France Painting Adventure 2008

Remember us?

2008-07-01T19:51:00.004-04:00

Jamie and Linda. Would you trust these girls to guide you through a dark tunnel?

Cam - our trusty driver and knight in shining armour. He is handy with a car jack!

More to come of Isabelle, Clement, Chris and Fabienne... please send Linda any pictures that you might have.

Hello from Paris

2008-06-12T14:15:00.005-04:00

Hello to all from Gay Paris!

Judy was kind enough to send along a few pictures and I thought I would post them here.

Monet's Spectacular Garden:

Judy is right! Amazing shapes!

The final party for Patti's Birthday:

Look at those scarves! I'm so proud!

The big finish! Ooo-la-la

2008-06-03T10:11:00.005-04:00

For those of us that have made the journey back to our real lives - Welcome home!
As I write, there are a still a few wild ones roaming the streets of Paris and I'm sure you are having a grand time.

What is that?

2008-05-30T10:57:00.005-04:00

It's an ancient thingy in the middle of a field...a 5000 year old tomb to be specific.

Minerve

2008-05-30T10:11:00.006-04:00

Pat - working hard!

What a fantastic site!

Mass chaos after some menu related confusion. Cheval anyone?

Chris with his shirt on inside-out...and that was only after a couple of days with us!

Karin & Myra's Excellent Birding Adventure

2008-05-28T12:41:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Jonathan Kemp!

Rennes le Chateau

2008-05-27T09:16:00.009-04:00

We may not have found the treasure of Rennes le Chateau, but we certainly had a fabulous day!

Pat - our Lady in Red

Patti

Chris giving us a history lesson.
Wayne staying out of trouble.

Wine, cheese, bread and good friends - what more could you ask for?

The end of a great painting day!

Friends

2008-05-23T09:17:00.011-04:00

Wayne - our own personal trainer!

Myra and her special pal.

Ingrid, Bev and Brit!

Bugarach, Bugarach, Bugarach

2008-05-23T07:45:00.006-04:00

At Work in Bugarach

2008-05-23T07:10:00.007-04:00

Judy
PattiMyra

Sue above
Ron
Brit Bev Karin

On the Road Again

2008-05-22T16:35:00.011-04:00

Bev as co-pilot.

Ever tried to read tire changing instructions in the dark while it is raining...written in French?

Cam - our super hero!
Zut Alors! A Flat!

Yes, they have cats in France.

Mirepoix

2008-05-22T16:25:00.005-04:00

Dinner at Patrice's Farm-Tuesday

2008-05-22T16:21:00.004-04:00

Dinner chat!

Magic ponies!

The view from here!

Watching a demo in the cloister at St. Hilarie

2008-05-21T09:02:00.001-04:00

Part of our gang enjoying the sunshine while watching Linda demonstrate some negative painting techniques.

Abbey Saint Hilaire

2008-05-21T08:58:00.005-04:00

I just thought I'd post a few pictures from the Abbey to get us rolling! If anyone has any pictures or stories that they would like me to post, please let me know and I'll put them up.

hello to our families and friends at home!

2008-05-20T16:28:00.002-04:00

Do we miss you? Of course, but we are having a fantastic time!
The whole gang says hello to you and we will post some pictures soon.

Some of our activities have included:
A visit to a country farm house in the highlands for dinner prepared by the farmer and his wife - yes, we had rabbit.
A tour of a 16th century church and a 14th c. church that was directed by Jamie.
Poppy fields!
A medieval town square.
Painting in the cloisters at St. Hilarie
A flat tire on a rainy night!
...and too many laughs

Please visit again soon to see what we are up to.

Last minute travel stuff

2008-05-14T23:13:00.004-04:00

- voltage converter
- plug adaptor
- extra memory card for your camera
- extra batteries or charger for your camera
- PASSPORT!
- liquids, gels, aerosols that are carried on to the plane in containers of 100ml/100gms (3.4 oz) and fit in ONE clear, closed, resealable plastic bag (<1qt>
- Do not carry on your paints
- Leave your prescriptions in their containers with your name (must match ticket) these do not need to go in a zip bag, but must be declared to screening authorities.
- Wear comfie shoes and socks while flying. You will probably have to remove your shoes and put them through the x-ray
- TAG all of your luggage on the outside - include your destination
- TAG all of your luggage on the INSIDE - just in case the outer tag gets ripped off. This does happen and bags are lost
- give family and friends this blog addy so they can see what we are up to www.francepaintingadventure.blogspot.com please invite them to add their comments. We would all love to hear from them!

