, I would encourage working with Catherine (the owner) to make reservations at some of the local vineyards.........along with a guide or driver. "

Which means the owner of this Chateau would make reservations for you to visit another. While I assumed this would be acceptable, I really wanted to make sure. I'm positive there will be things I do that are rude because I just don't know any better, but I'm trying to minimize the occurrences.

Ok, off to do more research!!! Hopefully I find another good deal that isn't already booked!

Chateau hopping...rude or no?

Ok, so Mr. Lush and I talked about it last night and we think since we're getting into Bordeaux at night (7 or 8) we'll stay in the city that night at some decently reviewed 2 star hotel, (save some money) spend the next morning/early afternoon in the city, taking in a few wine tastings (hopefully one the night we get in - evidently at least one wine bar is open until 11:30!).

Then we might stay 2 nights at a Chateau, like this one for a more budget deal or this one if we want to splurge a bit and stay at a place that has Grand Cru wines. (Of course, I will continue to research for Chateaux who have rooms available, these are just two of the options.)

Here's my question...do you think its rude to stay at one chateau and want to go visit another?? (as long as buy something from them?) Or do you think that’s expected?

Internet planning

Ok, when I started thinking about going to Europe, I was warned that there isn't a lot of information online. Well, I've found that's true and false. There isn't a lot of easily found information, particularly with our search engines. However, I will say that there is a massive amount of stuff online...so far using travel books and the online tourism websites are proving to be very helpful - it just requires some internet savviness to find these sites and to navigate around. For example, the Bordeaux Tourism Office Website is very helpful and has nice one stop shop packages that include hotel stay, tours, wine tastings, etc, as well as has many accomodations listed AND you can actually search by price range, feature, etc, although of course beware that things may not be in the right price range. You might have to go to the individual hotel or B&B's website (sometime there is a link, sometime there isn't) to get info and cross your fingers its in English. (Which, the good news, is that there usually is English information available online- just maybe not quite as much as is available in French)

So far, I'm actually overwhelmed with the information that's available online. Even places that have 5-6 rooms total are online. I do hop over to Trip Advisor to check out what fellow Americans say about these hotels, and of course, take all severely good and severely bad reviews with a grain of salt. So far we don't even have one hotel booked (something we hope to change in the next 2 weeks), but we're considering doing the Bordeaux package for 2 nights or staying in Bordeaux "city-centre" for one night, just because we'll be arriving at night and maybe staying 2 nights here - you have to click around, but there's info on the rooms available. Doesn't it look beautiful???

But good news for those travelling to Europe - there is info out there, believe it or not.

Bringing France back with us

Ok, so I finally got around to calling the Missouri Alcohol and Tobacco Control. Why am I calling them you ask?? To find out about bringing wine we can't get here back with us. You know, those excellent small production wines that don't make it out of France muchless here, that are just too good of a deal to pass up? (the ones that are the reason we're going :)

My adventure started when a wine shop owner told me I couldn't bring anything more than 2 bottles back and I would be limited to what was already registered here. Uh, come on, really?? So I look on the main ATF website, they say you're limited by your state, there wasn't anything I could find on the state website, so I finally just called and left a message. I got a call back, about 3 hours later (I know, I was suprised too that a GOVERNMENT employee called me back that fast!) letting me know that according to MO Statute 311.580, each person can bring back 5 gallons. (That's a little over 25 750ml bottles) No taxes, no forms, nothing to fill out. (well, other than a customs declaration form, I assume)

So, I still have no idea how we're getting it back, but at least I know how much we CAN bring back.

To Europe and back on planes, trains, and automobiles

Ok, we had a little snafu with the final bookings for our Europe trip. As you know, we got a killer deal from Chicago to Dublin and Paris to Chicago for $700.32/person. Well, we don’t live in Chicago so we still had to book to/from there, as well as how to get from Dublin to France. Clearly since Ireland is an island we can’t hop on the EuroRail, so a new flight was in order. When we booked in January, I was excited to learn that Aer Lingus flies into Bordeaux France and I decided I would wait to book the rest of the transportation until later on, March-ish.

