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Latest News and Information
| August 15, 2010 As I only take 8 people on each tour, 7 people on the art tours, tours can be modified to suit the interests and tastes of those travelling. Specific interest tours tend to include like minded people, and next year has something for everyone.
Zeste French Tours 2011
1. 14-28 May ‘Painting in Provence’ Tutor: Chris Pittard
Provence, Aix en Provence, Nice and Entrevaux
Visit galleries and artists’ studios, paint, draw, photograph in stunning settings, in ancient villages, mountain tops and through rural France. Intimate restaurants in magical places. $4,500
2. 2-16 June ‘Rural Hideaways’
From Lyon, visit the Rhone Alpes, Drome and Provence. Staying in villages off the beaten track, be wined and dined with local chefs. Explore artist studios and many of “the most beautiful villages of France”. Springtime - glorious. $3,500
3. 23 June – 7 July ‘Music and art, pottery tour’
Lyon to Lyon, via the Drome region and Provence, with a focus on the summer music festivals. Take in Jazz at Vienne by night and explore the Rhone Alpes region by day. Also Jazz at le Facteur Cheval. Great food! $3,500
4. 15-29 August “Wine and Golf through Bourgogne and Alsace”
Starting in Lyon, travel north through the Beaujolais, Bourgogne, La Cote d’Or, Alsace, to Strasbourg. Including 3 golf days, wineries, chateaux, galleries, beautiful villages and countryside. $4,000
5. 1-15 September ‘Painting in Paris and Lolling on the Loire”
Art Tour. Tutor Emmy Mavroidis
Paint in Paris, take part in classes in the artistic Latin Quarter, explore galleries, the Louvre, Musee D’Orsay, Pompidou and more. Explore Giverny, Monet’s garden, Chartres and the Chateaux of the Loire Valley. $4,500
6. 17-29 September “Provence to Paris”
Lyon, Grenoble, Drome, Provence and Paris. Exploring off the beaten track villages in early autumn. Hilltop villages of Provence, sunflowers in the Drome, artist studios, potteries, wineries, local cuisine, and back to Paris. Early autumn. $3,500
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| August 15, 2010 .JPG)
Jane and Emmy preparing for the Art trip in Nice. |
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| August 15, 2010 .JPG)
At Annot market. Art tour May 2010 |
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| August 15, 2010 
At Saignon, Art tour May 2010 |
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| August 15, 2010 
Emmy demonstrating on our balcony at Entrevaux. Art tour May 2010 |
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| August 13, 2010
I have recently returned from taking 3 tours through France, during Spring and summer. Here is a review by one of the Music and Pottery tour travellers, Judith Paisley which she wrote for her Perth Potters' society magazine.
POTTERY – WINE – and all that JAZZ !!!!
Southern France is ablaze with a patchwork of brilliant colours as if chosen from the palette of a vibrant artist, carefully and meticulously woven into the landscape, with splashes of all shades of purple in the lavender Fields, patches of bright yellow sunflowers and endless lush green cornfields, interrupted occasionally by large rolls of hay scattered across freshly harvested fields, all this with an incredible backdrop of layers and layers of misty blue alps framed of course by bright blue skies and brilliant summer sunshine which made all these beautiful vivid colours come to life.......what an awesome picture.
France as we will now always remember it: food, wine, cheese, fruit, jazz, pottery, its incredibly enchanting ancient villages and its endless days of summer sunshine. Miles and miles of orchards of bountiful fruit trees laden with voluptuous mouth watering cherries and the juiciest sweetest apricots all destined to adorn the local French breakfast tables....
Talk about spoilt for choice.... Breakfasts were an absolute joy with the most incredibly fresh home made fruity jams layered on the crispiest freshly baked breads and melt in your mouth croissants with huge bowls of large fresh juicy strawberries for afters.
We obviously chose the best time to visit France in all her glory.
As for the tour itself....it surpassed all our expectations. France is ablaze with a
We were on the go from 7.00am till 1.00am for 2 glorious action packed weeks.
There was as promised, lots of POTTERY, WINE and JAZZ. Jane Annois our incredible tour guide extraordinaire is Australian but spoke fluent French and has spent many years back and forth to France and knows the Pottery industry in both countries extremely well. We stayed at a number of Potters places (one of which was a 300 year old chateau), enjoyed their hospitality, had meals with them and visited their studios and galleries, shared a few of their trade secrets and brought some of their pieces back with us.