Contact information

2008-05-14T23:00:00.002-04:00

Our home away from home!

Just in case you miss connections to Toulouse Airport or if you need the address of lodgings for immigration, please make a note of the following information:

Hosts: Chris Georgas and Fabienne Montserrat
Hôtel Le Monastère
3, rue de la Mairie, Limoux, France

phone contact:
1-800-810-8076 or (613) 233-1824
Fax:
(613) 233-1825
Email:
monastere@compuserve.com

See you soon!
Linda

Carcassonne!

2008-05-12T16:28:00.005-04:00

Carcassonne is a large city we may choose to visit as part of the workshop or on our day off. We can travel there on a super fast train. Take a tour through the ancient walled city that is said to have inspired Walt Disney and/or hunt for the perfect shoes in the shopping district. Chocolate crepes anyone?

I took these pictures just for Jamie. She has a thing for gargoyles and anything extra creepy or spooky. Some of these fellows spout water from their mouths during a rain storm.

Alet-Les-Bains

2008-05-12T16:16:00.002-04:00

We will visit different little villages everyday. This is Alet-Les-Bains a half hour drive from Limoux. Look! No tourists - at all - as will be the case with most of the places we explore.

The greeting party - first night!

2008-05-12T16:06:00.004-04:00

On my last trip we arrived on the eve of a magical celebration! Look out for the masked men from a secret society! If they touch you with their wand you must freeze and be well showered with confetti. I can't be sure that we will be treated to this festival, but I know there are many wonderful surprises ahead for us. Jamie and I can't wait to share them with you.

Our Home Town - Limoux France

2008-05-12T16:04:00.001-04:00

Paris Airport Gates

2008-05-12T16:01:00.003-04:00

Limoux France Arrival Weather Forecast

2008-05-12T15:44:00.001-04:00

Saturday May 17
Cloudy
Hi: 65°F Lo: 51°F
Cloudy skies.
55% chance of precipitation.
Nice day for travel!

Have you started to pack? Q&A

2008-05-09T22:59:00.003-04:00

Pat Sutton had a few good questions that I passed on to Sonja - here are her answers:
(On the second floor, where most of the bedrooms are located, we have a lovely lounge where we can enjoy snacks and drinks in the evening.)

Hi Linda,

You can make tea in the studio...there is no food or drink allowed in the rooms...
There are hair driers provided .
Bring your own shampoo and conditioner.
Also, tell people not to wear perfume...too many others are allergic.

Have a wonderful time.....Sonja

Reminder!

2008-05-05T15:15:00.002-04:00

We need your travel itinerary! Please scroll down to the yellow post below for the particulars.
Thank you! - it won't be long now.

Mini Kits

2008-05-05T14:54:00.002-04:00

Want to travel extra light?

Here are my suggestions for a minimal and very portable kit.

2 brushes
#10 or larger round
1" flat watercolour brush (1/2" for the timid, 1 1/2" for the brave)

Watercolour Journal - this is a coil or bound booklet of watercolour paper - it is essential that the paper be of artist quality i.e. Arches or American Journey

Small folding palette such as Hommee (Heritage now manufactured by Alvin) as shown below

Watercolour paints as listed below or a cool and warm red, blue and yellow, plus any of your favorite neutrals. If you are working in a smaller format you may find that you have enough colour for journaling if you fill your palette ahead and just bring small tubes to refill as needed.

Sketch book and 2 pencils - and or a thin and a fine marker

Small water bucket (folding or collapsible)

Extras may include tissue, pencil sharpener and a small pack of watercolour pencils. Slip everything into a small pack with your lunch, camera and binoculars.

Paints Colours

2008-05-05T14:36:00.003-04:00

You may certainly fill your palette with your favorite colours, but by request, here is a list of my choices. I use and recommend Holbein products if you are purchasing paints, otherwise any artist quality paint in tubes will work.