So, here we are, in “March-ish” and guess what? The only flight that Aer Lingus is sold out of from Dublin to Bordeaux is the one on June 10. Oh My God. I am so mad at myself. Grr.

So, after searching other options and coming up with insanely priced flights, I look at other airports that Aer Lingus flies into and find that Toulouse is a 2+ hr train ride from Bordeaux and we can get that flight for about $100 each, so we book it. Done. 2 hrs lost, but then again, even in my original plan, in we wouldn’t have gotten into Bordeaux before the chateaux close anyway…(they mostly close at 4pm)...so now we’re just in a bit later and have to make sure we pick a place to stay that has an on-site restaurant. C’est la vie, right?

However, that did prompt us to book all the legs of travel, with the exception of the Eurorail pass – I need to be a bit more investigation on that. Our total travel costs so far are $1,740.30 – from St. Louis to Dublin, Ireland to Toulouse, France and from Paris, France to St. Louis. Not too bad, right? Its lot of travel though - a LOT, particularly that last day!

I was putting our itinerary on one spreadsheet and I thought I might as well share it with you:

So, you might have noticed that our trip starts out with “BUS”. Yes, that’s right, that’s a bus. We found that the train from St. Louis to Chicago wasn’t going to work out time-wise anyway, so we looked into Megabus.com (which offers really low cost direct buses to a limited amount of destinations) and booked both our tickets for $20.50 total – which is good since we are flying back from Chicago.

So, literally, we are taking Planes, Trains, and Automobiles in our trip. I’m going to try to get a boat in there just for kicks – why not round out and include all modes of motorized transportation???

Stay tuned for more Europe 2009 posts as we book the rest of our travels!!!!

Rick Steve's travel shows on PBS

As you know, I’m always on the lookout for info on Europe but am finding the research task to be daunting....so many books and websites its overwhelming. So imagine my excitement when my boss told me about Rick Steve’s Europe series on PBS-free info on some of the every areas I’m going to!! It includes more than France, although I’ll probably skip those.

I’ve already watched the Provence and Riveria ones; they were good and informative, although in an introductory manner. (unfortunately I missed the Burgundy one!!!!) But good news-from the Complete Guide to all 83 episodes you can also read a script of each episode, should you have missed one.

But for those of you who prefer to watch vs read, go here for your local airtimes. (for us St. Louisians, it on very early-like 5:30am-thank god for DVRs!!!!)

Happy learning!

Self-Catering Holiday Rentals?

After many hours of pouring over hotel, B&B, etc listings for France I ran across a term I haven’t heard of before: “self-catering holiday rentals”. Based on the name, it appears its just a room/house, etc, with no food or amenities available. Some are luxury-like castle rentals that hold 50 people and others are just rooms, with of course pricing varying wildly.

I’m a bit torn. I don’t know what French B&Bs are like – am I expected to report to breakfast at a certain time and do some conversing with the owners, should they want to and speak English? Am I expected to have dinner if they offer it as an optional service even though I’d rather go to a restaurant? Is this something that would be nice sometimes, like if I need tips for the area but be more of a pain at others, such as after a long day of traveling? Would it be nice to just show up to a place and not have to worry about anything? Will I miss the amenities or are they just an illusion anyway, unless I plan on taking full advantage? Or am I way off-are they like hotels (just with 4-8 rooms) where they don’t want to talk to you any more than you want to talk to them?

Right now we’re pondering a night or two in one, but could use any insider tips, even secondhand ones.

Anyone?

Good site for Alsace, Burgundy, and Champagne

So I found a rather informative website for our trip, called The ABC's of France, and it focuses on Alsace, Burgundy, and Champagne. For each of those regions, they have what to do, where to say, outdoors, food, history, heritage and tours & itineraries, like this one:

Burgundy - Côte-d'Or / Burgundy Suggested Itineraries
3 Days / 2 Nights

Day 1 - 45 km
DIJON
Dijon, capital of the region and former capital of the Duchy of Burgundy
VOUGEOT
"Côte-de-Nuits" and its famous wines. Visit the "Château du Clos de Vougeot", head of the world's largest wine brotherhood, "Les Chevaliers du Tastevin"
Lunch in Nuits-Saint-Georges (or nearby)
BEAUNE
Beaune, capital of Burgundy wines. Visit the "Hôtel-Dieu", most eloquent example of Flemish art.

