Fifi is home ....

Home after many weeks of travel and wonderful experiences and looking forward to catching up with friends and family over the next week. It seems very strange to be using a big keyboard and screen after making so many blog entries on my trusty Dell Mini - what a little treasure she turned out to be, helping us to keep in touch with you all.

Brief synopsis of our last couple of days in Ireland:


Saturday 30th May

Sadly farewelled Valentia Island and Portmagee - noting it as a place that must be revisited. We realised that we needed to make some headway on our journey north today, as our plan is to visit Baileeborough, north of Dublin, from whence the Montgomery brothers departed for Australia in the mid-1880's, and we have no idea how the long-weekend traffic will affect our trip. We drive back along the northern side of the Ring of Kerry and cut across west past Limerick, trying to stay on the smaller roads and enjoy the journey. We have decided on several pieces of advice to follow the Shannon River nad drive along the western banks of Lough Derg and north to Lough Ree before we start to look for somewhere to stay. It's strange being away from the gentle hills and craggy cliffs that have been a part of our daily scenery this week. We eventually locate a B&B by stopping at a restaurant and asking for suggestions - a young woman tells Peta of a place that is in the street where her parents live, about 10 minutes south, and calls for us to find that they have a room. The people are very friendly, the house is a bit ordinary, but we are comfortable and sleep relatively well.

Sunday 31st May

After breakfast and packing the car we walk to the end of the road and along the shore of Lough Ree. Tom, our B&B host who is a scholar of Irish history, has told us that there was a monastery established on one of the islands by St Kiernan in 570AD. We meet young families with their children and a lovely old gentleman walking his 3 little dogs - a very old King Charles Spaniel, a middle-aged rescue dog and a young yorkie terrier bought when it was thought the spaniel was about to depart this earth, but who had now instilled the old dog with a second lease of life.

We continue our drive north and stop in Longford to access an ATM and also discover a very funky bar where we have lunch and access their wifi to look at accommodation for the night. We decide we need a night of luxury before commencing what will be a 40 hour door-to-door trip for each of us, and Peta books us into a castle ... how exciting! While lounging on leather chairs and consulting the great Internet, we hear a roar and a huge convoy of tractors passes by .... small, large, middle sized, new and old, they are particpating in a fundraiser and everyone stops to watch.

Back to the task at hand. It is a stunningly beautiful day and we drive through or near an enormous numer of Bally.... towns (including Ballyjamesduff), following directions texted to us from Adelaide, to Canningstown where we speak with a gentleman who is aware of the Montgomerys and points us in the direction of Knockbride where Peta wants to visit the church cemetery. The countryside is beautiful, with gentle hills and flowering hedgerows, and we find the church alongside a little lough. No-one is around and we take our time wandering in the afternoon sunshine, discovering the Montgomery and Maxwell plots almost immediately.

We then head to Cabra Castle, feeling very lucky to have booked one of 2 remaining rooms available for the night (out of 102). When we get to our room in the sort of courtyard/mews area, we discover the rooms are sectioned into 'houses', and ours is called 'Sarah's House' - it was just waiting for us! Our room (upstairs again, there is just no escaping the lugging of bags even on the last night) has 2 double beds and a large bathroom with a lovely deep bath - luxury for weary travellers. We spruce up a bit and have a latish dinner, treating ourselves to a little Moet and Wolfblass red. The night is not as restful as we had hoped as Peta is suffering from what she claims is Puffin Flu, and although she has been diligent in taking her medication, the lurgy gets the better of her.

And then it is time to leave .... our bags are packed after the discarding of some no-longer-needed and some I-never-want-to-see-it-again items, and we drive the hour and a half to Dublin airport to head home.

Taking the time to relect on the long flight, I have strong memories of beautiful landscapes, and realise that I no longer have much interest in cities. The noise, expense and fast pace hold no attraction for me at all. In terms of shopping, it is hard to find anything that is not available in Australia, and in terms of history, there are so many sites that are readily accessible in the countryside where you don't have to queue with hundreds of others. Being able to buy fresh produce at local markets and cook our own meals, going to sleep and waking up to the sounds of

birds and cows, not feeling the need to race out of the door and 'be in it' .... my kind of holiday!