We scaled the most incredible ancient mountain villages, enjoyed the most beautiful countryside of Provence with not a square inch uncultivated it seemed, then through the Drome region (well known for its pottery) and down to the southern coast with a cruise on the Mediterranean through the awesome coastal cliffs of Cassis. We were wined, dined and thoroughly spoilt. The French people we came in contact with were so friendly and welcoming.
As for the POTTERS they could not have been more appreciative of our interest in their work and industry. Their incredible hospitality was overwhelming. At most places we were given a tour of their workshop, studios and gallery of works, then, welcomed into their homes offered a sumptuous fare and beautiful local wines with typical French flair.
This was far from your typical tourist trail; it was an invitation to share a way of life and insight into lives of French Potters and an industry that has become their life.
A Tour........we highly recommend!
Anyone interested in enquiring about future French Pottery Tours, can Google - “Zeste French Tours “, for more information.
Or contact Jane Annois at Zeste French Tours.
Phone: 03 9844 2337 Mobile: 0422 942 216 |
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| August 13, 2010 A poem from Steven Dale after the Music Tour July 2010
A tour of France in June/July
That sounds Ok
Give it a try
Our guide's name Jane
The tour called Zeste
Well all of you, you know the rest.
Each day so much to see and do
People to meet, pottery too
Places to visit on the way
More beautiful than yous all thought, hey.
Great food, much laughter, music and wine
yous all had a fantastic time!!!!!!!
So Jane, [and Jean Marc too]
it's all because of you
au revoir, merci beaucoup..........
from all upon the magic bus, 2010 |
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| April 16, 2010 I have changed the dates slightly and lowered the price to make this tour especially for potters and those interested in ceramics. A very special tour visiting one of the most important potters markets of the year, followed by visits to selected potters' studios in the French countryside and then a smaller potters market in the gardens of Grenoble. An insightful, personal entree to the ceramics world of France.
French Ceramics Tour September 2010
Zeste French Tours
The Itinerary: Friday 10- Sunday 19 September 2010
[10 days, 9 nights] Potters’ special $2,500
Friday 10 September [Lyon]
In the morning, arrive at St Exupery Airport, Lyon [also the TGV train station]
You will be picked up. We will have lunch in Lyon, explore the old city, visit La Fourviere, basilica and Roman ruins, galleries.
Saturday 11 September [Lyon]
Explore the potters market “Les Tupiniers de Vieux Lyon” in the afternoon. Possibly the largest potters market in France, 150 stands selected from France and Europe. Dinner with the potters in Lyon in the evening. Restaurant.
Night at hotel in Lyon
Sunday 12 September [Beaujolais]
Explore the potters market and old quarter of Lyon. I can interpret and make introductions. Also the “Marche de Creations” artist’s market in the morning on the banks of the Saone.
Sunday afternoon: Beaujolais: Visit Annie D’Orifice and her studio and gallery at Oingt. Visit a vineyard during the grape picking season.Night in hotel in the Beaujolais. Dinner included.
Monday 13 September [Faramans]
Visit potter Jean Jacques Dubernard and Ann Dangar’s studio. Lunch with Jean Jacques at studio “Poterie des Chals”, wine tasting, evening with potters Brigitte Long, Jean Marc Plantier, Yves Gaget.
Dinner included.
Tues 14 and Wed 15 and Thursday 16 September [Dieulefit 3 nights]
Leave Faramans to head south to Cliousclat and Mirmande in the Drome region.
Visit Le Facteur Cheval on the way. Cliousclat is a village where the ceramics tradition has continued for over 200 years. Tour of pottery. [Ann Dangar discovered pottery here before moving to Moly Sabata at Sablons and to Jean Jacques Dubernard’s studio]. Stay at Dieulefit, meaning ‘God made it’- the home of lavender, valleys and artists. Visit ceramic artists Maryse Tavernier, Roland Dutel, Robert Montaudouin, Tristan and others. Visit Gallery Nadia B, Maison de la Ceramique. Stay in a chambre d’hote.
Friday 17 Sept [Aspres sur Buech]
Drive along spectacular gorge through the mountains to Aspres sur Buech to visit Michel Cohen, his wood fire kiln. Stay the night.
Sat 18 Sept [Faramans]
Drive north to Grenoble, Potters Market; spend the day in Grenoble, visiting the annual Potters Market, gallery, old city. Dinner at restaurant at Grenoble. Return to Faramans to farm house.
Sun 19 Sept
Return to airport/ TGV station
Cost $2,500 Included :
Hotels: Lyon [2nights]; Beaujolais [1 night] Gites: Faramans 2 nights; Dieulefit 3 nights; Aspres sur Buech [1 night]
All breakfasts, 7 dinners, 1 lunch
All transport, pick up and drop off at airport, gallery entries and introductions.
