We woke up with the sun and went down to the old kitchen for
our breakfast. We were the only ones there but they
have 13 places set so the castle must be full.
We had a quick breakfast and then we got our bags and departed the chateau.
There was a whole group of people standing in the entry to
the car park and that freaked Tim out. I
directed him to back up and then asked the group in French to please move which
they did. This is our longest travel day
– well over 300 miles from Provence to Dordogne.
We received the funniest note from our friend Genevieve –
something to the effect – “Don’t have too many arguments with the GPS – and
hope it gets you there!” How did she
know. The GPS has been a somewhat
constant source of disagreement. And the
route that this one took us – first north, then south, then north, then south,
on little teeny, weeny roads. We arrived
at “Bechanou” in Plazac in Perigord North about 5:15. A few wrong turns but we got there – whew,
that was a tiring trip.
The purpose of our route was so Tim could see the Millau Viaduct - a HUGE bridge constructed over a canyon. We arrived near the bridge only to find out that it was closed and we were rerouted through Millau. That added an hour to our trip! Traffic was awful. Ends up that they close the bridge once every 2 years for a big runner's race. That happened by chance to be today!!!!There were runners everywhere. Who knew! But the structure in the distance was beautiful.
The Millau Viaduct as seen from afar!
A little closer look - the Millau Viaduct
The town of Millau that we had to drive through since the Viaduct was closed! Traffic nightmare!
Yet closer view as we got to the city of Millau
Dominique and Jean-Francois Charlet moved to Dordogne about 10 years ago from Lille in northern France and started a new life. They converted an old farm house to a B&B. Quaint and beautiful setting. We have a very comfortable and spacious bedroom with a KING size bed, a sitting room, a large bathroom and a HUGE shower (twice the size of our shower at home). The view of the hills is beautiful and peaceful.
They have 2 dogs, Ganache and a boy puppy of Ganache – they are trying to train them to do the truffle hunt. Apparently that is popular here. We met their friend Thierry also and commented we thought he was in our book as the one to do the truffle hunt in a couple of days. I asked him if he had his dog ready – and to this Dominique responded – “Oh, the dog is dead”! Whoops. So much for the truffle hunt – well, they tell us it is best in December, January, and February any way when it is cold here. (Ends up - this wasn't the man who has the dog to do the truffle hunt in a couple of days! Whew!).
Dominique prepared dinner for us and Jean-Francois served us on the terrace overlooking the valley. Aperitifs, soup with salad and poached quail egg, and a beautiful duck confit with sweet potatoes mashed. Dessert was a pastry with strawberries and Chantilly cream. We are seeing beautiful strawberries everywhere. Red wine accompanied the meal and then Jean-Francois offered us a digestif. Good meal.
Dinner with a view
The restored farmhouse where we stayed
Dinner beautifully presented - cooked by Dominique - served by Jean-Francois
Our bedroom - the frame of the house is made from old beams and PEGS - no nails!
The view from our bedroom window - very peaceful and quiet
We were wiped out from the driving and the sun was setting –
a little after 9:30. So we went back to
our room, relaxed and caught up on email now that we have wifi again, and then
went to bed. A restful night.
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