The Ring of Kerry (Part 2)

Friday 29th May

We have driven the south side of the Ring of Kerry today - from Cahersiveen to Killarney, then through the middle back home. The contrasts in the landscape - from wild Atlantic Coast to almost sub-tropical microclimates (huge azalea shrubs, palms) to leafy woods to soft green hills to barren granite mountains - is quite extraordinary. We were brave and drove through the middle, on very narrow one car width roads and through a steep pass. But the day has been kind to us - we woke to sunshine and it has been very clear (if somewhat windy). Have just had our evening meal of fresh haddock and chips at Murphy's pub and we're settling in for an early night in preparation for our journey into the unknown tomorrow. We think we will drive towards Limerick and then follow the Shannon north, stopping when we find somewhere appealing.

View from front of our B&B

Woolly friend

View from Moll's Gap in the south east of the Ring

The road less travelled (through the middle)

Fifi has a day off!!

This is Fifi's travelling companion (Peta) writing the blog at the end of Thursday 28th May from a little desk, at a little attic window, in our B&B at Portmagee. We arrived in Portmagee last evening and spent the night in a boutique B&B with stunning views over the harbour.

Unfortunately we were unable to extend our stay there (a real shame given the brilliant fruit and pancake breakfast!), but we were directed to a lovely establishment across the harbour and are now happily ensconsed here in our spacious, view-rich attic room!

Portmagee is an tiny fishing village in the SW of Ireland … picture postcard perfect really, and without the tourists. It is, as we discovered, the starting point for boat trips to the Skellig Islands, some 12 km off the coast and into the Atlantic, on which a clifftop monastery was built around the 12th century. It is also known for its birdlife so, being a bird person, I leapt at the chance to do the excursion out there today... trips were cancelled yesterday because of the bleak weather.

Fifi, however, was slightly nervous about the still-fiesty seas and the prospect of losing her pancakes, and opted for a land-lubber day in Portmagee, investigating future accommodation options and chilling-out (not literally). That's what I was doing on the high seas …
About 8 boats (taking 12 persons apiece) leave the tiny Portmagee harbour at 10.30 am and point their noses towards the two islands know as the Skelligs … small boats, I might add. I was on a boat with a group of russians, and some germans .. and several were pretty sick .. one poor woman looked as she was about to die, so ill was she.

I had a good possie near the bridge and stood up the whole way with my eyes fixed on the horizon (an old anti sea-sickness trick) and managed to get there and back without major queasiness. We donned wet weather gear to combat the significant splash from the swell and were all grateful for it.

What a stunning day it was .. we had about 2.5 hours on the main island (Skellig Michael), which is a black granite and slate outcrop, steeply-sided, minimally vegetated with the astounding remains of its 12th century abbey/monastery at the top. How they built it and lived there beggars belief. It was place for pilgramage too in the ensuing centuries.

Skellig Michael's other major attraction is that it is covered in birds … kittiwakes, petrels, guillemots, gannets, razor bills, and PUFFINS to name a few .. hundreds of gorgeous puffins who have little burrows all over the island and who have just arrived (in May) for their breeding season. Absolutely stunning. I could have spent days watching them and the other birds. Such grace in the air, such skill landing on slippery cliff faces on miniscule nests in high winds, real beauty in their natural environment. It was such a treat. The puffins will remain one of those special and unforgettable lifetime experiences.

The trip home was far less challenging (wave-wise) and included a circle around the second Skellig Island which is home to the world's second largest population of gannets … hundreds of thousands of them, making the black cliffs white – an astonishing sight.

Reaching land was rewarded by a wonderful cup of tea in one of the Portmagee pubs. Sarah and I then visited the 'Skellig Experience' museum, which is just down the road from the B&B... a very comprehensive display on the history of the Skelligs, both historical and environmental. Well worth the entrance fee.