Cobalt Blue
Burnt Sienna
Raw Sienna
Marine Blue (PB15) AKA Winsor Blue, Phthalo Blue, Perm Blue
Bamboo Green (PG36) AKA Phthalo Green, Winsor Green
or Hookers Green
Rose Violet (PV 19) AKA Quinacridone Violet
Cobalt Turquoise
or Cerulean Blue
French Ultramarine Deep
Cadmium Yellow Orange

*colours that I also used occasionally: Holbein Leaf Green, Vermilion, Cad Yellow (or Hansa Yellow or Aureoln, Cad Red, Cobalt Violet Lt. Shadow Green
Specialty opaques rarely used- Holbein Jaune Brilliant 1&2, Holbein Blue-grey

I will bring large tubes as I use a lot of paint and like it freshly squeezed. However, you may prefer to fill the wells of your palette with colour ASAP and allow it to firm up before packing and just bring small tubes.

Be sure to seal your palette in a zip-lock bag and place your tubes in a sealable plastic box as shown in the supply information.

Lunch Anyone?

2008-05-04T15:29:00.003-04:00

Judy and Wayne contacted Sonja for some insight as to the meals that we will have to take care of ourselves. I am posting her reply, below, which she also forwarded to me and I thought I would pass along.

On my last visit, the fridge that was in our lounge was quite small, but we managed. Jamie and I will stay at an apartment nearby and it also has a fridge (apparently, although I have not been to see our accommodations) that can be used too.
I am quite sure you will find visits to the bakery, fruit and veggie market and local shops for our lunches or snacks a delight! It will be part of the fun of living in Limoux. Don't worry about needing to speak French - you will be just fine - point at what you want or place it on the counter and watch the cash register for the price... or take Jamie, she can spend your money for you.

Sonja suggests taking a few plastic zipp bags. You may also want to bring along a few pieces of plastic cuttlery, plate and cup and a larger seal-tight bag to carry items home for washing. These items are very light and easily packed in your case. It is possible to buy some disposable picnic items also - it is your choice. You will not need to drag your lunches around with you as there will be coolers in the back of the van and you can return to pick them up for our picnics or tail-gate parties.

Here is what Sonja has to say:

Hi Judy and Wayne,

I just returned yesterday from two weeks at Le Monastere..... You can buy a lunch for between 8 or 10 Euros at any of the little towns we visit...some times we go places that do not have facilities for lunch and we brown bag it. We would purchase cheese and pate, tomatoes, cucumber, fruit at the little grocery store and of course they would last for days...just purchase a small baguette bread daily (as they go stale fast) if you brown bag your lunch you can often just buy a coffee or hot chocolate at the small restaurants and they will let you use their facilities, however, there are aways public washrooms. We ate lunches very cheaply, not because we were especially trying to save, but they give us such a substantial breakfast at Le Monastere and dinners are so filling, we did not want a huge lunch. Chris has a refrigerator there that you can keep cheese etc. in. I take over small zip lock baggies for taking lunches when we go on location. I recall you can get an omelet, salad, wine for between 10 and 14 Euros. We purchase one dinner per week also which could cost from $14 - 20 Euros. I do remember that our grocery bill was around 20 Euros once and another time around 30 and then we would also occasionally but one of their great desserts.
Please get back to me if I have not given you enough info.

All the best, Sonja

IMPORTANT! We need your travel information.

2008-05-04T15:21:00.004-04:00

Can you belive it -- we will soon be all together in France?!

To be sure that we have everything in order for meeting at the airport and for Chris to pick us up, both Rosemarie and I need your travel/flight information.

Please email it to Rosemarie at monastere@compuserve.com
AND myself at thinkpaint2@yahoo.ca

Thanks! Linda

Ariège Pyrénées - France - la grotte de Niaux

2008-04-24T10:43:00.005-04:00

Plans are underway for us to visit the caves of Niaux!
What a fantastic once-in-a-life time opportunity, which I plan to experience twice-in-a-life time!

Unfortunately, the atmosphere in some of the caves has become detrimental to the paintings due to microorganisms caused by the heat and moisture from visitors. How much longer we will have the privilege of witnessing these ancient works of art is unknown. The caves of Lascaux are currently closed to the public.*

At this time, The Niaux Caves are currently still open to tourists, but as visits are very restricted - only one tour per day in English for a max of 20, I have sent a request to our host to make reservations for us.

Providing arrangements can be made, we will go as a small group underground and travel through the tunnels and caves. Lanterns are provided, but it was my experience that there were not enough for each person to have their own. Although I don't know if they will allow flashlights, it might be a good idea to tuck one into your bag, just in-case. Otherwise, plan on holding hands with me. Prepare to be amazed! The paintings that we will see are approximately 15,000 years old and absolutely beautiful! It will be a thrill you will never forget.

