During one of her longer Paris visits, dear pal Leslie Feist had a miraculous few days off. My twin sister, Simone, and I proposed we all meet up at the train station to hop on the next train to the enchanted village of Noyers. Off we went, on a giddy adventure to the countryside where our friends have a house with an open door, a full cellar and good vibes.
While we were there, the local potters had an open house. We went on a tour of the house and pottery studio where you could feel a creative vortex in the air: lots of twisting wooden staircases and crumbly stone, over grown sweet smelling gardens, rooms full of personality and vibrant colors. The kitchen looked like the kind I would want to cook a farmhouse dinner in, with lots of good friends and perfect tunes playing on a record player. My imagination was on full speed at the Poterie Squire.
Back at the house, Rod greeted us with a lavish Burgundian snack spread. Escargot, local Chablis, cheeses, saucisson, artichokes and black truffle potato chips. On a sunny day with tight buds in Burgundy, this is IT. Shoes were off, pronto.
Local young restauranteur and sommelier, Pierre, popped by with a bottle of his homemade cider. He has been producing cider with his grandfather's apples from a village nearby, along with apples from friends up in Normandy.
After a long apéro sesh, it was time to hit the cobblestones and eventually head up to the hills for a hike and a view before the sun went down. We did some medieval house peeking on the way and walked along the Serein river that hugs the entire village in a U-shaped oxbow. We were invited inside local actor Daniel Tarrare's house which had another charming kitchen that featured an amazing massive old farm sink.
En route to the hills we took a detour and snuck around the construction site of another friend's old house. Leslie was immediately drawn to the old peeling wallpaper and ripped off a large piece to use for letter writing back home. Let this be an inspiration! It's never too late to bring back the tradition of taking the time to write a real letter. One that counts and will be treasured forever, especially during a time of all the fleeting hi-tech, fragmented and abbreviated communication styles out there.
Here is the view you get if you reach the top of the hill. After taking it all in, we made our way back down to the village and spotted some friendly locals having a drink at a café. They invited us to join them as we guzzled water and cooled down from our frolic in the hills.
I highly recommend her latest album, Metals, which will haunt you with beauty and depth. Also, check out the recently debuted video for " The Bad in Eachother ", all shot in Mexico and directed by the talented Martin De Thurah.
Post by Danielle Rubi-Dentzel
You're so lucky to be friends with Leslie! I went to a Feist concert last year and it was one of the best experiences I've ever had :)
ReplyDeleteI love this post, the kitchen is lovely and I love the cat in the first photo!
Oh my, I'm going to a concert of Leslies' in Cologne in August!
ReplyDeleteYour trip to Noyers truly looks enchanted! The farmhouse especially looks charming!
Greetings from Germany!
You're friends with Feist?! I love her! Metals is my favorite album of hers yet. Looks like a fabulous day.
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