The day was topped off by a fantastic dinner at a relatively local restaurant called Fushcia … run by two lovely people who have escaped the ratrace and settled here .. the dinner was up there with the best meals we have had on the trip. We might have to return tomorrow night, providing we think our waistbands can cope with it (which, I can tell you, is looking pretty doubtful in my case!!)...

when Irish eyes are smiling (sometimes)

Sunday 24th May
Dublin
Took a taxi from the airport to our hotel, which, it turned out, was across the opposite side of the city. The taxi driver was a chatty fellow who had spent a great year in Australia about 15 years ago, and had lived in Many for a while then travelled through NW NSW and central Australia down to Adelaide. He helped us with a few suggestions about where we might travel to over the next week.
The hotel we had booked, Butler's Town House, is in an older Georgian style house in an area similar to Kensington in London, so it seemed quite familiar to me. You walk up stairs to go in the front door, and it has a large guest lounge on this floor and the dining room and conservatory (where breakfast is served) is on the ground level. After lugging our bags up 3 flights of stairs and rearranging the furniture in our room to suit us (for some reason, in Europe they always put twin beds right next to each other – doesn't make any sense to me at all), we walked to a local Indian restaurant and shared some deliciously spicy things and a couple of beers. It was very strange not to have had any Asian flavours at all for a number of weeks.

Monday 25th May
We got up early (well, 7am) and after breakfast walked into the city to get a City Tour bus. I was surprised that I wasn't at all impressed by Dublin as a city – there were a few interesting buidings and the huge Phoenix Park looks as though it would be a good place to spend time if you lived there, but otherwise it was a bit dingy and higgledy-piggledy. It was very cold on the top of the bus and we hadn't really dressed for it – it had been 22 the day before, and was only 14 at this stage. We had a warming drink and then shopped for a couple of hours …. some of us more successfully than others (as attested to by the fact that Peta posted a parcel home the next day to reduce her baggage). It had been a long day and we had eaten a delicious lunch at an Italian restaurant in a very swanky new area within Arnotts department store, so we went into Marks and Spencers food hall and got a couple of salads for our dinner, hopped into a taxi and spent the rest of the evening in the lounge reading, blogging and downloading / uploading photos.

Tuesday 26th May
Late breakfast and a slow morning deciding where to go then to Hertz to collect our hire car which is a brand new Toyota Aurius – a nice little car that handles really well and just the right size for us and our luggage. We had googled 'prettiest villages in Ireland' and found a place to stay in Adare, which would take us towards the south west. Peta navigated us onto the motorway and off we went. When we arrived at Adare at about 5.30pm, we were disappointed to discover it was on the main road and a little like Berrima x 10. The town (not village) was busy and the place we had booked to stay was on the main road, so we continued driving and rang the owner to explain that we preferred to stay somewhere quieter. Then came the challenge of finding somewhere else. Suffice to say that it was not a great experience - the one you have to have at sometime on a holiday.

Wednesday 27th May

But then we found somewhere to stay around here ...

We drove south through Kerry to a little fishing village called Portmagee. We are here again tonight - Peta has braved the elements and gone 12 kms out to sea in a very small boat to visit the Skellig Islands and I have opted to stay on land for the day. I'm in charge of booking accommodation for the next couple of nights - it's a Bank Holiday weekend and the Irish are on the move! The weather is quite cold, wet and blustery but everyone assures us that Saturday is going to be gorgeous. This is a view from just above our B&B.

Dingle Harbour (below) - we stopped on our journey south for a coffee break in this lovely little village.

Our night in Bordeaux

Saturday 23rd May

Because Aer Lingus only flies Bordeaux to Dublin Mon, Wed, Fri and Sun, and we had to leave our cottage on Saturday, Pete booked us into a B&B called Chateau Julie just outside Bordeaux for Saturday night. We had looked at Google Maps to get a general idea of where the chateau is, and we had a Dordogne map that got us half way there, and somehow we had faith that when we got closer, we would just find it. Given our previous 2 weeks of missing road signs and many, many U-turns, you could consider that this as blind faith, but it worked.

The chateau is run by a Dutch couple and we had a very comfortable night - had dinner at what could have been a nearby bistro if we hadn't taken a circuitous route - and a late breakfast the next morning, followed by a couple of hours in Bordeaux before heading to the airport to return the car. We ate breakfast with a young coiuple who lived in Bordeaux but were having a night away. Frederique was French and his wife Turkish. It was interesting hearing his views about France - he was interested in how we had been treated by the French, and seemed relieved that we hadn't experienced the arrogance that has been displayed by past generations. He said that English ahd not been taught in school, and he was glad that France was now becoming more outward looking.

