French Art School

Once again time has stealthily slipped passed me and here I find myself once again at the keyboard and dreaming about France! So here we go on Part 2 of the French Art School adventure.

A very short recap – we landed in Paris and did a week’s worth of sightseeing in two days. I was feeling a bit worse for wear after the previous day’s endeavors and indulgences and had to lay low for a bit to recover to prepare for the train journey from Gare d’Austerlitz to Châteauroux and then on to the gorgeous little hamlet of La Forêt-du-Temple where I would be spending 10 days in pure arty bliss!

After meeting up with some of the other adventurers, we made our way to Gare d’Austerlitz in a shuttle van. The station was under renovation – I guess in preparation for the Paris Olympics. Further evidence of this was seen while walking through the streets of Paris and passing parked vans with fully equipped police who were sitting in wait of goodness knows what!

Eiffel Tower at a Quick Glance — Enjoying the coffee éclair!

While we waited for the train, we bought lunch (plus a little treat for the train ride – a coffee éclair) from a café inside the station. We had been warned that alighting and disembarking trains is an experience in itself, so I was feeling kind of nervous and trying not to show it. When the time came and our platform was announced, we made our way, luggage and all into the growing bottleneck of commuters. Practically jogging up the platform we found our carriage and began an assembly line of baggage handling all of our gear on board and locating our seats. Thankfully there were some very seasoned travellers amongst our group and that allowed me to feel a little more at ease about leaving my suitcase halfway down the carriage from where I was seated. I settled in and set about enjoying that éclair I had bought earlier. And yes, it was amazing!

Sat in the window seat I tried to absorb everything that was rushing by from the backend of the industrial areas, the outer Paris residents, and finally slipping into the rural scenery. Everything is lush and green, a stark comparison to Adelaide in the throes of mid-autumn where the landscapes are still looking parched.

As we met trains coming from the other direction, we could feel the vacuum pull as they passed. And boy do they give you a surprise when you are minding your own business just looking out the window!

As we neared the Châteauroux station we made our way to our luggage and started preparing the assembly line to retrieve it all from the storage areas. The main risk being that the trains don’t stop at the stations for long and we had to do this quickly!

Arriving in the French countryside

By now the pleasant spring weather gave way to a blast of winter. It rained. We made our way to the shuttle bus that was taking us to our final destination - La Forêt-du-Temple! The ride took about an hour.

As we drove through the small communities (and even when we flew into Paris) I am surprised how much it reminds me of Adelaide – in winter that is... The mountains in the far distance and the endless fields of green pastures. It really could have been the Adelaide Hills we were travelling through, only the traffic was sparse and there was a real ancient feel passing through those small communes and their stone buildings. Some of these little hamlets have been in existence for hundreds of years and in some cases are heading towards non-existence with people moving out of the regional areas with each new generation.

Sites from the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, Montemartre, France

(Photos: Vanessa Osborne, 2024)

A brocante in Cluis

On the way we made one stop at a little town called Cluis. There was no plan to stop, however a local brocante (second hand store in French) that was hardly ever open just happened to be open! Now, I love a good bric a brac store and this one did not disappoint. There were so many beautiful things and many dusty corners. At this stage of my holiday I was worrying about over stuffing my luggage for the way home and only bought an adorable little picture book, all in French, for my daughter who is learning the language. The town is a collection of old stone buildings.

Lavrut, Sennelier and Charvin Art Stores, Paris, France

The sights of Cluis

(Photos: Vanessa Osborne, 2024)

It really was a charming little town with its quirky effigy in the square of a postmaster on a bike and a gorgeous apricot rose climbing over a rustic trellis.

La Forêt-du-Temple

You see photos of these things, but I wasn’t quite prepared for the beauty I was about to behold. I am a country girl at heart, and it has been a very long time since I have spent any significant amount of time in a rural area. A deep calm came over me. I knew that this was one of the best decisions I have ever made for myself. I have always loved to get creative at home, immerse myself in workshops with other likeminded people, and keep the creative juices flowing. This is my happy place and therefore La Forêt-du-Temple is now my version of what heaven should be 💗

First stop was dropping off luggage for myself and two others staying in one of two lovely stone villas, La Tonnellerie. Both are fitted out with all the mod cons yet preserving their French country charm in style and furnishings. Then onto l’Hirondelle (which means swallow - as in those sweet little birds that flit around and build mud nests) - this is home base, or rather, studio base, for the next couple of weeks, and where the others are also being accommodated. We were greeted by Chefy, looking dapper in his chef’s attire, and who had some delicious pre-dinner nibbles ready for us which we gobbled down gratefully! La Forêt was a home away from home.

l’Hirondelle, La Forêt-du-Temple, France

l'Hirondelle, La Foret-du-Temple

(Photos: Vanessa Osborne, 2024)

That first night what one of exploration. Everywhere you look there are charming vintage nick knacks, ornaments, vases with and without flowers, linen, amazing dishes and of course paintings. Everything about this place took me back to times when I would be exploring the old house of my great grandmother – although back then I didn’t appreciate the delightfulness surrounding me. I desperately attempted to preserve these newly made memories, trying to absorb every moment that I was experiencing as I knew it would all be over in a heartbeat. Exploring the studio was exhilarating. It was bursting at the seams with boxes of paint, a wall of fresh canvases just waiting to be decorated, crowds of easels, buckets full of fresh flowers that had travelled with us from Paris, and inspiring art works adorning the walls.

I think we could all feel the creative juices stirring already.