Painting Those Van Gogh Olive Trees in the South of France

We headed off to Saint Remy de Provence, famous because of Van Gogh — he asked to be internalized in the hospital. This is where he painted 150 of his famous painting like irises, starry night, etc…It was very emotional. We first walked through the 12th century cloister and took a lot of pictures. And then of course, the paint came out…

Since the place is still used to treat women with mental disabilities, everyone was very quiet to respect their space. That added to the atmosphere. The garden was full of irises of different colors, even pink irises.

After the visit, and the picnic, everyone watched Cherry’s demo in oil painting before painting on their own. What a treat to be able to paint the same trees Van Gogh painted 150 years ago!

After the painting session, everyone went to explore St Remy. Kirsten and Cherry made the most interesting discovery: a pedicure session make with living fishes! Yes really. You put your feet in a tank full of fishes and they do the job. They do eat the dead skin and anything bad on your feet. Everyone else was grossed out. I think if Cherry had the time, she would have tried. Just talking about it to Ann, made her sick in her stomach. I don’t think Ann will ever try.

Jackie Grandchamps

Jackie Grandchamps obtained her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology in Belgium, and then moved to the U.S. in 1995 to conduct cancer research at Stanford University in California. Her heart has always been in travel however, and she turned her passion into a full time job in 2003 when she launched her travel business, French Escapade offering an authentic travel experience to women.

She says, "I wanted to make my dream come true: sharing my love of traveling and giving people the opportunity to really experience a different culture. Instead of the traditional 'tourist' sightseeing trip to France, I wanted to immerse very small groups of women in the culture, let them meet locals, eat authentic cuisine and 'live' an authentic experience. That's how French Escapade was born.”