It was quite strange being in the white light of the city - very open spaces and pale stone - after the golden colours of the Dordogne Given the limited time we had there, we just walked along the river and through a park belfore leaving for the airport. Some of the following photos are of a huge fountain and monument in the park. As you can tell, we were a bit fascinated by the fountain. On our walk along the river we saw an area of paving that had been slightly recessed and there was literally a thin sheet of water that people were playing in - it looked heaps of fun.

but wait, there's more ... of France

Images from Castlenaud

Got a bit excited when I discovered the 'panorama' setting on my camera ...

But maybe I should read the instructions ...

think the locals would be distressed to see their bridge this way.

Beynac from Castlenaud battlements. It was a very misty day.

greetings from the Emerald Isle

Sunday 24th May

We're here in Dublin and have just discovered that we have free wifi in out room. It's 8pm and we're keen to find some dinner, so this is just to let you all know we are safe and sound and will be able to recieve email until Tuesday morning our time when we move on.

and today (Friday) our final day in the Dordogne

Visited Monpazier today, a bastide (walled town) to the south west of Berbiguieres. The history of bastides is quite interesting. About 300 were built, mostly in SW France, on empty or cleared sites, and in one period of time. Their plans were usually laid down in a charter together with by-laws and regulations on the management hierarchy and taxation. Edward 1 of England ordered the building of Monpazier in the second half of the 12th C andan inauguration ceremony was held on 7th January 1284. The town in built on a grid system and is probably the only FLAT place we have visited so far this holiday!

Would love to add more photos but blogger is SO slow and one can only spend so much of one's life in maccas. Tomorrow morning we leave for Chateau Julie (NE of Bordeaux) where we are overnighting before flying out of Bordeaux to Dublin. I saw in the paper yesterday Dublin's weather was 14 degrees and raining, so I will not complain about it being 30 degrees here today. Hopefully we will have some time to blog in Ireland :)

images of Beynac

no more moos ...

Thursday 21st May
We awoke to no cow sounds today – sadly they seem to have been relocated.
Domestic morning of washing, writing postcards etc, then a short drive to the next village to Ferme Auberge des Tilleuls for lunch. Much duck. Very pleasant setting looking out over the valley. Needed a sleep afterwards but soldiered on to visit Castlenaud and so glad that we did. The castle is (yet again) on top of a rock overlooking the Dordogne and faces Beynac castle. The original building is 12th C and was occupied at various times over the 13 and 1400's by the French and English (this is where Richard the Lionheart was based when he conquered Beynac). The castle has been restored to be a museum of war in the middle ages, and the self guided tour starts in the artillery tower which is on 3 levels connected by a narrow, steep spiral staircase. We then continued through various rooms and levels, watching videos on the development of armour and weapons, castle design through the ages and the history of Castlenaud itself. There were weapon displays as well – some of them quite chilling when you began to imagine the brutal ways in which they were used. The 360 degree views from the tops of the buildings were stunning – the Dordogne valley is lush and green with both cliff faces and gently sloping hills, and due to the limestone the river is very bendy (good geological term there). A mediaeval garden has been established with raised vegetable beds in the centre and bordered by a Rosamunde rose which was in full bloom. The garden beds were formed using wood (like sleepers) and then a layer of woven cane placed around the wood – very pretty. Drove home via the very pictureasque village of La Roque Gageac and had a quiet beer by the river.
http://www.castelnaud.com/uk/

a prehistory day ...

