By Stephanie Johns
Staff Writer

Seven residents from Morgan County have returned from their November trip to the South of France.
The Madison-Morgan Chamber of Commerce (COC) sponsored the trip with Collette Vacations.
Bob Hughes, President of the Chamber, said everybody had a good time.
Tony Sells from Rutledge shared that the trip was “absolutely wonderful.”
“Claudia, Niki and I could not have enjoyed it more,” he wrote. “All three of us agree that the favorite part of the trip was the French Riviera but Paris was also very nice.”
Participants took a shuttle from Madison to Atlanta before flying to New York. From there they flew to Nice.
The group from Morgan County was joined by about 20 other people for their time in France, Hughes said. 
While in Nice they saw St. Jean-Cap-Ferrat and the Rothschild Villa and Gardens. The next day they visited Antibes and St. Paul De Vence. While in Monaco they saw the Casino of Monte Carlo. They also had the option of visiting St. Tropez and Cannes one day. Another day they visited Frejus and Saint-Raphael. In Grasse they visited the Fragonard Parfumerie.
After seven days in Nice they took a bullet train, which traveled up to 187 mph, to Paris. During their three days in Paris they had the chance to visit the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Opera House, the Seine River, and Notre Dame.
Hughes explained that the trip is a fundraiser for the COC. The price covered roundtrip airfare, breakfasts, dinners, hotel rooms, and a shuttle from Madison to Atlanta.
The Chamber received 10 percent of the total price of the tour. That money goes into the Chamber’s general operations fund to help pay the bills and keep open their doors.
He explained that they chose Collette Vacations because of its reputation.
“They have two travel agencies that specialize in offering Chamber of Commerce trips,” he said, adding that they have been open since the 1920s. “They’re very stable and have received very positive feedback.”
Hughes said those interested in taking a tour in 2014 should contact him at 706-342-4454.
Right now he thinks that the 2014 trip either will be to Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji or to Scotland. Last year participants had the opportunity to visit Ireland.
He noted that he is open to other destinations.
“Let me know where you want to go and we’ll see if there’s enough interest,” he said.

Printed in the January 3, 2013 edition