Four, Three, Two, One....Countdown

In four days we'll be heading to Paris!  We're excited and look forward to sharing our experiences with those who couldn't make the trip!

There are 10 of us in the original group for the 16 days, Sherri Smith, Bobbi Smith, Lanni Senn, Charlotte and David McGaw, Steve and Debbie James, Marilyn Martin. There are four others joining us in Paris, life long friend Linda Haralson, her daughter Alyssa, granddaughter Hannah, and sister Barbara.

Vive la France!

Anticipation of what we'll see!

Paris is always a beautiful place, but springtime is exceptional.  We'll be arriving as spring ends and summer begins.  Here are a few of my favorite photos from previous trips

.  Some from Paris, some from Monet's garden.  Breathtaking!

Tech Updating! And Packing!

What Jerie is taking, suitcase, black art bag and purse that will also double as art journal supplies bag. steve's IPad died so we went to the Apple store in Indy to get a replacement. Now with all the attachments, we should be able to blog from his IPad in France. So this blog post is our dry run with the new set up! 

12 Days and Counting!

In twelve days we will be on our way to Paris!  We are flying Air France so we'll begin our French adventure "en route!"  The travel agent assures me that Air France still offers great service on board.

In two weeks!

It looks like the weather is warming up in Paris, so we should be in for a beautiful time.

After a free day on our arrival, we'll head out the 2nd day to see the Eiffel Tower, we'll have lunch at the cafe in the Musee d'Art Moderne across the Seine next to La Troccadero.  

A boat trip down the Seine, the Arch de Triomphe, the walk down the Champs Elysees and we'll be ready to head back to the hotel to rest!

The third day will be our visit to the wonderful impressionist museum - La Musee d'Orsay, created in one of the old train stations.  We'll see Monet's, Van Gogh's, and even Whistler's mother.  

The blog will continue as we can add posts from France.  Right now Steve's Ipad died and we're shopping for a replacement so we can download fresh photos with commentaries of our adventures!

We'll be toting our travel journals and art materials with us to capture vignettes from time to time.  Inspiration will be EVERYWHERE!

A bientot - Paris!

Countdown to June 1st!

In four weeks our group of artist travelers will be in Paris!  Our Air France flight leaves from Chicago June 1st to arrive in Paris the morning of June 2nd.  We'll be taking a Blacklane limo service to the Hotel du Donjon where we'll have the rest of the day free to explore the area around the hotel in Vincennes, sit in the hotel courtyard and maybe even take a nap!

Some may even want to explore the Chateau du Donjon a few blocks from the hotel that has a rich history that you can read about on Wikipedia.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Vincennes

We'll be taking group photos in front of some of the most famous sites like these from the last trip in 2010.

We'll be painting in our journals, taking photos, sitting in a Paris Cafe and simply enjoying "la joie de vivre" in the city of lights!

Along with our original 10 travelers, lifelong friend of the Artz's, Linda Haralson, her daughter Alyssa and granddaughter Hannah joined the group for the Paris leg of the journey.  Last weekend it worked out for Linda's sister, Barbara Stevens to join us as well. We'll all be staying at the Hotel du Donjon, along with some of our French friends who have decided to come to Paris and see us for a few days!  Unexpected joys!

But for now, we are packing our suitcases and deciding what to take along for those 16 fabulous days!

Linda Haralson and sister Barbara Stevens joining us in Paris