Wednesday 20th May

Made it out by 10am and headed up to Montignac to visit the Lascaux 2 cave. The original cave was discovered in 1948 when a couple of young Parisien men were walking their dog and he fell into a hole next to a tree. When getting him out they noticed some rocks tumbling further down the hole, and discovered the cave entrance that had been blocked by a rockfall some 15,000 years earlier. The cave was opened to reveal some of the most extensive paintings ever discovered, and with very little deterioration as they had not been exposed to light or the weather. In 1962 the cave was closed to the public because of the CO2 damage being caused. Lascaux 2 is a replica of the original, having been constructed from a concrete and resin mixture in what was formerly an open air quarry. Two of the galleries have been reproduced (about a quarter of the original size), containing 90% of the paintings. A team of sculptors worked on recreating the rock surface centimetre by centimetre for 11 years before a single artist spent 2 years recreating the murals using the same tools, materials and methods as the original artists. The original paintings themselves could not be carbon dated because they had been created using minerals (oxides), but the tools used indicate that they were produced about 18,000 years ago over a 2,000 year period. Our guide was a very informative and very cheeky Frenchman who insisted he was actually English and just putting on an accent because we find French accents so charming.
We sat out in a quiet wooded area after the tour and had a picnic lunch of baguette, egg, salad, fruit and apple juice.
In the afternoon, we drove home via La Roc Christophe, a trogolodyte dwelling a kilometre long in a limestone cliff that was occupied until the 17th Century. Displays have been set up to show how people lived during this vast period of time. Pete did the tour whilst I sat under the trees and read the English papers. Ditto at the Prehistory Museum at Les Ezyies. It was too hot for me this afternoon.
Came home and watched a DVD of Local Hero and were even more entertained by a thunderstorm and lengthy lightening display which Pete said continued for some hours – I was asleep!

and time for some pics ... Peta's walk to St Cyprien

a few days all at once - pictures to follow ...

Saturday 16th May
Today was 'give in to the cold' day for me – I had caught a cold the Monday before we left Australia, and thought it was on the way out after a couple of weeks of a tight, dry cough. Emily had generously given me her spare Ventolin inhaler, which helped enormously when trying to get enough air to climb the metro stairs and all those steps / inclines in the ancient villages we were visiting. Poor Rob caught a cold as we were leaving Paris, and yesterday I started sneezing AGAIN! This morning when I fuzzily realised I was about to rinse my contact lenses with eye makeup remover, I thought it would be a good decision to stay at home and definitely not to drive anywhere. Pete and I did a mid-visit clean of the house, and then in the afternoon, Peta walked the 4 kms in beautiful susnshine into St Cyprien to have a look around this pretty village. I spent the rest of the afternoon reading, until 5.30 when Pete texted me to be picked up. We bought the makings of a simple meal from the supermarket and headed home for a cuppa, and then an evening walk to a spot in the village overlooking our cottage (with a bottle of white wine and olives for a pre-dinner refreshment). The evening was just stunning – warm sun and silence apart from the larks, insects and munching of the large, caramel-coloured cows in the fields opposite (we need a What Cow Is That? book – think they might be Limousins?). By the time we had finished dinner it was 10pm again – and an early night.

Sunday 17th May
Market day in St Cyprien. After buying our fruit, veggies and some spit-roast pork ribs with new potatoes for lunch, we sat outside the cafe and watched the world go by. Ordering coffee has become something of a challenge in France. If you order a grande cafe au lait, you (might) get a normal sized coffee cup 2/3 full of strong black coffee with a small jug of hot milk (perfect for Marianne!). Or you might get the same size cup of milk coffee. I have also seen people with the larger cups that I have always associated with cafe au lait, but the only time I have succeeded in getting one of these was when we were at a cafe before visiting the Rodin Museum and ordered a Grand cafe crème (it was great coffee – hot and strong – but also $8.40 per cup). So today I took the challenge and ordered a 'Grand cafe crème', miming the size of the cup, and voila! I got a great coffee. So good, in fact, that I decided to have another one. When the waitress came past, I asked for another coffee (the empty cup was still in front of me). She said 'cafe au lait?'. I said 'Non, un grand cafe crème s'il vous plait'. She smiled and took another couple of orders, and when she was passing me on the way back into the cafe, I asked 'Pardon Madame, le cafe crème et le cafe au lait, c'est la meme chose?' (are the coffees the same?). She winked and said 'Oui'. Hmmmmm. And then she brought me a regular sized white coffee. Vive la France.

