News and Notes from France!

Bonjour France friends! It has been a spectacular fall in the French countryside near Paris. Lately rain and grisaille have set in but sun, mild temperatures and beautiful days have been the menu de la saison both chez nous in the village of Courances and while I have been on the road sharing Normandy, Corsica and Southwest France with our wonderful trip guests (see some fantastic trip photos below!). Our Monsieur Marcel, the French-American dog extraordinaire, has been zipping around Courances through forest, field and village, pausing here in front of the château to check out the birds and butterflies as usual. He also has been out hunting with his maître, aka my husband, and the village hunt club. Marcel was in his element of course and brought in a beautiful faisan (pheasant) and perdrix (French partridge).

Courances Walks

As the fall leaves turn their multi-colored colored hues, I have taking regular walks in the French countryside around the village. My favorite path leads down our lane towards the Courances polo field and then forks off towards the village of Moigny-sur-Ecole – did you know that when town signs in France contain the word ‘sur’ plus something, it most often means the town is on a river? In this case, Moigny is located on the small river Ecole (like the French word for ‘school’). Then le chemin (the path) passes Moigny’s lovely old mill and at that point, I can turn right through orchards and former farm fields behind Moigny and skirt the walls of the Château to come back around through our village and on to home. Or, I can turn left where the local cressonière (watercress grower) has his fields – really small canals – of deep green watercress growing in the cold spring waters and past various village gardens and potagers, still full of vegetables and fruits even at this time of year. Then I walk on the road past the small château where the couture designer Nina Ricci lived until she passed away in 1970. Her tomb is located in the village cemetery just outside Courances. This route finally to home crosses over fields to come around full circle to the polo field with the Courances’ church of St. Etienne coming into view.

I am not the only one out walking in and around Courances. Almost every weekend, we see lively groups of randonneurs (walkers) getting fresh air and exercise. Some are part of hiking clubs who choose a different route each weekend. Local shops sell the fabulous IGN (Institut Géographique National, or National Geophraphic Institute) maps which show hiking trails and topography for every corner of France including the Essonne where we are. To see all the France hiking trek possibilities, check out the IGN online boutique here. When out in the fields and forests, keeping to the abundant designated walking paths is easy with the maps and with posted signs and arrows to guide walkers on their way. And given that this area is horse country, there are many trails for horseback riding well.

My Courances Potager

Still on the outdoors theme, this year’s wonderful été indien (Indian summer) has meant that my French flower and kitchen gardens have continued to flourish way past actual summer. Everything seems to grow so well in France whether you live in north, south, east or west. It is truly a garden of Eden. In my Courances potager, beautiful grapes and tomatoes have hung heavy on the vines to the point of almost taking down the plants themselves! Crowds of figs plumped up on through October. And even the squash plants kept on producing their bright yellow flowers late into the season. Squash blossoms are wonderful stuffed with a savory filling and served along with a main course. Or in Provence, they are often served tempura style with a lovely cucumber sauce. Speaking of dahlias, the flower garden is still overrun with the huge petaled blooms! Soon, the lovely gentleman who helps with le jardin will dig them up and store them in the cellar to avoid freezing. He then replants them in the spring for a glorious late summer and fall floral feast.

Courances in the News

Courances and its gorgeous château and park pop up every so often in the news. You may have seen the interesting article in the June 23rd Travel section of The New York Times about Jacqueline Kennedy and her junior year abroad in Paris. An avid horsewoman, she also spent weekends riding at the Château de Courances. She would have experienced the luxurious stables on the estate which had been turned into a hospital during WWII – see the photo below. They burned down in the 1970’s unfortunately and are no longer there. But the horse tradition lives on at the château with regular polo matches as part of the Polo de Courances program.

French Affaires Fall 2019 Travel Experiences

NORMANDY: This fall, I kicked off my insider travel tours with ‘The Wonders of Normandy’ trip. Our incredible group took in all the jewels both known and lesser known of this stunning region of France. We traveled from the east with stops in Honfleur and Rouen and then made our way west to experience both World War II history and Calvados, Normandy’s special apple brandy, before finally ending at the extraordinary site of Mont St. Michel and a private chateau with some of the most beautiful gardens in France. If you’ve never experienced Normandy, I’ll be offering ‘The Wonders of Normandy’ once again in 2020 before the tour goes on indefinite pause to focus on other trips!

CORSICA: Known as the ‘Ile de Beauté’, the French island of Corsica lies not far from the French Riviera but is a sun-drenched world away with spectacular beaches, imposing mountains, perched villages, magnificent churches, rich history and culture, lovely folk music, delicious cuisine and wines, and much more. I first came to know Corsica over 25 years ago, and it’s been a favorite French destination of mine ever since. I was thrilled to share la Corse with our wonderful group of travel guests this fall. Only a little over an hour by plane from Paris, the ‘Island of beauty’ is a stunning and unique French get-away!

SOUTHWEST FRANCE AND BORDEAUX: Southwest France is one of the country’s best kept secrets – an ancient region still steeped in glorious French history and tradition. From medieval villages clinging to sheer cliffs to majestic fortress castles overlooking the Dordogne River to ancient cave paintings to exquisite topiary gardens to lush vineyards to fabulous cuisine and wine, our fall trip guests were able able to experience amazing opportunities to travel through time and culture across this magnificent French countryside. We topped off our special journey with time in Bordeaux and St. Emilion – meccas for culture and wine of course. Autumn is my favorite time to be there when the leaves starting turning and cooler temperatures make the rich regional cuisine taste all the better! Next year, I will co-host the ‘Southwest France Photography Tour 2020’ with the celebrated French photographer Eric Sander in the Dordogne and Périgord. This extraordinary journey will be a very insider, authentic and aesthetic view into this remarkable region.

Our trips to France are among the finest in the world, and our trip guests are the best! Our travelers have a great time together and often become lifelong friends – all united around their passion for France. For more information on our limited edition France tours in 2020, please click here or email us here. Come join us for a fabulous French experience in the most beautiful country in the world – I look forward to going deeper into France with you!