Categories: Burgundy Area, Off the Beaten Track in France
This week I talked with Julie Lynch, an Australian costume designer turned painter, about the eight nights she spent at an art retreat in Burgundy, in a village called Noyers-sur-Serein (usually called Noyers).
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Meet Julie Lynch
Julie spent about 40 years designing costumes for the stage, including at Sydney Theatre Company and Opera Australia, and ran the design course at NIDA for several years. When COVID hit, she finally picked up painting, something she'd told herself she'd get to "when she was older." Last year she went on an art retreat in Burgundy with four childhood friends: a nurse, a social worker, a banker, and a potter. Julie was the only trained artist in the group.
A Week at La Porte Peinte
They stayed eight nights at La Porte Peinte, a renovated half-timber house in Noyers run by Michelle Anderson. It's the kind of retreat with individual bedrooms and separate art studios, but no assigned teacher and no required outcome. Julie worked off a gel plate, making abstract Burgundy landscapes, a departure from the precise Australian flora and birds she usually paints. Her friend Joy did watercolors of the wisteria and ended up teaching two of the others.
Life in a Village of 587
Noyers itself has 587 residents. It sits in a loop of the Yonne river, ringed by a road you can walk in about 40 minutes. One butcher, one baker, one antique shop, one chemist, and a pottery studio run by an English and French couple. Julie mentioned that a well-known film about Molière was shot there, which she'd watched years before ever imagining she'd walk those same cobblestones.
Afternoon Outings in Burgundy
They went in early May, so wisteria covered the walls and Van Gogh-sized irises and lilacs were everywhere, flowers Julie doesn't see at home in Australia. Mornings were for painting; afternoons were for short outings, since Noyers is only about 15 minutes from several worthwhile stops. They visited the costume museum in Avallon, run by two women in their 80s with a collection dating back to the 1700s. They climbed up to the Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine in Vézelay. They toured the Château d'Ancy-le-Franc, a Renaissance château from the 1540s with painted rooms throughout and a pavilion you can only reach by boat. And they caught the Sunday market in Chablis.
Reserve Ahead, Especially in Small Towns
One thing Julie learned the hard way, along with the rest of us: reserve your dinner table, even in a village this size. You don't need to call months ahead, but if you show up at a sit-down restaurant without a reservation, you may not get seated.
Why Choose a Retreat Over a Regular Trip
What struck me most is why Julie chose a retreat over a regular trip. She's traveled enough now that she doesn't feel the need to see everything. An art retreat in Burgundy let her slow down, paint without pressure, and still get an afternoon of sightseeing built in, without anyone dictating the schedule. That's a different kind of trip than the one you take in your 30s, when you feel like you have to fit it all in.
New on YouTube: Join Us in France Video
In the magazine segment this week, I talk about why I finally launched Join Us in France Video on YouTube. It's a separate channel from the podcast: short videos in French for those of you learning the language, plus English videos that show you places and things that work better visually than in audio. If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, go subscribe to Join Us in France Video on YouTube. It's brand new and could use your support.
I'm spending a couple of weeksin Brittany researching for future episodes and consults. If you want a short recap of what I'm up to while I'm away, sign up for the free weekly newsletter at joinusinfrance.com/newsletter.
More episodes about the Burgundy area
#JoinUsInFrance, #FrancePodcast, #Francophile, #FranceTravelTips, #RealFrance, #Burgundy, #ArtRetreat, #Noyers, #Vezelay, #Avallon, #Chablis, #FrenchVillageLife, #SlowTravelFrance, #ExploreFrance, #BonjourFrance, #FranceTravel, #WisteriaSeason, #MedievalVillage, #PaintingRetreat, #HiddenFrance
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TranscriptCategories: Burgundy Area, Off the Beaten Track in France