Expeditions to France

Expedition leader Carole Devillers was born in France and spent her childhood in Paris which she learned to love and discover as her father took her to the various museums and attractions. Today she invites you along for an intimate look at her native land. What better way to discover and understand France than to explore its many facets with a French photographer? Not only will you understand French culture better without the language barrier, but you may get to learn some French too! The images you will take back from our expeditions will be a mix of photojournalism, nature and people photography. The memories: priceless.


PARIS - IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF HEMINGWAY - Walking back to Hemingway's favorite hangouts and neighborhoods, we'll be looking for images that best capture the mood and soul of old Paris.
DATES: May 04-12, 2018, 9 days/8 nights
PRICE: $3,475 (land arrangements only, based on double occupancy).
ARRIVAL: May 04. You need to leave the USA on May 03rd to arrive the next morning in Paris.
DEPARTURE: May 12 from Paris.

"The marvels of daily life are exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street."
Robert Doisneau (French photographer 1912-1994), "The Encyclopedia of Photography" (1984)

Whether you are a first-time visitor to Paris or a returning traveler, some must-see highlights will always captivate our attention and we will definitely not miss them, such as a dinner night cruise down the Seine, the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, or the 12th century Gothic Cathedral of Notre-Dame and its gargoyles.

However Paris is more than just tourist monuments. It is a morning baguette and a warm croissant, sitting at cafe terraces, strolls along the Seine, lovers kissing in the street... Retracing famous American writer Ernest Hemingway's footsteps, we'll explore by foot the Paris he loved. Hemingway spent six years in Paris as a young man, in the 1920s. This is where he taught himself to write, becoming enamored with the city as he explored its streets and squares in search of facts and a sense of place. "If you have been lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast" Ernest Hemingway wrote to a friend in 1950.

So our endeavor will be to recapture Paris landmarks with a new eye, a new vision and come up with images different from your typical tourist postcard, as well as experience the authentic and quintessential Paris so dear to Hemingway, with both our cameras and our senses.

We'll wander the streets looking for the unexpected, for images that capture the mood and soul of Paris. This will be done in a leisurely fashion to give us not only opportunities to photograph but also to get a taste of Parisian life. With that in mind, we will stop at sidewalk cafes such as the Closerie des Lilas, where Hemingway was a regular (the cafe even displays his photo and a small brass plaque with his name marks where he used to sit), and "Les Deux Magots" in Saint-Germain des Pres, observe life go by as Parisians do, and eat in brasseries and traditional restaurants. As Hemingway remarked in his memoir "A Moveable Feast", "You got very hungry when you did not eat enough in Paris because all the bakery shops had such good things in the windows and people ate outside at tables on the sidewalk so that you saw and smelled the food."

We'll walk where Hemingway lived and roamed, in the intellectual Latin Quarter, the Luxembourg gardens, and Saint-Germain des Pres neighborhood (his apartment and studio buildings still stand) as well as in the old Marais district on the chic Right Bank. "There is never any ending to Paris [...] This is how Paris was in the early days when we were very poor and very happy." (Hemingway in "A moveable feast")

Other highlights of this expedition include:

- An evening in Montmartre and after-dinner stop at the famous Montmartre Cabaret "Le Lapin Agile": Enjoy cabaret music, songs, humor and poetry in the oldest artistic cabaret in Paris. The Lapin Agile has retained the same atmosphere it had at the turn of the century when it was a favorite of local artists.

- Our farewell dinner cruise on the Seine, not aboard a touristy bateau-mouche, but on a truly special barge, with gleaming colors, 19th century wood panelling and stained glass windows, panoramic terrace and a piano lounge designed around an original 1879 Steinway piano. We say good-bye to Paris with class.

Paris is a great city to explore and photograph and a lifetime would not be enough. Don't forget your walking shoes!

Expedition Cost: $3,475 (land arrangement only, based on double occupancy).
Reservations: A $1,000 per person deposit is required to secure a place on our expeditions, which can be paid via Paypal (with additional fee of 3%) or by check. For single accommodations, the cost is $3,975. Be prepared to pay for single accommodations if you are not booking with someone, as our groups are very small and we might not be able to accommodate you with a roommate. The balance is due 90 days prior to beginning of expedition.
Group Size: minimum 2, maximum 6. Under 4 sign-ups, a small-group supplement of $300 p.p. will be requested.

Expedition Cost includes:
3-star hotel accommodations in Marais district; public transportation (metro) with the tour leader; all breakfasts, 5 meals (lunch, dinner, picnic) taken with the group; dinner cruise on Seine; Lapin Agile cabaret (one drink included).

Expedition Cost does NOT include:
Airfare to/from your home city and Paris, transfers from Paris airport to hotel and from hotel to airport (you will receive proper transportation directions with itinerary), taxis or public transportation taken on your own, meal beverages (whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic and bottled water), meals not indicated in itinerary, items of personal nature and incidentals, luggage porters, mandatory travel insurance, entrance fees not mentioned above, passport fees, gratuities.

NOTE: American and Canadian nationals do NOT need a visa to enter France. Other nationals should check with their French consulate. You need a valid passport.

For complete details, see our General Information page.

To register for this expedition go to the Registration page.