You can read more about our caves by following these links:

http://www.ariege.com/what_to_do/castlescaves/info.html
http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/chauvet/other-caves.php
http://www.donsmaps.com/niauxart.html
http://www.showcaves.com/english/fr/showcaves/Niaux.html

*In case you have not been watching the news regarding the closure of the caves in Lascaux, I'm including the following information from: http://www.artsjournal.com/culturegrrl/2008/04/lascaux_walls_to_be_scraped_wa.html

"The International Committee for the Preservation of Lascaux (ICPL) challenges the French National Television (TF1) announcement last Friday claiming the crisis in Lascaux is resolved.The report asserts that the black spots, which have attacked the cave and its prehistoric paintings since 2006, are now disappearing and gave the impression that cave is cured. Nothing could be further from the truth. While the latest biocide treatments have killed the bacteria on some of the black spots, new areas have been contaminated. Melanin, a black pigment produced by the bacteria, stain the walls and remain a permanent, visual, alteration to the cave's 17,000 year old paintings and to the overall integrity of Lascaux, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lascaux's administrators are currently implementing an aggressive method they call "decolorization" to remove the melanin by physically scraping the affected areas. The scraping not only removes the melanin but also layers of the walls' surface, whether painted or unpainted, thus irrevocably altering one of mankind's most famous works of art. "

WEATHER REPORT - A closet full of clothes and not a thing to wear!

2008-04-23T20:45:00.004-04:00

I have posted a link on the right side of our blog for you to check out the average temps and precipitation for Limoux during the month of May. This may help you in selecting the weight of clothing to pack.

Some things to keep in mind:

Let's keep it casual.
While you may wish to bring along a couple of dressy shirts or tops and a good pair of slacks, you will find that for most of the trip, casual is the best way to go! We will eat in a restaurant or two and if we follow with tradition, at a farmer's home, but even for these special nights you may dress-down.

Cotton slacks or jeans, a t-shirt (I might suggest - without big slogans), and a light waterproof jacket or sweater (just in case) will be quite acceptable most of the time. (Ron will tell you that a nice scarf tied around the neck can dress up any outfit!)

There is a laundry in Limoux that you can hike to or hand wash your lighter things and hang to dry in your room or the court yard. Pack clothes that do not require ironing. (What is an iron, anyway?)

Good walking shoes are essential!

Leave your flashy jewelry at home.

Those of you who will travel to Paris after, may want to take something snazzier - better yet, buy clothes in Paris! Wayne will give you some fashion buying tips.

Updates! Mini Kits/WC Blocks/Palettes

2008-04-23T20:29:00.003-04:00

In response to a request for a mini-kit I will be putting one together for you soon. (I think this will be helpful for students just starting out with watercolour, who may feel a bit overwhelmed!)

I have also been asked about using a block of watercolour paper, rather than individual pieces and a piece of plexi and a wooden board. I will be working with the latter, but please choose what ever you are comfortable with.... wc block or artist quality wc paper in a bound book.

I will be teaching for Cheap Joe's Art Stuff in Boone North Carolina next week, so if you would like me to pick up a Hommee Palette, let me know.

How much money should I bring?

2008-04-15T20:30:00.003-04:00

Good question! Although I don't know how much you personally will want to spend, I will give you an idea of what worked for me in the past.

As far as how much money will you want for daily expenses, I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how little is needed. Our breakfasts are great and very plentiful and most of our fantastic dinners are at home. These meals are already paid for in your fees. We are responsible for our own lunches and these can be very simple with cheese, breads, fruit, pastries etc. that can be purchased quite inexpensively at the market or shops in Limoux and taken along with us. Wine is very cheap! "Coca light" is not. Although traditionally dinner is served late in France, our hosts recognize that westerners prefer to dine earlier and so they accommodate us. We are responsible for just one dinner out per week at a local restaurant, of your choosing, or you can bring something home from the market.

Our daily activities and visits to villages are arranged so you will experience real French life, rather than tourist traps. Therefore, you will not have to be constantly putting out euros to pay for admission etc. Money for souvenirs is up to you, but it might be wise to use a credit card for these.