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| February 21, 2010 
The Pottery Expo at Warrandyte is on 27 and 28 February 2010
Over 50 ceramic artists will exhibit their work, from around Vic, NSW, NZ and France. |
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| December 12, 2009 
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| December 12, 2009
Pottery Summer School
2 courses to choose from:
1. Monday 4 January to Thursday 7 January 2010 or
2. Monday 18 January to Thursday 22 January 2010
109 Kangaroo Ground Rd, Warrandyte 3113
4 days of making, sculpting, decorating.
- Learn to throw on the wheel or improve and extend your skills.
- Make interesting slab pots, sculptures and garden pieces with the slab roller.
- Be creative, experiment with animal forms, whacky sculptures.
- Make tiles for garden seats, tables or walls.
- Bring some ideas, a sketch book, an apron and a sense of humour, for some fun with clay. Learn new skills and develop some existing ones.
- Clay, materials, colours, glazes and firing [bisque and glaze] included.
$320 [4 days]
5 people max.
BYO lunch. Tea, coffee, cold drinks provided.
Ring for more information: Jane Annois 98442337 or 0422942216
email: jannois@bigpond.com |
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| November 21, 2009 
Painting Mt St Victoire near Aix en Provence, June 2009
 Antibes, June 2009
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| November 21, 2009 
The 'cave' at Volnay, pinot noir from the Cote d'Or..JPG) |
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| November 18, 2009 Bonjour,
I have recently returned from enjoying the vineyards of the Beaujolais, Bourgogne and Alsace, during the grape picking season. Perfect weather to enjoy a glass of Pinot Gris in an outdoor cafe in the beautiful villages of Kaysersberg and Riquewhir in Alsace, balmy evenings under the trees in Strasbourg and exploring the 'Caves' of the Cote d'Or at Volnay and Pommard near Beaune, where I picked grapes at 21. We enjoyed the generous hospitality of Christian Faillat and his wife Martine at their tiny village of St Cecile in Bourgogne and the delightful company of Annie D'orifice and her husband Roger at their home and gallery at Oingt in the Beaujolais.
Now I am planning 5 tours for next year:
The Painting and Music tours are nearly full, but there are a few places left for June and September tours. Please contact me for full itineraries. There is something for most interests.
The June tour is for those who would like to visit some of the most beautiful regions of France, away from the tourists [ No we are not tourists]. The lavender will be in full bloom and sunflowers will be tall with a few just emerging. We will visit hilltop villages, artists' studios, enjoy the company of many French potters and artists, sample wonderful regional cuisine and wines, and swim in the Mediterranean and more.
The September tour has a ceramics focus, starting with the potters market in Lyon and visiting many studios in Bourgogne and in the south.
The Sept/October tour will start in Paris and explore a broad range of all things French: Giverny, Chartres, La Borne, the Loire Valley, Fontainbleau and more.
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| September 26, 2008 
Exhibition at St Uze "Ceramique francaise - Australian Touch"
Jane's corner. |
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| September 26, 2008 
the last sunflowers for the season |
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| September 25, 2008 
Chateau Virieu, near Charavines, from the air. |
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| September 25, 2008 
At La Maison de Ceramique at St Uze, with our pots in the shop front gallery. |
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| September 20, 2008 
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| September 20, 2008 
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| September 20, 2008 
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| September 20, 2008 
Having lunch at Jean Nicolas Gerard's house at Valensole. |
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| September 15, 2008 
The studio of Jean Noel Peignon at Caromb |
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| September 14, 2008 
The studio of Roland Dutel at Dieulefit |
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| September 14, 2008
Our gite at La Roche St Secret |
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| September 13, 2008 
Pottery at Cliousclat |
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| September 11, 2008 
September 2008
The trip in September saw us exhibiting as a Australian stand at "Les Tupiniers de Vieux Lyon", the annual potters market in the old quarter of Lyon. We then visited some wonderful potters and artists through the Drome region and Provence, returning via Grenoble and then exhibiting again with the French at La Maison de Ceramique at St Uze, in an exhibition titled "Ceramique Francaise- Australian Touch". Here are a few photos from our journey, more can be seen by visiting Vicki Grima's website www.vickigrima.com.au and clicking the link to French tour 2008. Also see the latest edition of The Journal of Australian Ceramics pp 94 - 98 for an article about the trip and another in the same magazine on pp 64 and 65. |
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| August 03, 2008  Bonjour from Le Facteur Cheval
The postman who worked all his life to create this amazing monument to life, art and the whole catastrophe. We also enjoyed a fabulous jazz performance here by Tania Maria and her Brazilian quartet, one hot summer's night.
