France by region Nature and gardens Caribbean France French food and wine History of France Train Trek Painting and modern masters Literature Sports   THE FRENCH ALPS: Tour the rooftop of France! This legendary mountain range stretching from France to Austria will enchant you with its majestic landscapes of mountains, glaciers and perched villages. MEDITERRANEAN GARDENS, MEDITERRANEAN LANDSCAPES: We will enjoy the atmosphere of Provence where white limestone and blue skies contrast with purple clay. These Mediterranean landscapes and the many gardens of Provence inspired artists such Cézanne and Van Gogh as well as French film-makers. We will learn how people using stone, earth, and limited water transformed the stubborn earth into a cultivated land filled with terraces and the perfume of olive trees and lavender. FRENCH GARDENS: A delightful survey of the history, design, and preservation of gardens in the regions of Ile-de-France, Normandy, and Touraine. We will journey from medieval times, when gardens provided herbs and vegetables, to the Renaissance period when they became places of pleasure. We then stroll into the 17th century which imposed order upon nature to please the nobility and into the 18th century which expected rich gardeners to imitate nature. The tour will bring us up to the present with a look at some imaginative city parks that reflect contemporary tastes and lifestyles. ECOTOURISM PROGRAMS: Tailor-made programs can be organised by Experiment in collaboration with the association NATURELOLODGING: www.naturelodging.org     THE FRENCH ALPS : Grenoble, Annecy, Chamonix. MEDITERRANEAN GARDENS, MEDITERRANEAN LANDSCAPES : Aix en Provence, Nice, Menton FRENCH GARDENS : Paris, Versailles, Tours, Dieppe.