My suggestion is that you only carry in your pocket or money belt what you are comfortable with (or comfortable losing!) There is an ATM just down the street from our home base and although there is a fee to get cash, I think it wise not to carry too much money with you. My bank charges $4.00 for the service and there will most likely be a fee in France. I would rather pay $15.00 to get extra money, when I am running low, rather than risk a stash disappearing from my pocket or pack. We are in a very safe area, however it is wise to be cautious.

Do go to your bank and ask if your debit card will work in France. There are a variety of symbols on the back that your bank will check to confirm this. Also ask which account it will work with. (Most likely only your chequing account.) You will want to be sure to have money in that account. The bank card works only in bank machines and not at stores. Credit cards work at most shops.

I checked just today on the exchange rate to convert US or Canadian to Euros we are able to buy about 63+- Euros for $100.00. As the rates change daily, this will just give you an idea of the rates.

So to sum it up: bring along a few hundred euros and if you need more, walk up the street to the ATM machine. (or ask Ron for a hand-out)

Linda

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS!

2008-04-07T22:01:00.006-04:00

Artist Palette

I have recently found this wonderful palette! It is made by Hommee (also called Heritage Palette) and is available though Curry's in Canada and Cheap Joe's in the States.

http://www.cheapjoes.com/art-supply/HWP18_4568_heritage-folding-palette-well.asp

Here's what Joe has to say about it:
The Heritage Folding Palette is a great travel palette that won’t put a crimp in your travel plans! The Heritage Folding palette is one of the nicest travel palettes that we have seen in a while. It’s unusual because the lid doubles as a hearty sized mixing area that has a clear removable plastic tray. This tray can also be used as a second mixing area! In addition the lid has a soft plastic seal, which keeps the palette from leaking and keeps your colors from drying out so quickly. Each well in this palette holds approximately 5ml. of paint. Here’s a tip! If you hold the tube over the deep end of the well then come back towards the shallow end while squeezing the tube, then hold the palette in both hands & gently tap the palette on a flat surface- the paint settles nicely in the wells. 18 Wells

Couldn't have said it better myself, so I didn't!

You may wish to fill the wells ahead of time and give the paint a chance to set up before you hit the sky.

Bring a palette that you like and that fits into a zip lock bag. You may wish to hunt around for an additional mixing surface, such as a white plastic plate. I have a tray from my last flight to France that the flight steward gave to me - honest!

I've include a collapsible water container and mist bottle in this picture - complete with their own plastic bag.

Have Paint - Will Travel

2008-04-07T21:47:00.007-04:00

With all the changes in travel these days, it is essential to know how to transport your paints. You must put your paints in your checked baggage! You can not put it in your carry on.

That being the case, you will want to be sure that your clothes are protected from squishy paint tubes. I pack mine in plastic seal tight containers, such as Tupperware or Lock and Lock. The locked box of paints is then further encased in a zip lock bag.

Mark on the outside of the container and bag as shown: Non-combustible, Non-Toxic, Non-flammable and any other "Non" you might like to add. You may be able to get a safety sheet from your supplier it include. I have had my bags inspected regularly when flying as evident by the note that is left to indicate that it has been searched. With the paints labeled and stored in this manner, I have not had a problem. Of course there is always a first time, so let's hope everyone will pass through without an trouble.

I will post a list of my colours, but do bring your own favorite colours and brands. Artist's quality tube paints are superior! Small tubes will most likely be enough for you.

Paper

2008-04-07T21:26:00.004-04:00

Watercolour/watercolor paper is surprisingly heavy, so consider how many paintings you might do each day. (Don't bring along old paintings! It is amazing to see how often students drag the sad old things along with them wherever they go.)
Always work with good quality rag paper. Coil pads may seem like good value, but will only result in frustration and poor results. Blocks will do, but I like loose sheets, torn to size.
Bring your favorite paper, weight and surface. My choices include Arches 140 or 300 lb cold press, Saunders Waterford 200 lb CP, Strathmore Gemini 140 or 300 lb.

Tear your paper into the sizes you like to work on before you leave home. I recommend that you work small. For travel, the dimensions I choose are - 5.5" x 7.5" and 7.5" x 7.5" the largest being 11" x 11".

The torn papers are then stacked and sandwiched between two pieces of cardboard or mat board and bound with an elastic band or tied with a string. Neat, organized and light! Each day you can select 2 or 3 pieces of paper of a variety of sizes to take along. The extras can be left behind for another day.