Day 2 - 85 km
FONTENAY
Fontenay abbey, fascinating example of Cistercian architecture. Listed as a UNESCO world Heritage Site.
Semur-en-Auxois, town perched on a granite outcrop. Stroll through the narrow streets.
FLAVIGNY-SUR-OZERAIN
Lunch at the restaurant or a farm inn in Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, medieval town known for its famous aniseed balls and its wines which are enjoying a recent revival.
MONTBARD
" Town of Buffon, father of anthropology - discovery of his scientific and naturalist work. Study, museum, park, garden and the 18th C. forge located at Buffon, near Montbard.
SAULIEU
Saulieu, centre of gastronomy and gateway to the Morvan regional park. Guided tour of the town and visit of the Museum Pompon with its animal sculptures.

Day 3 - 48 km
CÎTEAUX
Visit of Cîteaux Abbey, birthplace of the Cistercian monastic order. Open for visitors: cloister of the transcribers, the library, the church. Cheese made by the monks can be purchased.

SAINT-JEAN-DE-LOSNE
Valley of the Saône for lunch, boat trip on the Saône river along the boundary of the department Côte-d'Or.
Visit of France's smallest town Saint-Jean-de-Losne. It is located at the crossroad of the Saône and the canal of Burgundy and is rich in maritime history.

AUXONNE
Auxonne, with its fortifications left from the past, is located on the banks of the river Saône. Visit the arsenal and the castle that preserves the memory of Napoleon Bonaparte, once a student at Auxonne's artillery school.

Contact
Côte-d'Or Tourist Board
1 rue de Soissons
BP 1601 - 21035 DIJON
CedexTel: 011 33 3 80 63 69 49
Fax: 011 33 3 80 49 90 97
www.cotedor-tourisme.com

Note that refer you to the board of tourism, which appears it is not-affiliated with any travel agency, which is nice.

For example, for Where to Stay in Burgundy, they have 49 hotels listed, with a description that mostly includes a star rating. Over half have links to their website, so you can not only find out the all important question for us US travelers- do the rooms have their own bathroom- but also get direct rate information. (In Euro's of course) They have links to 140+ events in Burgundy as well as other info on that general part of France. I won't say its the end-all-be-all, but its got a lot of info so I'm pouring over it daily.

For us, probably our biggest decision right now is what class of hotel to stay in. At this moment we're thinking alternating is our best bet. Stay in a lower star hotel for a couple nights then in a nicer one the next leg of the trip. Maybe we'll find some good deals, maybe we'll find that the "nicer" ones are overpriced, maybe we'll find that you get what you pay for. Hopefully, by alternating we'll have a happy medium.

Wish us luck, and of course, any hotel recs for Burgundy or Rhone are welcome!

Flight research for Europe 2009

So I spent much of Sunday researching flights to Europe. Pouring over blogs, travel tips, etc, trying things many different ways. I determined that I should look at flights from JFK, STL, O’Hare, and Boston. Boston and JFK for flight availability and from O’Hare because if I’m flying from a different city, it’s obviously the cheapest city to get to.

I found that flying from JFK gets you the most options and travel times to get to really any city in Western Europe, however to get from STL to JFK isn’t quite as convenient. All in all, I found that booking a flight directly from JFK and then booking an additional one to get me to JFK only saved about $100/person and either left us with an annoying large amount of time or annoying little. Not enough to go out and do anything in New York, but enough to be bored off our arses at the airport. (Although, after seeing The Terminal, there is evidently a whole life one can have at JFK.) For a moment I thought, well, maybe we could just stay overnight in New York, see a few things, etc. But then I thought realistically, I’d rather spend every available moment in Europe, so I scratched that idea.

