July 23 - August 2, 2010
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Country French Treasure Hunt
Carolina Fernandez is an artist and author of two books, including her latest design book, Country French Kitchens. Her frustration at finding resources on authentic French kitchen design in her pursuit of building her own country French kitchen, led her to scouting nearly fifty kitchens, analyzing floor plans, testing appliances, scrutinizing cabinetry integrity and configurations, manhandling faucets, measuring sinks, caressing stone countertops, scouting art and antique collections and compiling hundreds of hours of research in this subject area. With her book on multiple bestseller lists, she ranks as the nation’s leading authority on country French kitchen design and style. She has been quoted in dozens of internet sites, blogs, newspapers, and magazines, including News Day, Parenting, Redbook, Good Housekeeping and Nickelodeon. More than two hundred of her articles and stories have been published and syndicated worldwide. Carolina will teach students how to use and translate colors, textures and materials of rural France into their own living spaces. Through trips to local brocantes and vide-greniers we will treasure hunt for fabrics, pottery, glassware, china and antiques in our desire to bring French simplicity, warmth and charm into our own homes. To learn more about Carolina, visit www.countryfrenchkitchens.com.
The Art of Illustrated Journaling
Diana Hollingsworth Gessler has kept personal illustrated travel journals for more than thirty years. Amazed by her journals, Algonquin Books contracted Diana to write and illustrate a series of successful, journal-like travel books: Very Washington DC, Very New Orleans, Very Charleston, and Very California. The Sampoerna Legacy was privately commissioned to chronicle, in Diana’s signature journal style, an Indonesian family’s 100-year-old legacy. Diana has taught students at all levels how to see and journal nuances of travel experiences, recording their own insights in watercolor washes and pen and ink drawings. Students will learn how to enhance their adventures with simple maps, fancy lettering, caricatures, and collage that will preserve every trip in a very treasured way. Exploring their own personal creative style, students will walk away with the belief that Diana has forever changed the way they travel and “see the world around them.” A fine artist working in oil and watercolor, she is represented by Shaw Gallery in Naples, Florida. To learn more about Diana, visit www.dianagessler.com.
- Lodgings
- All breakfasts
- 8 dinners
- Transfers from/to Bordeaux, transportation by private coach
- Entry fees for included sites
- Private & Group Instruction & Critiques
Itinerary
Independent arrival in Bordeaux
Depart U.S.A. on overnight flight to any European gateway city. Catch a connecting flight to Bordeaux. If you fly into Paris, the TGV fast train is an option.
Day 1: Friday, July 23
4:00 p.m. Meet our Private Coach in Bordeaux for the scenic, two-hour drive into the Dordogne and Petit Rousset. Welcome Dinner.
Petit Rousset – Our home, an 18th century farmhouse, provides many opportunities for displaying our purchases, devising shopping strategies, or just relaxing with our journal – in the garden, on the terrace, by the pool.
A Sampling of our Destinations
Quaint villages will be our journaling studios and at the same time we’ll be chineurs (browsers, shoppers, bargainers), scavenging summer-time brocantes (open-air antique fairs), vide-greniers (open-air flea markets), antiquitaires (antique shops), and depot-vents (consignment shops) for country French treasures. We’ll peruse, purchase, and learn about French Country Wares – from embroidered linens to fireplace tools; hand-woven baskets to handcrafted barnyard implements. As we journal and shop, we’ll be exploring a land inhabited since prehistoric times.
Eymet – Our ‘hometown’ is a 40-minute stroll from Petit Rousset, past rows of grapevines, fields of sunflowers and meadows of grazing cows. Our illustrated journals will record this bastide whose little streets of wattle and daub houses radiate off its perfectly intact 13th century center square. You'll also learn about the 100 Years’ War and the unique architectural and cultural elements that define medieval bastides, of which Eymet is a fine example.
Ste. Alvere – An exciting day! This will be our first of three brocantes and we will, of course, journal along the way. This annual brocante brings shoppers and vendors from near and far. Ste Alvere is a picture perfect medieval village you’re sure to enjoy.
Tremolat – Continuing with our journaling and country French treasure quests, we’ll visit Le Vieux Logis (a Relais et Chateaux property), to revel in its exquisite country French décor, then lunch at its Bistrot d’en Face across the street. As we make our way back to Petit Rousset, we’ll stop at the Cingle right outside Tremolat and marvel at the breathtaking panoramic view of the Dordogne River, described by many as one of the wonders of the world
Beaumont-du-Perigord – A special brocante! We’ve timed our trip to coincide with the annual Antiques Fair held in this tiny unfinished bastide. As we wander along narrow roads and tiny lanes we’ll peruse the treasures of up to 200 exhibitors. Using your new knowledge of country French design, embark on your personal treasure hunt to infuse your own home with French charm. And if some finds are too big to cart home, draw them in your journal to enjoy them forever.
Monpazier – Listed as “one of the most beautiful villages in France,” Monpazier was founded in 1284. A National Heritage Site, it is hailed as the most perfectly preserved bastide in Southwest France. The intact market square is surrounded by 13th century houses identical in size, yet unique in appearance. Wander streets and shops with your journal and envision life as it was enjoyed 700 years ago in this picture-perfect village.
Bergerac – The town made famous by the poet-Musketeer, Cyrano, is now the capitol of the wine-growing region while in an earlier time, its fame rested upon tobacco production. We’ll visit Old Town on bustling market day, with its medieval houses clustered along the banks of the Dordogne River and check out the various antique and design shops that dot the town.
Traveling just a few miles south, Château de Monbazillac has the fairytale quality of Renaissance architecture. An historical monument from the 16th century, it’s classified as one of the “Hundred Sites of Remarkable Taste” in France, making it the perfect place to document it in our journals while tasting the acclaimed golden mellow Monbazillac wine.
Beynac – We’ll visit the village with the Chateau at its summit. Built during the One Hundred Years’ War, the Chateau de Beynac perches high atop a cliff dominating the Dordogne River. Today we marvel at the views of the valley below, but its imposing profile attests to its original military purpose.
Sarlat – One of the most renowned and attractive towns in France was founded as an Abbey Town, so when Charlemagne visited he brought a fragment of the True Cross with him. Nearly all of Sarlat's restored town houses were built during its years of greatest prosperity (1450-1500), giving it a rare architectural unity. We’ll journal in this beautiful village and explore its design and antique shops along the narrow lanes.
Issigeac – Our final brocante, and we’re ready for it! Issigeac is a sleepy little hill-town of meandering streets and pedestrian paths 61/2 days a week, but on Sundays, it explodes with activity as local farmers fill every available space with their delicious produce. On the Sunday we visit, antique dealers join the fray and we’ll be surrounded by as many sights, sounds, and scents as we can absorb. Your most difficult chore today will be deciding where to look first - eventually bits of architecture and scenes of village life will reveal themselves, waiting for you to relish and record.
Final Day 11: Monday, August 2
St. Emilion – After breakfast, we depart for Bordeaux via St. Emilion, a favorite of medieval popes and English kings. This UNESCO World Heritage Site dates to prehistoric times and was settled by the Romans in the 2nd century AD when they planted vineyards here. Today, the town is a shopper’s paradise, rich in boutiques and art galleries. Purchase handmade French soaps, watch artisans create their wares, and enjoy one last lunch in southwest France. Coach drop off at Bordeaux airport and train station.
TRAVEL NOTE: So that we can spend more time in St. Emilion, please make plans to stay in Bordeaux or at the airport for next day departure. Petit Rousset can offer accommodation suggestions and information.
Day 12: Tuesday, August 3
Independent Departure from Bordeaux
