While in France for the holidays, Mike and I traveled two hours north to a unique site my French teacher, Sylvain Frémaux, had told me about a called Le Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval or The Ideal Palace of the Postman Cheval. (If you read French, cheval means horse and is his actual last name). […]
Christmas at Chateauneuf
The village where we stayed, Chateauneuf-du-pape, is one of the premier wine-growing regions in southern France. The number of wineries you can visit within the village itself and its surroundings is overwhelming. We’ve stayed twice twice and made it to six wineries. While not as famous, there is also a premier chocolate boutique called Chocolaterie […]
The Christmas Markets of Provence
I’m a day late where the holiday is concerned but it couldn’t be helped. We were in France for two weeks to visit the Marchés de Noël in the neighboring towns and villages near where we were staying. When my late husband and I lived in France we went to Strasbourg in the Alsace region […]
Vive La France!
I’ve returned from three weeks in Provence where we stayed in the renowned wine-producing village of Chateauneuf-du-pape, which means the pope’s new chateau. The chateau was built in the 12th century. However, little is still standing as the Germans set fire to it during World War II, as they were retreating. Nevertheless, the chateau is […]
Wine-Blending: Who Knew?
I’m a lover of most things French. It’s hard not to be after living in Montréal, Québec and Paris, France for five years. As a Francophile, I’m a member of Alliance Francaise de Portland, a nonprofit cultural and educational organization offering French classes and social and cultural events. This past Friday, I attended a wine-blending […]
Chateau of Chaumont and the Festival des Jardins
To finish up my time at the Festival, here are my favorite pieces of indoor art. This work is described as a forest of bells and timber, a powerful and spectacular work where the artist expresses his wish to wake up a sleeping chateau, each bell appearing, according to Kounellis, as a mouth letting escape […]
Chateau of Chaumont and the Festival of Gardens
In a previous post I wrote about El Anatsui’s artwork at the chateau of Chaumont. I should explain that his work was just one among many at an event called the Festival des Jardins (Festival of Gardens) the chateau holds every summer. I have always wanted to go and finally had the opportunity. When I […]
La Fondation du Doute
How can you not love a building that looks like this? Something completely different from the expected chateaux, cathedrals, and famous monuments. When you walk into the courtyard, a “red carpet” greets you, taking you to the front entrance and a multitude of intriguing signs. The yellow sign at the top reads: “To create is […]
Chateau Royal de Blois, La Maison de la Magie, and Blois Cathedral
During my trip to France I spent a day on my own in the city of Blois while the rest of the group went to Chenonceau castle, which I have seen twice before. My self-guided, on-foot tour began at the Chateau Royal. It sits up on a hill, as chateaus do, in order to have […]
El Anatsui, Ghanian Artist
I spent ten days in France at the end of July and through the first part of August, splitting time between the Loire and Dordogne regions. The Loire is well-known for its beautiful chateaux. During this trip I was lucky enough to see the Arts & Nature 2015 exhibition at the chateau of Chaumont-sur-Loire. Each […]
Georges Sand–writer and avid needleworker
I recently returned from a ten-day trip to France with a group of four others, one of whom is my French professor, Sylvain Frémaux. I have continued to study French throughout my life since beginning at age eleven. In addition to a life-long love of fiber art, I have always been enamored of words and […]