I looked at flights to Frankfurt, Geneva, Belgium, etc (from all the above locations) and pretty much found yes, a bit cheaper than Paris, but right now significantly to make a difference in the fact I’d then have to get a multi-country Eurorail pass and deal with losing some time traveling. (once again, maybe only $100 cheaper per person)

Don’t get me wrong, I like saving $100. I like winning $100. Really, I just like $100 in any way I can get it. But, after pouring over flight times, total duration time of flights, and taking travel time into account, we determined an extra half day in Europe is worth $200 total. Now, that might change, once we hammer out where we’re actually going. I think I might've found a cheaper way to get there, but I don't want to jinx it yet so I'll keep it a secret until I get closer to booking.

For where, we talked about it and currently the Rhone (specifically Chateauneuf Du Pape) and Burgundy are on the list. They are (relatively) close to each other and connected by the train system. While we both would LOVE to go to Bordeaux, as you can see in this map of the France Train system, it’s a bit out of the way without a direct way and would mean ½-3/4 day of traveling. (It appears that its about 6.5-7.5 hours on the train based on what I can decipher from the timetable) Then we’d have to also spend time getting back to Paris and it’s a bit farther away from Paris than the other regions.

So, do we want to waste basically an entire day of our trip traveling? (The area we're thinking about is basically Dijon through Avignon.) We've determined we'd like minimum 2 days with no travel in each city. So, 2 days in Beaune and 2 days in Macon, and 2 days in Valence/Avignon area, plus 2 days for travel within France....that's 8 days. (We are shooting for 9 full days, not counting arrival/departure days.)

We’ll see. Of course, nothing I have said is set in stone. Heck, the trip isn’t even in stone with this economy.

Europe 2009 ... the dream and the beginning

Well, as some of you know, 2009 is a big year for me. I finish graduate school, turn 30, and Mr. Lush and I will be married a year. All good reasons to take a trip to Europe, don't you think? Well, I'm in the very baby beginning phases of planning. So far, we've decided Burgundy for sure. Everyplace else, including a non wine country visit to either Ireland or Amsterdam, is up in the air. Although last night we looked at the map and Ireland is really far and while Amsterdam is far as well, its not as far.

Well in my preliminary searching, I'm looking up existing tours to get ideas, as well as hotel names, chateaus, etc. I found one that has a lot of great stuff. Its private and its a bit expensive, though. Ok, more than a bit. Read on:

LUXURY WINE & CULTURE (11 Days, 10 Nights)
To really know a wine you need to know its terroir, an utterly French alliance between a wine and the region that produces it. Come along on a tour de force journey through the wine regions of Champagne, Alsace, Burgundy, & Chablis. Taste each region's different wine and enjoy gastronomic cuisine. This journey will enable you to sample the finest wine and cuisine day after day. Your journey will conclude with a visit to Paris . This is a once in a lifetime experience!

PROGRAM ITINERARY

DAY 01: PARIS CHARLES DE GAULLE AIRPORT / CHANTILLY
Upon arrival at Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), you will be met and escorted in your private car by a professional private guide, who will stay with you throughout your journey. You will be driven to the prestigious 4-star Château de Montvillargenne. Located only 30 minutes from CDG, and yet secluded in the Chantilly Forest, this Château was built at the turn of the 20th century, combining local and foreign architectural styles including Norman, Württemberg, and Béarn. Here you will find the perfect setting for some R &R after your long trip. The Master Chef of the Château will prepare a light 4-course gastronomic dinner for you this evening, and the sommelier from Maxim's in Paris will help you select your wines for the meal.

DAY 02: CHANTILLY / CHAMPAGNE / REIMS
After buffet breakfast, departure for the illustrious Champagne region of France. Your first stop will be the town of Epernay, one of the two towns that produce champagne and the home of Moët et Chandon, the world-renowned champagne house. This house makes, arguably, the most famous champagne in the world, Dom Pérignon. After an exclusive private tour of Moët et Chandon cellars, the ´Chef de Caves' will guide you though a champagne-tasting, and you will have the opportunity to purchase some superb champagne from this eminent champagne house. We will continue to the city of Reims, the other home of champagne. Reims is called the "City of Kings" because its Cathedral was once the site of the coronations of the Kings of France. Indulge in a gastronomic lunch at the 2-Michelin Star Boyer Les Crayères, including wines selected by the chef. After lunch, visit the famed Maison Pommery in Reims with its 11-mile galleries. These galleries, lined with sculptures carved into the chalk walls, are used to allow the champagnes to age under precisely controlled conditions. From Pommery you will be taken to the legendary champagne house of Mumm founded in 1827, for a visit to its cellars that hold an inventory of over 25 million bottles. Your day ends at the Château d'Etoges where you will spend the night. Just 30 minutes from Reims, this 17th-century chateau, surrounded by a moat, was once frequented by kings during their travels east. This evening, the chateau will feel like a grand private home where you can relax for the night.