Monday 18th May
S-L-O-W morning – in fact it was nearly lunchtime when we looked at the time, so we decided to go straight to lunch and explore afterwards. Auberge de la Nauze had been recommended many times in the house guest book, but unfortunately when we got there we were informed that they were 'desole' that they were unable to open due to illness. The monsieur recommended another place for lunch in the nearby village of Belves. We drove to have a look but decided the menu wasn't special enough to warrant the expense and decided on a brasserie nearby. The terrace was busy with lunching tradesmen who were working on the restoration and repair of local buildings, and Peta had the advantage of facing a large tableful – and wondering about OHS regulations and how they relate to wine consumption at lunchtime. The guys were served a huge tureen of soup, plates of crudites (shredded carrot etc), a plate of spirali pasta and prawns, a huge formed veal pattie with rice, a chocolate and raspberry dessert, then coffee. All washed down with copious quantities of red wine consumed from large water glasses (one fellow emptied his into his soup bowl, gave it a swirl and swallowed the dregs). And then coffee – served with a little speclaas biscuit.
We spent a little while exploring the village (stunning of course) before heading to Beynac, about 10kms from our cottage, to visit the clifftop castle.
The original parts of the building are from the 12th century and additions have been made through until 17th C, with a 50 year restoration plan currently being undertaken to reinstate such things as the arrow-slit windows and repair of external walls. The castle is across the Dordogne River from another at Castlenaud which was occupied by the English – Richard the Lionheart and his troop gained access to Beynac in 1189 by scaling the cliffs and entering via the WCs which overhang the external walls. He then occupied the building until his death in 1199. The castle is privately owned.
Peta then walked down to the village at the base of the castle (it is 450 feet above the river), and I moved the car down to meet her. We were just in time for a 5pm cruise along the river towards Castlenaud, motoring up and drifting back with the river flow – again very peaceful and interesting to see another chateau – Fayrac - that has been purchased by a Texan family who made their money through car crushing equipment.

Tuesday 19th May

Lunch at Auberge de la Nauze - lovely setting and reasonable food but a little disappointing. We thought perhaps the chef was the one who was ill yesterday and they had a replacement.

Afternoon spent exploring the lovely old part of Sarlat.

Friday 15th

Left home this morning at 10 to take Rob to Brive and have a bit of a look around town before she caught the train at 1.45pm. It was a slow and very wet drive along one of the windiest (as in curvy not blustery) roads I've ever been on. If you can imagine that 70 km per hour bit of the Clyde Mountain for 60kms you'd just about have it. Anyway, we had allowed a lot of time to get there so it wasn't too bad. We had a quick coffee then wandered through the narrow streets that radiate out from a central church - some great shops. I have become a bit obsessed with the beautiful lace curtains I keep seeing in France and had decided I would like to get some in my living and bedrooms to create a bit of privacy given my house is right on the street. After we had said goodbye to Rob at the station we returned to a fabric shop (which had been closed for lunch earlier - everything closes for 2.5 hours in the middle of the day) and they happened to have 2 metres of the fabric that I liked, which is exactly the amount I need - the saleswoman said (in French) 'It was waiting for you'.

We are in Macca's again checking email and updating our blog before heading home for a quiet evening. We will probably stay pretty local tomorrow as I think the weekend traffic will be busy, but will head to the St Cyprien markets on Sunday morning. The cottage owners Geoff and Kathy Richards phoned last night to check how we are going - they are currently in their cottage in Gascony. They spend autumn and spring each year travelling between their 7 cottages, doing repairs and updating / improving the buildings. They certainly organise their properties well and attempt to include everything they can to ensure your comfort.

sorry ... more about food ...

Thursday 14th May

We awoke to heavy rain and disturbed cows. Our plan had been to go to Lalinde market, and after some deliberation we decided to brave the rain and if necessary go somewhere for coffee. As we travelled further east along the Dordogne River, the weather eased and by the time we arrived at Lalinde it had stopped and didn't start again until we had completed our visit a couple of hours later. The market was lovely – really great quality produce. Rob wanted to try foie gras which is a specialty of the region, and bought a foie gras stuffed fig and apricot. We also visited the local shops and bought some beef to make boeuf bourgignonne, and Rob got a bottle of champagne for her final night with us.

