Just 90 minutes of Paris come and enjoy a two or three day creative break at the Saint Jacques - Le Coin Perdu. 
Kristi Anderson, the orignal owner of the “Tea & Tattered Pages” Parisien bookstore is now organising “FrogBreaks” at her B&B located just 90 minutes of Paris. The Saint Jacques is a completely renovated auberge in the heart of a charming Solognot village just 15 minutes south of Orléans and 90 minutes from Paris. Only a few minutes away are several of the Loire Valley castles including Chambord, François 1er's famous hunting castle. Numerous wineries and restaurants along with 5 well-known golf courses are also nearby.
And, starting October 13, Kristi is offering “FrogBreaks”, 2 or 3 day workshops with something for everyone. Travel Writing with Thirza Vallois, Memoirs with John Baxter, The Renaissance with Christine Rolland just to mention a few.
A typical day will include:
a leisurely and copious breakfast including many of the local specialites. Workshops will be from 9:30 am to 12:30pm.
Lunch will be at the Saint Jacques with a local personality such as Aymeric de Baudus, owner of the local brickworks, one of the last to carry on the tradional production of terra cotta tiles
Afternoons are free to further explore either your subject with the instructor or our beautiful corner of the world. The choice of chateaux, wineries, golf, biking many other sights and activities is endless.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS AND DATES October November December 2008
How to Eat like a Wild Man – Elegant Game Cooking Kristi Anderson will show you just how elegant a boar roast can be and how about a Pheasant Parmentier for a change? You will learn what to do with the wild mushrooms you find at the market. And to top it off, why not a wild rice pudding!? Come and discover a cooking course not like the others!
Travel Writing with Thirza Vallois, This course is designed for those who wish to extend their wanderlust and travelling experience. Whilst visiting local sites , Thirza will show you how to observe the world around you from different angles. Back in the classroom, you will acquire the skills of the craft that will enable you to turn a place and an encounter into a living painting and an animated story. You will learn how to grab your reader's attention, how to compel him or her into wanting to read you to the end. You are encouraged to bring along your own writing to the workshop.
Get Rid of the Stress BEFORE the holidays! Emily Borel is a member of the Syndicat National de Shiatsu Professionnel in Paris. Thru the use of Shiatsu, Do-In, Mediation, and Bach Flower Emily will give you the tools with which to combat the stress we all face in our every day lives. At the same time, Kristi Anderson will be on hand to give you hints on to fight stress with your cooking.
Immoveable Feast: A Paris Christmas Memoir Writing Arriving the evening of the 4th, John Baxter will be giving you insights on turning your story into your own personal "feast". Mornings will be spent in discussing the pleasures and challenges of writing personal literature in all its forms, from memoirs and autobiographies to personal essays, diaries, even letters. Attendees are encouraged to bring examples of their own work.
Chambord, The "Prince of the Renaissance" We will be visiting Chambord with Christine Rolland, Licenced Guide-interpreter, and Ph.D. Art History. Describing the arrival of the Renaissance in France and its relationship to European culture, Christine will use Chambord as the royal example. A private visit to the Chateau Ferté Saint Aubin is planned and Kristi will be providing a special dinner “renaissance”.
Biographies
Biographies
Kristi Anderson Kristi Anderson opened her Paris bookstore, Tea & Tattered Pages in 1990. From 1990 to 2000, when she sold it to renovate Saint Jacques, Tea & Tattered Pages gained an excellent reputation for American home cooking. Outside of Tea & Tattered Pages Kristi widen her cooking horizons to include French country cuisine among others. Some of her themed dinners include Thanksgiving, Russian New Years, Saint Patricks and Saint Valentines. www.theamericanfrog.com
John Baxter, codirector of the Paris Writers Workshop, is an acclaimed film critic and biographer. He is the author of biograhpies on Woody Allen, Steven Spielberg among others, in addition to his own autobiograhpical We’ll Always Have Paris. We will be celebrating his latest Immoveable Feast: A Paris Christmas during his December workshops.
Emily Borel is a member of the Syndicat National de Shiatsu Professionnel in Paris, her credentials include Aromatherapy Shiatsu School Paris (3 years). The Bach Flower Foundation, Reiki, 3 levels, TEFAL, Seitar Institute, Wash D.C. Cultural Trainer. www.emilyborel.com
Christine Rolland is originally from Vermont dual national, resident in France since 1985. As a noted art historian Christine is a member of GRHIS, multidisciplinary history research group, U of Rouen and a Licenced Regional Guide-Interpreter in Normandy.
Ph.D. University of CA Santa Barbara 1994
Former Fulbright Scholar
Former Theodore Rousseau Travelling Fellow for Metropolitan Museum of Art
publications in French and English on 18th century portraiiture and the Van Loo www.vita.imaginis.googlepages.com
Thirza Vallois is the author of the legendary Around and About Paris series.They are (and by far) the most in-depth and comprehensive companions to Paris in the English language. VERY "meaty" stuff, well beyond "delightful". They touch on some issues that no other travel guide to Paris deals with, precisely because as Thirza states, “my aim was to break the barrier between tourism and REAL travel which is about the exploration of another culture. The "delightful" aspect of my books is there for sure, because I do believe that one instructs and enlightens better when one also entertains. Her recently published Aveyron, A Bridge to French Arcadia, already hailed as a “revelation”. Ms Vallois has lived inParis most of her life and holds several degrees from the Sorbonne. She contributes regularly to the international press, radio and television. www. www.thirzavallois.com
Costs and Booking
Price includes:
-three nights lodging at the Saint Jacques -Le Coin Perdu.
- a more-than-ample daily breakfast
-Lunch everyday
-Two dinners, the first on arrival day the second the evening before departure day
-Three sessions with a qualified instructor
-Afternoon consultations
-A guided tour of the Eco-Musée
400 euros shared room
Not sharing a room? Add 80 euros
Couples 790 euros
Arrivals Monday or Thursday
Optional costs
Round trip transport from Orléans train station 30euros
Extra night's stay 50 euros with breakfast
Dinner the second evening - 20 euros with a good local wine
Find Out More About The Area
www.TheAmericanFrog.com
www.tuilerie-de-la-breteche.fr
www.ecomusee-ligny.chez-alice.fr
www.Faucon-solognot.com
www.coeur-de-france.com/maisonducerf
