Ok, France!
I am so f'ing lazy. Here's my post about my trip to France, two months after I got back. I am so bad. And I still have a lot of photos left to upload to Flickr.
Completely aside from the fact that André Breton lived here, it's easy to see why St. Cirq Lapopie attracts artists. I mean, look at the view from my balcony the first morning:
The B&B where I stayed is lovely. Parts of it are 15th-century and parts are 16th. My room was 16th. Here's the date (in a weird combination of Roman and Arabic numerals) along with the name of the guy who built it, with a "typo" in stone!
The first day we did some grocery shopping and then went to the nearby town of Cajarc. The church there, St.-Étienne, is on the Campostelo pilgrimage route, and there is also a chapel dedicated to a hometown girl, Annette Pelras, one of the Carmelite nuns whose execution during the Revolution inspired Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmelites. We had a fabulous lunch at L'Allée des Vignes, and then walked it off with a stroll along the river.
Photos of Cajarc
The people on the trip are really great. I was not the only non-artist. It included an oncologist whose wife is an artist, as well as relatives of one of the women leading the trip - her brother, his wife, and two of their granddaughters, ages 11 and 14. I have to admit that a few of us had some doubts about the kids, but they were absolutely wonderful, game for everything, including the foie gras. (Foie gras and duck are among the local specialties; I swear I ate more foie gras in the ten days we were there than I have in the entire rest of my life.) The youngest was actually the only person on the trip to fill up her sketchbook; she even started a second!
Next day we did some sketching on the patio of the house where some of the group are staying. It has an astonishing view of the Lot River. We decided to picnic there, and all pitched in with olives, bread, meats, cheese, etc. One couple is taking harmonica lessons here in Chicago, and they brought their instruments along. They played for us, and one of the other women and I were inspired to get up and do a Cajun waltz.
Agnès, the woman who runs the B&B, had said we were welcome to use her kitchen, so the four of us staying there cooked dinner that night, and invited one of the other women on the tour as well as Agnès to join us. I made duck breast (magret) which rather surprised A., as she didn't think it was eaten in the U.S. So I hope I've contributed a bit to improving the culinary reputation of Americans!
There's a cultural center in town called La Fourdonne where we had some of our art lectures. They also have a small outdoor amphitheater for concerts and such. That night there was a British blues musician, so a few of us went and had a very pleasant evening. So great to be in a place where you can actually see the stars at night!
Oh, my. We went to Pech-Merle, one of the view caves with neolithic paintings that the public can still enter. Knocked my socks off. No photography allowed, understandably. The wall paintings are amazing, of course. There's one of a horse that incorporates part of the wall itself that is shaped rather like a horse's head, and so the horse has two heads, the painted one and the wall. But even aside from the paintings, the cave is worth a visit for it's astonishing geological formations. An incredible variety. You can check it all out on their official website.
Back in St. Cirq, I had lunch with Tanya, one of the other women on the trip, Tom G. gave a lecture on French signs and letter forms, and then I headed back to the B&B, but was wildly distracted by shops (the town has some lovely ones). I also went into the Church, which is about 700 years old. More foie gras at dinner!
Today we went to the market at Limogne. I picked up some saffron and vanilla beans and confitures for Cathy, and we bought food for dinner, all sorts of lovely stuff. I had a hard time deciding which olives to buy, so ended up with a few varieties:
There was also a booth where a woman was selling lovely Italian linen clothes, so I bought a sleeveless dress with an overblouse, and a light jacket.
Back in St.Cirq, we had a guided tour of the town. Unfortunately, our guide was not great, too soft a voice and she really didn't seem terribly well-informed.
That night, we had more people over for dinner. Eight of us, and Agnès, who is truly delightful, contributed a local walnut wine for aperitifs. What could be nicer than a soft southern French night on the terrace, with good food, good conversation, and good people?
Today we went to Boatman's Walk, a space blasted out of the rock by Napoleon so that the bargemen could more easily haul the barges along the Lot. We did some sketching, and picnicked.
I was coming down with something, so I skipped the evening gathering, took a Nyquil and crashed. I slept late the next day. There was a trip to Conques, but it was a long drive, and a long day, so just as well I missed it. Agnès had left breakfast for me, which I was feeling human enough to eat, and then I sat on the balcony and did a water color from a sketch I'd done earlier.
Then I walked around town and went into a ceramics shop that represents a number of local artists. I bought Cathy some small dishes, and a necklace for myself. And, in what was one of the highlights of my trip, the woman running the shop told me that I was "très élégante"!
A bit more sketching back at Agnès', and Tom and Olivia stopped by to see how I was and take me off for a drink. Then more friends over for dinner. It was the birthday of one, so we surprised her with a fruit tart with a candle.