Lalinde is the prettiest village. It is quite open and the market place leads onto a large square pond. Pete and I would like to go back in finer weather to explore.
On leaving it was teaming with rain and we decided to head home with our provisions. As we were driving along I remembered that I had seen a sign to Tremolat, a village mentioned in the guest book and also in Stephanie Alexander's 'Cooking in South West France' book that is in our cottage. Both books highlighted a cafe called Le Bistro En Face which is owned by and across the road from a Michelin starred restaurant. We all agreed to give it a go, and had the MOST delicious lunch. Rob and Peta had white asparagus and smoked salmon salad, and I had a cepe omelette, we shared some extraordinary strawberries that were so sweet they tasted almost floral, washed down with a half litre of crisp rose wine. This village too is absolutely beautiful. Some of the towns we see are a little too perfect – they look like film sets. But others seem very much lived-in and have a great charm about them.

We mozied home along the river through more stunning countryside and arrived home in time for some afternoon reading, snoozing and slow bourgignonne cooking before opening the champagne and devouring the foie gras (or rather, part of it!).

Evenings are so long here, even in spring – it is light until about 10pm, so we are often unaware of the time, and suddenly are all yawning and ready for bed. Rob is catching the train to Paris tomorrow so we will spend a little time together in Brive before she goes. Rob and Em meet up tomorrow afternoon for the weekend together before Rob flies home on Monday. Em returns to London for a couple of days and then flies to Australia on Wednesday.

mid week adventures ...

Wednesday 13th May
We're getting the hang of being on holidays in the country and gradually getting slower and slower in the mornings. Today we decided to go to a place for lunch in Pomarede that has been recommended in the extensive listings created by previous cottage guests. In fact, we have decided to keep the restaurant book in the car with us as we are never quite sure where we are going to end up. Likewise the picnic backpack which has insulated areas for food and drinks, plus a couple of handy rugs. Anyway, Robyn recognised the restaurant as one she had seen an SBS documentary about – the story focussing on the family who had owned the business for several generations, and the old mother who insisted that the younger ones continue what she was no longer able to do herself.
We arrived at 11.45am to find the place deserted, and by 12.15pm it was full, mainly of french locals with a few Brits. Workmen continued to come along to pick up takeaways. Lunch consisted of a country-style soup, ham & choucroute platter, a choice of couscous with a morrocan-style lamb stew or steak/frites, cheeses, then a choice of crème brulee/clafoutie/ice cream or tart, then coffee. All this plus 500mls wine each for 13 euros ($26). The food was basic country cooking, and we probably wouldn't do it again, but it was an interestingly authentic experience.
Also getting the hang of driving on the right and feeling confident about zooming along with the rest of the traffic. Haven't gone the wrong way around a roundabout yet, much to everyone's relief. It is quite extraordinary how the cars, trucks and buses negotiate the very narrow roads of this area. Some of them are not wide enough to allow for passing – especially when they are bounded by the river on one side and stone buildings or rock faces on the other. In some places the road winds between houses at very acute angles – I guess the houses were there first and only needed to be wide enough for a cart to pass. Whenever we head out somewhere I try to go a different way, which is quite easy with the network of tiny roads in our local area, but it can be a challenge for my navigators to determine where we actually are on the map – maybe some of the road signs have not been reinstated after the war, or maybe they have been removed more recently to foil the British tourists, whatever … there seem to be many missing!

Another stunning town and a fairytale castle ...

Tuesday 12th May – Beynac and Chateau Milandes

Today we packed a picnic lunch and drove 10 kilometres to Beynac. We found a large patch of grass right next to the fast-flowing Dordogne River and sat in the sunshine eating our baguettes, cheese and yummy leftover frittata that Peta had made the night before.

Then drove a few kms to Chateau des Milandes which used to belong to Josephine Baker. She used to call it her 'Sleeping Beauty' castle and that is just what it is like - rounded turrets, beautifully designed gardens. Also saw an extraordinary raptor show eagles, owls, falcons.