Brushes!

2008-04-07T21:10:00.005-04:00

This particular brush caddy came from the drugstore rather than the art store. It is intended for make-up brushes, but I like it because it is much smaller and lighter. A rolled bamboo place mat works well too and allows your brushes to air dry. I will take along a minimum number of brushes. Fewer to carry/fewer to lose - I have also marked my name on the handles.
Best not to bring along expensive sable brushes. Of course, you may bring your own selection or styles and sizes.

My kit includes, from left to right:

- A rigger or signature brush
- 1.5" flat skyflow type brush
- 1" flat skyflow
- A small stiff craft brush for spatters and lifting
- Round brushes - sizes 14 and 10 - your choice of size, but go for big, rather than tiny.
- One or two 1" badger type brush. (Kemp Badger or a Skipper from Cheap Joe's Art Stuff)

Packing your Gear

2008-04-07T20:20:00.012-04:00

Have you started to think about what painting gear you will need to take along?

It is very important to think minimal and keep it light! You will need to carry your things as we tour villages and out in the open. There will be times when we will just take out sketch books, but most likely you will want to throw your kit into the van just in case.

I will post my complete list of supplies soon, but to get you started here are a few ideas to keep things simple and portable.

1. A rolling backpack works well to cart painting equipment.

2. A small water flask for drinking or painting. There will be jugs available in the van, but you may wish to have a small container.

3. Watercolour paper.

4. A small piece of plexi-glass cut to size to fit your pack.

5. Brush caddy and brushes.

6. Light weight wooden board. Cut to fit in your pack.

7. Clips or clothes pegs to stop your masterpieces from blowing away.

8. Palette.

9. Sketch book(s) and marker.

10. Collapsible water container and small water sprayer.

11. Pencil case with pencils, markers, sharpener, watercolour pencils if you wish to use them etc.

12. Paints in a sealed container.

13. Small sack or paint bag to use when travelling extra light.

14. Tissue! Bring several packages - multi purpose... there may be times when there is no TP in the public toilettes. Here is a bit of reading to bring you up to speed: http://www.travellady.com/Issues/June05/1520atoilettimidtourists.htm

http://gofrance.about.com/od/travelplanning/ht/toilet.htm

Don't worry - once you get the hang of it you might actually enjoy the adventures that each new day brings!

15. Binoculars/bird watching book for Karin and Pat.

16. Paper towel and a terry-cloth hand towel. The cloth towel works well to sit on if you find yourself on a hillside or other natural perch.

17. Wet wipes

18. How about your camera? Of course I used mine to take the pix!

** note that most things go into your kit in zip-lock bags so as to protect the rest of our equipment and clothes.

No doubt there are more things you will want to add - a light rain jacket, snacks, sun screen, bug repelant (you can purchase small individual wipes rather than bringing big heavy bottles), candy for the teacher...

If you can think of things that I have left off the list, please leave a comment. Why not leave a comment if you can't think of something/anything.. or even if your mind is blank?

An Update on Paris Museum Passes

2008-04-02T14:59:00.002-04:00

My Parisian partner Nicolas suggested that this pass might be of interest to some of you:

http://www.parismuseumpass.com/en/home.php

Apparently it allows one to visit any of the national museums and comes in 2, 4, and 6 day packages. It is a much better price than the other passes that we looked at this winter so it is an option if you want to spend short periods of time in multiple museums.

Answers to Your Queries

2008-03-31T21:32:00.015-04:00

Myra asked if she should consider purchasing a 4 day pass to the Louvre to avoid potentially long lineups.

While this is definitely a good idea, I would say that it is probably not necessary (unless you want to spend that much time exploring the galleries! I know I will!).

I have been to the gallery many times (and, in fact, I have a one year pass myself) but I have never noticed lines that were too terrible. They have plenty of self serve kiosks in the building so if you have a credit card you can use those (as a side note, you can't just swipe and sign in France. In most cases you must have a PIN set on your credit card in order to use it in a shop or at an ATM so you might want to set that up with your bank if you haven't got that feature already.)

If you are worried, I would suggest that you should just buy a single ticket online in advance. It takes a bit of advanced planning (I'm not sure if they mail you your ticket or if you just print it out) but you could save yourself some cash.