More later, because this is getting really long, despite cuts!
Completely aside from the fact that André Breton lived here, it's easy to see why St. Cirq Lapopie attracts artists. I mean, look at the view from my balcony the first morning:
The B&B where I stayed is lovely. Parts of it are 15th-century and parts are 16th. My room was 16th. Here's the date (in a weird combination of Roman and Arabic numerals) along with the name of the guy who built it, with a "typo" in stone!
The first day we did some grocery shopping and then went to the nearby town of Cajarc. The church there, St.-Étienne, is on the Campostelo pilgrimage route, and there is also a chapel dedicated to a hometown girl, Annette Pelras, one of the Carmelite nuns whose execution during the Revolution inspired Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmelites. We had a fabulous lunch at L'Allée des Vignes, and then walked it off with a stroll along the river.
Photos of Cajarc
The people on the trip are really great. I was not the only non-artist. It included an oncologist whose wife is an artist, as well as relatives of one of the women leading the trip - her brother, his wife, and two of their granddaughters, ages 11 and 14. I have to admit that a few of us had some doubts about the kids, but they were absolutely wonderful, game for everything, including the foie gras. (Foie gras and duck are among the local specialties; I swear I ate more foie gras in the ten days we were there than I have in the entire rest of my life.) The youngest was actually the only person on the trip to fill up her sketchbook; she even started a second!
Next day we did some sketching on the patio of the house where some of the group are staying. It has an astonishing view of the Lot River. We decided to picnic there, and all pitched in with olives, bread, meats, cheese, etc. One couple is taking harmonica lessons here in Chicago, and they brought their instruments along. They played for us, and one of the other women and I were inspired to get up and do a Cajun waltz.
Agnès, the woman who runs the B&B, had said we were welcome to use her kitchen, so the four of us staying there cooked dinner that night, and invited one of the other women on the tour as well as Agnès to join us. I made duck breast (magret) which rather surprised A., as she didn't think it was eaten in the U.S. So I hope I've contributed a bit to improving the culinary reputation of Americans!
There's a cultural center in town called La Fourdonne where we had some of our art lectures. They also have a small outdoor amphitheater for concerts and such. That night there was a British blues musician, so a few of us went and had a very pleasant evening. So great to be in a place where you can actually see the stars at night!
Oh, my. We went to Pech-Merle, one of the view caves with neolithic paintings that the public can still enter. Knocked my socks off. No photography allowed, understandably. The wall paintings are amazing, of course. There's one of a horse that incorporates part of the wall itself that is shaped rather like a horse's head, and so the horse has two heads, the painted one and the wall. But even aside from the paintings, the cave is worth a visit for it's astonishing geological formations. An incredible variety. You can check it all out on their official website.
Back in St. Cirq, I had lunch with Tanya, one of the other women on the trip, Tom G. gave a lecture on French signs and letter forms, and then I headed back to the B&B, but was wildly distracted by shops (the town has some lovely ones). I also went into the Church, which is about 700 years old. More foie gras at dinner!
Today we went to the market at Limogne. I picked up some saffron and vanilla beans and confitures for Cathy, and we bought food for dinner, all sorts of lovely stuff. I had a hard time deciding which olives to buy, so ended up with a few varieties:
There was also a booth where a woman was selling lovely Italian linen clothes, so I bought a sleeveless dress with an overblouse, and a light jacket.
Back in St.Cirq, we had a guided tour of the town. Unfortunately, our guide was not great, too soft a voice and she really didn't seem terribly well-informed.
That night, we had more people over for dinner. Eight of us, and Agnès, who is truly delightful, contributed a local walnut wine for aperitifs. What could be nicer than a soft southern French night on the terrace, with good food, good conversation, and good people?
Today we went to Boatman's Walk, a space blasted out of the rock by Napoleon so that the bargemen could more easily haul the barges along the Lot. We did some sketching, and picnicked.
I was coming down with something, so I skipped the evening gathering, took a Nyquil and crashed. I slept late the next day. There was a trip to Conques, but it was a long drive, and a long day, so just as well I missed it. Agnès had left breakfast for me, which I was feeling human enough to eat, and then I sat on the balcony and did a water color from a sketch I'd done earlier.
Then I walked around town and went into a ceramics shop that represents a number of local artists. I bought Cathy some small dishes, and a necklace for myself. And, in what was one of the highlights of my trip, the woman running the shop told me that I was "très élégante"!
A bit more sketching back at Agnès', and Tom and Olivia stopped by to see how I was and take me off for a drink. Then more friends over for dinner. It was the birthday of one, so we surprised her with a fruit tart with a candle.
More later, because this is getting really long, despite cuts!