BOB DYLAN DISCUSSION WEEKENDS WITH MICHAEL GRAY
At His Home In South-West France
A NEW SERIES OF SUCH WEEKENDS IS NOW OFFERED FOR THESE DATES:
FRIDAY MAY 4 to SUNDAY MAY 6 - FULLY BOOKED
FRIDAY MAY 11 to SUNDAY MAY 13 - FULLY BOOKED
FRIDAY JUNE 15 to SUNDAY JUNE 17
These events offer Dylan followers weekends of great food and Bob Dylan Discussion with the author of Song & Dance Man III: The Art of Bob Dylan and The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia at his home in southwest France - an elegant 1870s house 40-odd miles from the Pyrenees and the Spanish border. The house lies on the edge of a small village in deep countryside.
HOW TO BOOK FOR JUNE 15-17:
Please e-mail michael@michaelgray.net giving your name and e-mail address. If the places you want are still available at this late stage, you will be advised of this and invoiced by e-mail. Full payment will secure your booking.
For full details see PRICES, below.
DETAILS:
The maximum number of guests per weekend is 6
(3 couples or 3-4 individual guests)
Every guest room is en suite
Meals, with accompanying local wines, are provided by food writer Sarah Beattie and taken communally, outside on the terrace whenever possible.
The after-dinner discussions of Dylan’s work take place in the large sitting-room, where relevant vinyl and CDs from Michael’s collection can be played, again with accompanying wine. Guests can choose topics such as Dylan & the Blues; Dylan & Rock’n’roll; Dylan's Use of the Bible; Dylan & Plagiarism; Dylan & Literary Culture; Dylan On Tour; Dylan Bootlegs.
THE WEEKEND ITINERARY:
FRIDAY - arrive in time for an evening meal, followed by 1st Dylan Discussion
SATURDAY - breakfast; daytime free; evening meal and 2nd Dylan Discussion
SUNDAY - breakfast; departure.
Included:
Two nights’ en suite accommodation, two breakfasts and two full evening meals; quality local wines; two small-group Dylan Discussions led by Michael Gray. Guests are also welcome to use the garden and sizeable swimming pool.
Not included:
Flights; transport to & from airports; lunches; travel insurance.
Please note:
It is a non-smoking house, though guests are welcome to smoke in the garden; also that the household includes a dog (Mavis, a Griffon Nivernais), though she is not allowed upstairs.
Recommended:
Car-hire is recommended to utilise free time for local exploration, though transport to and from the airports can be arranged through us instead, and a local taxi is generally available for Saturday exploration. (Car-hire is the less expensive option and gives maximum flexibility.)
Getting here in 2012:
For flights, the nearest airports are Lourdes/Tarbes, Pau, Toulouse. By far the largest of these is Toulouse, which receives flights not only from Europe but from North America also.
If you're flying from Britain, easyJet fly Gatwick-Toulouse (2-3 flights daily) and Bristol-Toulouse (1 flight daily); Ryanair flies from Stansted to Lourdes/Tarbes (45 minutes from the house), though these flights are not daily and so are suitable only if you want to spend longer in the area; there are also FlyBe flights to Toulouse from Southampton, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow, though not exactly at our idea of cheap-airline prices. In contrast BA sometimes has bargain flights Heathrow-Toulouse (and there are several flights daily); and CityJet flies to Pau from London City, Dublin and Amsterdam.
If you're flying in from North America or another long-haul starting-point, the frequent daily BA flights Heathrow-Toulouse can be especially convenient.
There are also cheap flights from all over Europe to Paris Orly, which offers frequent flights to Lourdes-Tarbes, the closest airport to our house.
It's also possible to travel by train from anywhere in Europe (by TGV to Tarbes or Toulouse, and optionally on from Toulouse by ordinary train to Auch) or by car (via tunnel/ferry from the UK).
The weather:
May and June are normally like an ideal British high summer.
FEEDBACK FROM PREVIOUS GUESTS:
"Many thanks from the three of us for a great weekend. Lovely food and wine (our thanks to Sarah of course) and terrific conversation. All highly recommended!"
James
"I look back at a wonderful weekend. Thank you very much for your hospitality and the inspiring sessions. Thanks too to Sarah for the delicious meals."
Robert
"Michael, we had a wonderful time and it was a privilege to spend some time with the two of you."
Irwin & Erica
"The house is in a beautiful part of France, and the food cooked and served by Michael's wife Sarah is absolutely outstanding, as is the wine ! It's by no means all about Bob, and we met some very interesting guests, but it was wonderful to have the opportunity to chat with other people who are equally enthralled by Bob's work, and to hear at first hand Michael's extensive knowledge of Dylan's work. A truly marvellous weekend !!"
Martin
"Thank you to both you and Sarah for a lovely weekend: we both enjoyed it immensely."
Catherine
"Can I just thank you once again for the weekend? We both had a fantastic time. Please pass on our thanks to Sarah as well, not least for her truly outstanding cooking."
Daniel & Ruth
"You made me and everyone feel very welcome and I couldn't really think of anything to improve the weekend. The food was divine and it was great to be able to indulge our Bob Dylan interest (I'm avoiding using the word obsession!) in an unfettered way!"
Ian
PRICES:
£399 per person, or £599 per couple sharing a room.
All prices are in pounds sterling; conversion from other currencies will be made at the rate applicable on the day, as determined by PayPal
A 50% non-returnable deposit is required to confirm a booking
The remaining 50% will be invoiced, and payment required, a month ahead of the date of the weekend.
HOW TO BOOK (REMINDER):
Please e-mail michael@michaelgray.net giving your name and e-mail address. If the places you want are available, you will be advised of this and then invoiced by e-mail. Payment of the deposit can then be made securely, using PayPal or any credit or debit card. This will confirm your booking.
"Many thanks from the three of us for a great weekend. Lovely food and wine (our thanks to Sarah of course) and terrific conversation. All highly recommended!"
James
"I look back at a wonderful weekend. Thank you very much for your hospitality and the inspiring sessions. Thanks too to Sarah for the delicious meals."
Robert
"Michael, we had a wonderful time and it was a privilege to spend some time with the two of you."
Irwin & Erica
"The house is in a beautiful part of France, and the food cooked and served by Michael's wife Sarah is absolutely outstanding, as is the wine ! It's by no means all about Bob, and we met some very interesting guests, but it was wonderful to have the opportunity to chat with other people who are equally enthralled by Bob's work, and to hear at first hand Michael's extensive knowledge of Dylan's work. A truly marvellous weekend !!"
Martin
"Thank you to both you and Sarah for a lovely weekend: we both enjoyed it immensely."
Catherine
"Can I just thank you once again for the weekend? We both had a fantastic time. Please pass on our thanks to Sarah as well, not least for her truly outstanding cooking."
Daniel & Ruth
"You made me and everyone feel very welcome and I couldn't really think of anything to improve the weekend. The food was divine and it was great to be able to indulge our Bob Dylan interest (I'm avoiding using the word obsession!) in an unfettered way!"
Ian
PRICES:
£399 per person, or £599 per couple sharing a room.
All prices are in pounds sterling; conversion from other currencies will be made at the rate applicable on the day, as determined by PayPal
A 50% non-returnable deposit is required to confirm a booking
The remaining 50% will be invoiced, and payment required, a month ahead of the date of the weekend.
HOW TO BOOK (REMINDER):
Please e-mail michael@michaelgray.net giving your name and e-mail address. If the places you want are available, you will be advised of this and then invoiced by e-mail. Payment of the deposit can then be made securely, using PayPal or any credit or debit card. This will confirm your booking.
