Day 1: Saturday, April 22 Welcome to Bordeaux: Meet at the Hôtel de Sèze at 3 p.m. After exploring the local highlights of this World Heritage City with Harold and a local guide, then we’ll enjoy a Welcome Dinner at Le Noailles, a classic French Brasserie.

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Day 2: Sunday, April 23 Transfer to Brantôme: We’ll travel by private coach with a stop to photograph and tour St Émilion and a picturesque viniculture chateau before proceeding to the Moulin de l’Abbaye in Brantôme, sometimes called the Venice of the Dordogne.

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Day 3: Monday, April 24 Exploring the Area: Today we will photograph the gardens around the Moulin de l’Abbaye, the town of Brantôme, and wander on foot on the banks of the Dronne River.

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Day 4: Tuesday, April 25 The Dordogne Valley: Guided tour with private bus and guide to explore and photograph Bourdeilles, Périgueux, and other scenic Dordogne Valley locations.

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Day 5: Wednesday, April 26 The Dordogne Highlands: Today we will continue our exploration of the Dordogne by coach with a guide with locations including the Chateau de Hautefort and some of the spectacular gardens in the region.

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Day 6: Thursday, April 27 Exploring the Area: We will check out the Benedictine Abbey of Brantôme, which was founded in 769 by Emperor Charlemagne, the Jardin botanique d’Alaije, and stroll along the ancient pilgrimage route that passes through Brantôme.

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Day 7: Friday, April 28 Issigeac, Saint-Avit-Sénieur, and Limeuil: Today we will visit scenic locations along the Dordogne River by private coach with a local guide.

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Day 8: Saturday, April 29 Exploring the Area: We will explore locally around Brantôme with a bus at our disposal as needed and get to know the gardens and river banks along the Dronne River. We’ll enjoy a festive Farewell Dinner in Brantôme.

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Day 9: Sunday, April 30 Transfer to Bordeaux: After breakfast, we will bid farewell to the Moulin de l’Abbaye and travel back to Bordeaux for transfer to the airport or city center.

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About the Trip A quick note for photographic travelers

Romantic AquitaineExplore Bordeaux, Perigord,

and the Dordogne

Pont Valentre in Cahors © Harold Davis

Destination Photo Workshop with Harold Davis

Saturday, April 22, 2016 to Sunday, April 30, 2016

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Day 1: Saturday, April 22

Hotel: Hôtel de Sèze 23 Allée de Tourny 33000 Bordeaux, France Tel: +33 5 56 14 16 16

Group meeting in lobby: 3:00 pm

Brasserie Le Noailles12 Allées Tourny, 33000 Bordeaux, FranceTel: +33 5 56 81 94 45

Planned Activities:

The Hôtel de Sèze is an historic and luxurious 4-star hotel located in the heart of historic Bordeaux, a World Heritage City. Your adventure to the Southwest of France includes pre-paid, first night accommodations at Hôtel de Sèze. Please note at check-in that you are with the Harold Davis group. The hotel has each of your names with the reservation.

At 3:00 pm we will meet at the lobby of the Hôtel de Sèze, and then explore fabulous local highlights of Bordeaux with a local guide and Harold on foot. We will end our jaunt with a Welcome Dinner hosted by Harold at Brasserie Le Noailles at 7:30 pm, which is close to the hotel.

Included meals: Welcome Dinner at Brasserie Le Noailles.

Welcome to Bordeaux: Check-in and Group Meeting

Welcome Dinner:

Map courtesy of the Hôtel de Sèze

Hôtel de Sèze

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Day 2: Sunday, April 23

Transfer to Brantôme

Planned Activities:

We’ll travel by private coach with a stop to photograph and tour Saint-Émilion, a World Heritage Site for its ancient village and vineyards. We will continue on to a picturesque viniculture chateau before proceeding to the Moulin de l’Abbaye in Brantôme, a small Dordogne village on an island in the Dronne River, sometimes called the Venice of the Dordogne.