 Lee Goller in tete a tete with Pierre Cardin over a drink. A chance 'rencontre' at Lacoste with the man himself was an evening none of us will forget. Charming and generous, we also discussed life, art and our most favourite places to live in Europe. This would have to be one of them.
 Lunch in Jean Marc's garden. Great food and wine, great company. Very relaxed.
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| August 03, 2008  Les Calanques, Cassis on the Mediterranean.
 La Pyramide. Restaurant at Vienne. Chef: Patrick Henriroux. Lunch here before seeing Herbie Hancock at Jazz at Vienne.
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| August 03, 2008 
THE IMPRESSIONIST TOURS 15-29 May 2009 and 5-19 June 2009 |
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| August 03, 2008 
Pottery Workshops, Jazz and South of France, 25 June -9 July 2009 |
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| August 03, 2008 
Pottery and Wine Tour, 11-25 september 2009 |
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| June 19, 2008 The first tour for the year has just finished and people have scattered to various parts of France and home again. A fabulous groups of people who all got on well and were full of enthusiasm for all things French. Our 2 weeks were cooler than anticipated, but we avoided rain by finding restaurants and studios to visit. Provencal market shopping became an art and the sun conveniently came out just we wanted to explore, have a picnic or take a boat trip. One highlight superceded another. The roses at the gite at Faramans were breathtaking, a beautiful garden for relaxing and having croissants and coffee. The gite near Dieulefit was restored with loving care by Francine an food prepared by Xavier. Carol and Geoff stayed in the chateau nearby, owned by ceramic artist Tristan whose daughter Rebecca treated us to a piano performance [while pregnant with twins and just before embarking on her national concert tour], while having aperitifs to celebrate her ceramic exhibition.
We were entranced and entertained by the poet of Lacoste and his off sider Serge, which was only topped off when his boss Pierre Cardin came to join us for drinks and ended up shouting us all and chatting for an hour or so. I am still pinching myself. Although Margaret spent much of the boat trip to the Calanques at Cassis talking to the head honcho from L'Oreal. She really did enjoy meeting all the gorgeous French potters and made some good friends. We got back from the south of France in time to watch Jean Jacques Dubernard throw chocolate pots for the chocolatier Monsieur Juvenal, at the potters market. Had dinner with all the potters, Lee and I took part in the market at La Cote St Andre on the Sunday.
Lots of food and wine, dinners with French potters and some spectacular countryside. |
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| June 19, 2008
Au Revoir Geoff Walker [Clint]
To Faramans we came to hang out with sweet Jane.
Pottery and glaze and lovely spring haze, nine of us in all we proceeded to have a ball.
French chateaux, the countryside, market places that come alive,
Drinks with Pierre, French chefs everywhere, friends we have met, as we go to and fro, and one that got lost on the Metro.
French cheeses and wine we had a great time, so many great places, no unhappy faces.
No time to tarry it’s off to Gay Paris
To Jean Marc and Jane fond memories remain.
We won’t say hoo roo just
Merci Beaucoup!!!!
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| May 18, 2008 Bonjour ou a bientot,
The first tour for 2008 is leaving in a little over a week, on 29 May.
Many of the group are already in Europe and will meet up in Lyon.
The second group are all meeting at Lyon on 20 June, ready for the jazz and pottery tour. Can't wait to see Diana Krall, Herbie Hancock and other fabulous musicians in the Roman ampitheatre of Vienne.
I am now taking bookings for 2009.
The first tour "In the Footsteps of the Impressionists" is proving very popular. This begins in Avignon on 15 May - 29 May2009. Cherry Manders will be our painting tutor on the tour. We stay in Aix and go to Cassis, along the Cote D'Azur to Nice back via the Gorges du Verdon to the Luberon Valley in Provence where we relax and take in the hill top villages meet local artists. The "footsteps" we are following are those of Cezanne, Matisse, Chagall, Picasso and Van Gogh.
STOP PRESS!!!
We are having a get together of all those interested in the Impressionist Tour at Cherry Manders house at 33 Tills Drive, Warrandyte on Sunday 25 May at 4pm. Please ring 98442337 if you would like to come.
As this tour is filling very quickly we will offer another from June 5 - June 19 2009.
While I am away in France I can be contacted at jane@zestefrenchtours.com Bookings can be made with East Burwood Travel [Cliff or Ashley] on 98081177 |
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