Provence and Drome-Provencale, France 7-17 July, 2009
The second leg of our European trip took us to Nice and then to the Drome Provencale. We flew from Berlin to Nice in Provence, and spent one night there. Nice is a big congested city , with a quaint charming old center, with a jumble of narrow alleys. It is most famous for its beaches and the beautiful turquoise blue color, found along the "Cote d'Azur Unfortunately, the beach itself is all pebbles and look very uncomfortable.
From Nice we drove 5 hrs north to the northern part of Provence to the very quaint 200 year old stone farm house of Claude and Monique’s Largo who were hosting our art group of around fifteen people, all with connections to Ventura County and led by Dahlia’s art instructor from Ventura Community College. The farmhouse is located high atop a hill overlooking a gorgeous valley with wheat field, trees, and sunflower fields . After a nice breakfast together we would usually go to a different beautiful site each day to paint (Watercolor and sketching), comeback for lunch and then either do more paining, read or nap or tour in the afternoon. In the evening Monique and Claude served up magnificent gourmet meals of local dishes.
The routine varied somewhat including a trip on day to Aix-en–Provence to for a Picasso exhibit highlighting Cezanne’s influence on Picasso both of whom had studios in Aix-en-Provence at different times. We also visited the studio of Cezanne, which was very interesting. We took many drives through the beautiful surrounding countryside of steep hills interspersed with fertile valleys with vineyards, and massive fields of lavender and sunflowers, dotted with herds of goats and cows of many colors.
We saw many small towns and farms with ancient stone buildings with the occasional ruins of castles on some of the hills. During the time we were here we went to two concerts, one in the main square of Dieulefit (translates to “made by God”) which was followed by a three course dinner under the stars, at a nearby restaurant, where many long tables were lined up for people who had attended the concert. The other was a coral group in a small 11th century church.
We visited several markets in nearby towns selling local produce and crafts; and a real highlight was visiting the studios of several local artists.
On the last day we had an art show with wonderful snacks and sangria to display the works of art produced during the workshop. All in all it was a wonderful experience on all levels, touring, gastronomy, art and friendships.
From here we will drive through the Alps and Switzerland to the province of Alsace in eastern France near the German border. Stay tuned!
To see pictures click on the picture below and then click on the button marked “Slideshow”.
From Nice we drove 5 hrs north to the northern part of Provence to the very quaint 200 year old stone farm house of Claude and Monique’s Largo who were hosting our art group of around fifteen people, all with connections to Ventura County and led by Dahlia’s art instructor from Ventura Community College. The farmhouse is located high atop a hill overlooking a gorgeous valley with wheat field, trees, and sunflower fields . After a nice breakfast together we would usually go to a different beautiful site each day to paint (Watercolor and sketching), comeback for lunch and then either do more paining, read or nap or tour in the afternoon. In the evening Monique and Claude served up magnificent gourmet meals of local dishes.
The routine varied somewhat including a trip on day to Aix-en–Provence to for a Picasso exhibit highlighting Cezanne’s influence on Picasso both of whom had studios in Aix-en-Provence at different times. We also visited the studio of Cezanne, which was very interesting. We took many drives through the beautiful surrounding countryside of steep hills interspersed with fertile valleys with vineyards, and massive fields of lavender and sunflowers, dotted with herds of goats and cows of many colors.
We saw many small towns and farms with ancient stone buildings with the occasional ruins of castles on some of the hills. During the time we were here we went to two concerts, one in the main square of Dieulefit (translates to “made by God”) which was followed by a three course dinner under the stars, at a nearby restaurant, where many long tables were lined up for people who had attended the concert. The other was a coral group in a small 11th century church.
We visited several markets in nearby towns selling local produce and crafts; and a real highlight was visiting the studios of several local artists.
On the last day we had an art show with wonderful snacks and sangria to display the works of art produced during the workshop. All in all it was a wonderful experience on all levels, touring, gastronomy, art and friendships.
From here we will drive through the Alps and Switzerland to the province of Alsace in eastern France near the German border. Stay tuned!
To see pictures click on the picture below and then click on the button marked “Slideshow”.
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| 2009-07-17 Provence, France 7-17 July, 2009 |
posted by Dahlia and Lance Riley @ 3:12 AM
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