You can find the information here: http://www.louvre.fr/llv/pratique/billetterie.jsp

Karin (the debit queen) asked for advice about how to handle the money situation while in Europe as she is concerned about not being able to use a debit card and having to carry around large sums of money.

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS JUST AN OPINION BASED ON PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. PLEASE TALK TO YOUR FINANCIAL INSTITUTION TO GET THE REAL SCOOP.

Your debit card WILL work in Europe as long as your card has a "Cross" trademark symbol on the back of the card somewhere. 95% of cards will have this. The only issue with debit is that there are relatively heavy surcharges for using ATMs that require a currency exchange (around 10 euros per transaction in Paris I believe).

My advice would be to bring enough cash to do you for at least half the trip. Keep as much cash as you think you will need for the day in your wallet and all of your extras in a traveler's money pouch that you wear under your clothes (you can get them at most luggage stores-I find soft canvas ones that go around your waist to be the most convenient and comfortable but there are lots of fancy types). This will stop any pickpocketing issues but keep your cash handy.

You can then hit an ATM part way through the trip if you need to. I don't know what the banking situation will be like in the country, but it is obviously not going to be a problem in the city. If you have a bank card you will not be stuck for cash (unless you don't have any money in your account!).

I personally wouldn't deal with traveler's cheques. Nobody in a small French village is going to want to take them off your hands. You will have to cash them in a bank and not in stores. Its up to you, of course, but I wouldn't bother.

Hello Gang! Greetings from Jamie.

2008-03-28T15:02:00.009-04:00

Ron asks "How do I leave a comment? Do I need to sign up to do this?"

2008-03-26T19:40:00.003-04:00

Thanks for your question Ron - to leave a comment find the line at the end of each section that
says something like: "Posted by Linda Kemp at Sunday, March 23, 2008 1 million Comments"

Click on Comments - that will bring up a new page. You will be able to read the comments others have left and add your own in the box to the right. You will need to fill in the silly jumble of letters that appear in red in the box to the left of WORD VERIFICATION. This is to prove the comment is not made by a robot or some other mechanical being (honest!).

Next click in the small circle beside Anonymous so you will not need to sign up for any accounts etc. but please be sure to sign your name after your comment so we know who has written.

Now click on the orange PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT

That should do it! (OK so I exaggerated on the number of 1 million comments we expect to receive, but you get the idea.) Please email me if it doesn't work.
Linda

Our Gang

2008-03-23T21:18:00.003-04:00

Pat Sutton
Judy Thompson and Wayne Thompson
Karin Schneider
Myra Kennedy
Susan and Ronald Maffett
Ingrid Solesvik
Brit Norheim-Larsen
Patricia Van Wagner
Beverly Wood
Jamie Kemp
Linda Kemp

Southern France Civilized Painting Adventure

2008-03-23T17:35:00.006-04:00

Welcome to our very own painting adventure blog! Jamie and I thought it would be a great way for us all to keep in touch and post information about our trip.

The plan is to keep a trip diary of our daily travels so be sure to pass along the url www.francepaintingadventure.blogspot.com to your friends and family.

This is my first attempt at setting up a blog, so there is sure to be some trial and error.
You will find a directory of related web sites and archived posts on the right. If you have a web site of your own, please send it to me and I will add it to the list.

This is your blog too, so feel free to post your questions, comments or just say hello! You can do this by clicking just below on "comment".

For your information - some of the stuff you might be wondering about.

2008-03-23T15:00:00.001-04:00

Meeting and getting to Le Monastere
Our gang will all meet at the Toulouse Airport on Saturday May 17, by noon. Le Monastère will be providing our transportation from the airport to our home base. Once you have your luggage you will locate Chris (our host) who will have a sign "Le Monastere Adventures".

Meals
All our meals are provided, with the exception of one dinner per week and all of our lunches. In the past the group contributed to a lunch fund and we shared in picnic delights.

Painting equipment
I will be posting a list of recommended art supplies. Le Monastere will provide us with stools or folding chairs, easels, and jugs of water.

Internet
There is a computer with Internet available for you to use to check daily emails and keep in touch with home.

Special days
Wednesday is usually our day off (we do our own thing for dinner). This is the perfect time for taking a side trip to Carcassonne by train.
Friday is market day in the village!
By special request - Jamie and Myra - we will visit the caves to see 15,000 yr old cave paintings!