DAY 03: ALSACE-LORRAINE REGION / RIBEAUVILLE
After a restful night's sleep and a hearty breakfast, depart towards the Alsace-Lorraine region. Your destination is the beautiful village of Ribeauville situated at the foot of vine-clad hills, with its charming old shop signs, turrets, pierced balconies, and flower-decorated houses. This village is celebrated for its Riesling and Geürztraminer wines. Overnight at the Clos St-Vincent, a charming 4-star hotel surrounded by vineyards that affords a great view of the Alsatian countryside. Mr. Chapotin, the owner, will provide a dinner of Alsatian specialties as well as comfortable lodgings for relaxation after a full day of traveling.

DAY 04: ALSACE-LORRAINE
Today, you will experience part of "The Wine Road of Alsace" and discover wineries off the tourist track. Your guided excursion will take you north along the wine road starting with a visit to Sélestat, an important city during the Renaissance. Overlooking the town is the Château Huat-Koenigsbourg, the largest château in Alsace. This 15th-century castle was dismantled during the Thirty Years War by the Swedes and rebuilt by Germany in 1901 as a gift to Kaiser Wilhelm II. Continue on to Oberbeim for free time for shopping at your leisure and lunch on your own. We recommend a light lunch so that you can thoroughly enjoy your elegant 7-course dinner this evening. In the afternoon, travel along the wine road sampling wine in a few villages including Riquewihr, well-known for its "Eau de Vie de Framboise" a distilled raspberry liquor. Then after some to relax at the hotel, you will be taken to the renowned Auberge de l'Ill in Illhaeusern. At this 3-Michelin-star restaurant known for delicacies like Frog Mousseline created by Paul Haeberlin, you will feast on a sumptuous 7-course gourmet dinner featuring specialties chosen for you by the Chef.

DAY 05: ALSACE / BURGUNDY / DIJON
Today you will say "au revoir" to the Alsace region, but before leaving, you will enjoy the morning in Colmar, a medieval city that is a gateway to the Rhineland. The third largest city in Alsace, Colmar is also an excellent place to ask your guide where to buy delicious Alsatian wines like Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Muscat d'Alsace, Tokay Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, and Pinot Noir. Now, with the best of the local wines of the region in your suitcase, you will travel along the German and Swiss borders to still another border, the border of the Burgundy wine country. Your drive is bound for Dijon, the mustard capital of the world. Your home for the next two nights, Château de Gilly, is located between Dijon and Beaune, the capital of the Burgundy wine region. This château was the home of the Cistercian Monks until the French Revolution in 1790. It was restored by the government in 1978 and became a hotel ten years later. Dinner tonight will be in the chateau's Le Clos Prieur Restaurant, under the direction of Chef Olivier Dupart, newly arrived from the 3-Michelin-star Lucas Carton in Paris.

DAY 06: BURGUNDY
This morning starts with a guided tour of the Hospices de Beaune. Founded in 1443 as a paupers' hospital and home to the brilliant Ven der Wayden altarpiece "The Last Judgement", the Hospices remains famous today thanks to the world's largest annual charity auction ´Sales of the Wines of the Hospices de Beaune'. Following the tour, savor a gastronomic 6- course lunch at the 3-Michelin-star Lameloise Restaurant including some local wines: Apéritif Bourguignon, Chassagne-Montrachet 2000, Savigny-lès-Beaune aux Guettes 1er Cru 2000. After this culinary delight, you will pass through the villages of Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault, Volnay, Pommard, and Montrachet. During this journey, your guide will discuss the origins of the region's wines, including the villages, the soil, and the grapes. He will also examine the history of the region, as well as some ancient tales. Cellar visits and comparative wine-tastings will take place throughout the day. Upon return to the Château de Gilly, another delectable dinner will take place in the prestigious Le Clos Prieur restaurant.

