Well, this blog was supposed to document my recent trip to France, but the French internet gods took over. For reasons unknown to me, when I opened my blog after I had settled in at the Chateau de La Napoule. it opened in French! Not only was there no way I could figure out to convert it to English, but the editing icons/buttons weren’t there. I could not add any comments or photos.
So, I’ll make an attempt to do a post-trip blog.
Day 1 & 2, May 14 & 15 – Took a shuttle van from near my home in New Jersey to Kennedy airport in New York. I usually prefer to fly to Europe from Philadelphia, but Delta had the only direct flight to Nice, France from the northeast. Flights from Philadelphia would have required changing planes in Paris. I’ve done that before, but on one occasion the flight leaving Philadelphia was a half hour late, resulting in arriving in Paris late and missing the connecting flight. The eight hour flight was uneventful and I arrived at Aérogare 2, Nice Côte d'Azur, at 10am (having left NY at 8pm the night before).
This trip was initiated when I learned that the Maine College of Art (MECA) was planning a week long workshop at the Chateau. I had been to the Chateau in 1999 on a workshop sponsored by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). The chateau itself with its five acres of walled in Italian gardens is paradise. It’s a quiet, secluded enclave among the exhilaration of the Riviera, five miles west of Cannes (where the annual film festival was being held).
After collecting the checked bag containing my French half easel, paints, etc. (it weighed 50 pounds!), I walked to Aerogare 1 where the group from Maine was to arrive. Caught up with them and hopped on their hired minibus for the 18 mile drive to the Chateau. Most of the group stayed in the Villa Marguerite, owned by and adjacent to the Chateau. This is a watercolor I painted when I was there in 1999.
So, I’ll make an attempt to do a post-trip blog.
Day 1 & 2, May 14 & 15 – Took a shuttle van from near my home in New Jersey to Kennedy airport in New York. I usually prefer to fly to Europe from Philadelphia, but Delta had the only direct flight to Nice, France from the northeast. Flights from Philadelphia would have required changing planes in Paris. I’ve done that before, but on one occasion the flight leaving Philadelphia was a half hour late, resulting in arriving in Paris late and missing the connecting flight. The eight hour flight was uneventful and I arrived at Aérogare 2, Nice Côte d'Azur, at 10am (having left NY at 8pm the night before).
This trip was initiated when I learned that the Maine College of Art (MECA) was planning a week long workshop at the Chateau. I had been to the Chateau in 1999 on a workshop sponsored by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). The chateau itself with its five acres of walled in Italian gardens is paradise. It’s a quiet, secluded enclave among the exhilaration of the Riviera, five miles west of Cannes (where the annual film festival was being held).
After collecting the checked bag containing my French half easel, paints, etc. (it weighed 50 pounds!), I walked to Aerogare 1 where the group from Maine was to arrive. Caught up with them and hopped on their hired minibus for the 18 mile drive to the Chateau. Most of the group stayed in the Villa Marguerite, owned by and adjacent to the Chateau. This is a watercolor I painted when I was there in 1999.
Richard - sounds like you had a nice trip! Looking forward to seeing more posts here.
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