After we arrive at the Moulin de l’Abbaye in the early afternoon, we can explore the area immediately around the Moulin on foot, including the “dog-leg” bridge into town, as we get to know our new home for the week.

Welcome Dinner in Brantôme hosted by Harold.

Included meals: Breakfast at Hôtel de Seze in Bordeaux, and a Welcome Dinner hosted by Harold in Brantôme.

Le Moulin de l’Abbaye is in a restored former mill on the Dronne River. Photo courtesy of Moulin de l’Abbaye.

Le Moulin de l’Abbaye1 Rue Pierre de Bourdeille, 24310 Brantôme, FranceTel: +33 5 53 05 80 22

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Day 3: Monday, April 24

Exploring the area

Planned Activities:

Today we will photograph around the Moulin de l’Abbaye, the town of Brantôme, and wander on foot on the gardens, paths, and byways along the banks of the Dronne River.

Included meals: Breakfast at Moulin de l’Abbaye.

Lot River Valley

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Day 4: Tuesday, April 25

The Dordogne Valley

Included meals: Breakfast at Moulin de l’Abbaye.

Planned Activities:

A coach and guide will pick us up at the Moulin de l’Abbaye mid-morning and take us on a guided tour exploring and photographing Bourdeilles, Périgueux, and other scenic Dordogne Valley locations.

Bourdeilles is a lovely village which sits on the edge of the river Dronne and boasts a chateau, a moulin, a medieval center, and a panoramic viewpoint.

Along the route, we will stop to pick up and enjoy a picnic lunch. When we return to the Moulin de l’Abbaye, dinner in Brantôme will be on our own.

Riders on the Storm, an abandoned farmhouse in the Dordogne Valley.

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From Harold’s blog: Riders on the Storm meets Christina’s World

In the surprising uplands of Dordogne and Lot in the southwest of France high alkaline plateaus are bisected by deep river valleys...click here to read more...

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Day 5: Wednesday, April 26

The Dordogne Highlands

Planned Activities:

Coach and guide will meet us early at Moulin de l’Abbaye for a full day of photography and sight seeing.

Today we will continue our exploration of the Dordogne by coach with a guide with locations including the Chateau de Hautefort and some of the spectacular gardens in the region.

Lunch on the fly via a picnic stop, with dinner on our own upon our return to Brantôme.

Included meals: Breakfast at Moulin de l’Abbaye.

Panorama from above the Dordogne River © Harold Davis

From Harold’s blog: Overlooking the Dordogne River

I got to talking about photography with the couple who ran the B&B where I was staying in the ancient monastery town of Cadouin, France, and they suggested I check out a spot overlooking the Dordogne River a little way above the old riverside village of Tremolat. There was a little path... click here to read more...

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Day 6: Thursday, April 27

A Day for Photography in Brantôme

Planned Activities:

We will spend the day close to home at the Moulin de l’Abbaye, enjoying the wonderful photographic possibilities that are near at hand. We will check out the Benedictine Abbey of Brantôme, which was founded in 769 by Emperor Charlemagne, the Jardin Botanique d’Alaije, and stroll along the ancient pilgrimage route that passes through Brantôme.

Included meals: Breakfast at Moulin de l’Abbaye.

Oncoming Storm over Saine Croixe de Beaumont

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From Harold’s blog: Sainte Croixe de Beaumont

Way off the beaten track in the southwest of France, I stopped to photograph the ancient church at Sainte Croixe de Beaumont. This complex belonged to the Knights Templar, and is mostly abandoned...click here to read more...

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Planned Activities:

The coach and guide will meet us at the Moulin de l’Abbaye after breakfast. Today we will visit scenic locations along the Dordogne River by private coach with a local guide including the medieval Dordogne village of Issigeac, the ruined abbey at Saint-Avit-Senieur, and Limeuil at the confluence of the Vézère and Dordogne Rivers.

Day 7: Friday, April 28

Issigeac, Saint-Avit-Sénieur, and Limeuil

Included meals: Breakfast at Moulin de l’Abbaye.

Confluence of Two Rivers — the Vazere River on the left and the mighty Dordogne River on the right.