DAY 07: BURGUNDY / CHABLIS
After breakfast we will leave for Vézelay, another city in Burgundy and always a high point of time spent in this region. Vézelay is a living museum of French antiquity. Frozen in the Medieval time period, this town holds what is believed to be the tomb of Mary Magdalene, the'beloved and pardoned sinner,' making it one of the great pilgrimage sites in the Christian world. Continue on to your hotel for the night, Hotellerie les Clos in the town of Chablis, home of the wine of the same name. This charming hotel is located in the heart of Chablis, right across from the city hall. Michel Vignaud and his team of sommeliers will welcome you to their vaulted cellar and discuss the different grapes of Chablis and Auxerrois, followed by a wine tasting of: Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Vieilles Vignes, Chablis 1er Cru, and Chablis Grand Cru. A 5-course culinary feast will follow in the Hostellerie's
one-Michelin-star restaurant.

DAY 08: CHABLIS / PARIS
After this gastronomic 'tour de force' in Alsace, Burgundy, and Chablis, it is time to return to Paris, the City of Light, where a pleasant 3-night stay awaits you at the Hotel Meurice. This 5-star luxury hotel, member of the Dorchester Group and Leading Hotels of the World, is the first choice of celebrities, presidents, and sovereigns. Each morning, you will be served an American breakfast in either your room or the hotel's magnificent main dining room. The rest of the day is at your leisure in Paris. Dinner this evening will be at Le Céladon Restaurant. This Regency-style one-Michelin-star restaurant is adjacent to the Hotel Westminster, just a short walk from your hotel along the Rue de Castiglione. With a backdrop of pale green damask wall hangings and Chinese porcelain, painting, drawings, and antique books, a gastronomic meal will be prepared for you by Le Céladon's master chef, Christophe Moisand, formerly sous-chef at Le Meurice. This restaurant is known for specialties like its choice fowl, cream soup and crêpes with 'Paimpol' (white beans and black pasta).

DAYS 09 & 10: PARIS
There is so much that Paris has to offer that one day simply would not be enough, so we've given you two days to explore the city on your own. The Concierge at the Hotel Meurice will be able to direct you to all best places to visit and arrange any number of activities for you during your stay. This is also a great time to do some last-minute shopping before your return home. On Tuesday evening, your farewell dinner will take place at Le Meurice, the Hotel Meurice's two-Michelin-star restaurant. Under an elaborate ceiling adorned with gilt and crystal chandeliers, in what is surely one of the cities most opulent restaurants, Chef Marc Marchand will prepare for you a French culinary experience that you will never forget as the fitting climax of your French gastronomic journey. To complement the excellent cuisine, Antoine Zocchetto, the restaurant's sommelier, has selected the perfect wines for your last evening's dinner in Paris.

DAY 11: PARIS / CHARLES DE GAULLE AIRPORT
Transfer to Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) for your flight back home.
Note: this luxury journey can be customized to fit your needs.

PROGRAM INCLUSIONS AND EXCLUSIONS
* Transportation in a luxury car with a certified driver
* 1 Night accommodation on B&B at Château de Montvillargenne
* 1 Night accommodation on B&B at Château d¢Etoges
* 2 Nights on B&B at CLOS ST VINCENT
* 2 Nights on B&B at Château de Gilly
* 1 Night on B&B at Hostellerie les Clos
* 3 Nights on B&B at Hotel Meurice
Not Included
* International airfare (upon request)
* Meals, drinks not specified on the itinerary
* Items of personal nature (laundry, phone charges, etc)
* Special dinners per the program

PROGRAM PRICE
* $6,100 per person
* $1,500.00 for a single supplement

Yeah, $12 grand. Not including airfare or some meals, or the thousands in wine we'd buy. Ah. To wish.....

But, at least it's a start. We're thinking Day 2, 6, 7, interest us most. Stay tuned for more and please, share ideas!