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From Harold’s blog: When Two Rivers Woo

I’ve been playing with poetry, puns and stories in my mind about two rivers coming together, hence “when two rivers woo” and “a tale of two rivers,” and so on. Shown here: The Vézère River coming in from the left and the mighty Dordogne River from the right shot from the castle-turned-exhibition garden high above the town of Lemeuil in southwestern France...click here to read more...

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Planned Activities:

We will explore locally around Brantôme with a bus at our disposal as needed and get to know the gardens and river banks along the Dronne River, revisit any locations that have excited us, and explore new territories at our discretion as to be determined. After we come home happy and exhausted photographers one and all, we will enjoy a festive Farewell Dinner in Brantôme.

Day 8: Saturday, April 29

Exploring the Area via Coach

Fishing on the Lot River.

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Included meals: Breakfast at Moulin de l’Abbaye and a Farewell Dinner in Brantôme.

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Planned Activities:

After breakfast, we will bid farewell to the Moulin de l’Abbaye and travel back to Bordeaux for transfer to the airport or city center.

Day 9: Sunday, April 30

Group Transfer to Bordeaux

Included meals: Breakfast at Moulin de l’Abbaye.

Canourges

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About the Trip

When and Where to Meet

The Hôtel de Sèze is a classic and luxurious 4-star hotel located in the heart of historic Bordeaux. Your adventure to the Southwest of France includes pre-paid, first night accommodations at Hôtel de Sèze. Please note at check-in that you are with the Harold Davis group. The hotel has each of your names with the reservation.

We will meet in the lobby of the Hôtel de Sèze, at 3PM on Saturday, April 22, 2016. From there, we will proceed on a walking tour with local guide of historic Bordeaux, and a Welcome Dinner hosted by Harold. Please be checked into the hotel before we meet. (See page 2 of the Itinerary for details.)

Please note that all locations, accommodations, and restaurants are subject to change depending upon conditions in the field and other circumstances beyond our control.

What to Expect in Weather

This is a spring photo trip, exploring Bordeaux and Southwest France. Generally, the weather at this time of year in France is very nice and temperate. However, spring rain showers are likely, so you should come prepared to protect both yourself and your camera from rain. As Ansel Adams put it, If you don’t go out in the rain, you can’t photograph a clearing storm.

Spring days are long, but it can also mean that nights in April are chilly. As we may be photographing at blue hour, after sunset and into the night, please plan to bring a warm layer, as well as a wind/rain shell. This should be close to ideal weather for spring photography in the Southwest of France.

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Morning Mist

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About the Trip, continued

General Items to Bring with You

As noted above, we recommend layered clothing. By all means, bring good walking shoes and socks that will pad your feet to keep them from blisters. Do make sure your shoes are broken in before the trip to avoid rub spots on your feet.

Please keep in mind that European power plugs are shaped differently than American plugs, so you will need to bring a converter for the plugs for your chargers.

It is a good idea to let your credit card issuers know that you will be travelling in France.

Most European credit card terminals are set to work with chip-and-pin credit cards. US banks have caught on to the security benefits of chip-and-pin. But you might want to check with your credit card issuer at the same time as you inform them of your travel plans to verify that your credit cards will work with chip-and-pin systems.

We suggest making several photocopies of the identification page of your passport, and placing these copies in your camera bag and luggage.

Photographic Items to Bring with You

Please bring a camera, tripod, wide-angle and telephoto lenses, and a remote release. You may want a head lamp in case we do evening and night photography. Bring plenty of memory cards, your charger, and extra batteries for anything that takes batteries.

Harold travels with his laptop, and processes his images on-the-fly when he can. You are welcome to bring your own computer if you would like to process your images with input from Harold, but bringing a laptop is not required. If you do bring a computer, please be sure to include a card reader.

Contacting Harold

If you have any questions at all, please contact Harold by email at harold@photoblog2.com or Phyllis at phyllis@bearhome.com. Harold’s mobile phone when he is on the road in Europe or the US is +1.510.295.3982.

Bend in the River Panorama in Black and White

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