Monday 11th May – Rocamadour
We managed to get it together to get out of the house by 11am today and we headed out on a long cross country drive into the Lot, through many stunningly beautiful villages, to the ancient town of Rocamadour which is literally built on top of and into the side of a solid rock mountain.
http://www.rocamadour.net/
It was a gorgeous sunny day and we had a lazy picnic lunch of baguette, cheese, ham and fruit in a lovely shady park overlooking the valley and the castle.
Take a look at the town on the website - it has a really interesting history. Luckily for Aunty Sarah's aching knees, an elevator and an inclinator have been installed to get you up/down as needed.

and now for some pics

Our little Corolla with weary shoppers and St Cyprien in the background

The beautifully fresh trout we bought from the markets

Sunday 10th May
Berbiguieres is even quieter than Monterchi – the only sounds we hear this morning are the birds and the bees – literally! Robyn brings me a cuppa in bed at about 7am and we all have a lie-in, reading and dozing. I have moved a matress down to the lounge area so we all have our own space and I don't have to negotiate the very steep stairs for any nocturnal loo visits. We get it together by 11am to go to the St Cyprien markets, about 4kms away. Great markets – beautiful quality fruit and veggies, plus cheeses, flowers, charcuterie, olives, bread, pastries, fish, honey products. And also clothing, bags, household goods, shoes, toys, music etc … everyone is smiling, polite and helpful as we debate what to buy. Some lovely fresh trout and new potatoes for dinner, and terrine, sausage, walnut cheese and bread for lunch, plus a big bunch of lupins and a tiny bunch of lily of the valley. Gorgeous. Lunch, a glass of red wine, followed by zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Peta cooked the trout superbly with fresh herbs and sinful garlicky mashed potatoes. Rob and I were kitchen hands for the night, and happily so with such delicious food prepared for us.

Website for our cottage plus lots of info on the area we are staying in:
www.cottagesinfrance.com.au

brought to you live and absolutely gratuit from McDonalds Sarlat

Saturday 9th May – Paris to Berbiguieres
Awake at 5.30am after little sleep, partly due to the general noise of Paris (we have double glazing in the apartment but if you want to sleep with the window open then you also have traffic and people noise until about 2am) and partly due to anticipation of the busy morning of packing and moving. We were all 4 up, showered, breakfasted and packed by 8am and did a final spruce-up of the apartment in readiness for Sabine, the manager, arriving to check us out. All was well, we were refunded our 500 Euro deposit* and Sabine called a taxi for us. Em hopped on the metro to go to Gare Du Nord to get the Eurostar train to London and we went to Gare D'Austerlitz to get the tran to Brive La Gailliard, a 4 hour trip.
*When we arrived at the apartment, I paid the deposit and Robyn paid the balance of the rent owing which was 620 Euros. Rob had withdrawn euros in Canberra and been given a 500 euro note (about $1000). Sabine asked if we minded having the large note as our refunded deposit – I couldn,t think of a reason not to so said yes that would be fine. She then proceded to write the number of the note on an envelope, sealed the envelope and asked me to sign the back of it. Apparently there had been cases of counterfeit notes in circulation, and she preferrred the risk to be ours rather then hers! We felt the note would be OK as it had been through the banking system, but she still wanted us to have it back. On returning it we went through the ceremony of checking the sealed envelope and the number on the note. I also had to return the envelope to her. Tres amusant.
Rob and I had booked our train tickets on line in French with the help (over the phone) of one of Peta's French-speaking work colleagues. We were able to pay by credit card and opt to print our tickets from an email. This was considerably cheaper than purchasing over the raileurope Australian website (about 30% of the quoted cost). Peta had purchased a eurail pass as she was making a number of train journeys, and her travel agent booked her seat for her some time later. When we looked at our tickets, we were seated next to each other – how amazing is that?
It was lovely to get out of the city and into the countryside, which became gentler and greener the further we went. We had a very quiet trip, individually engaged in reading, listening to ipods, dozing or watching the scenery. The time seemed to go very quickly, helped no doubt by the train being very comfortable (leather reclining seats) and also very smooth and quiet.
Our hire car was ready for us at Brive. It is a diesel Toyota (something) – sort of chunky and low to the ground with lots of space inside. It has a really unusual keyless entry and starting system – you insert the whole black remote locking thingy into a slot, put your foot on the clutch and push a 'start' button. It has sensors all around which beep if are within about a foot of an object (including Robyn) and a flashing picture on the dash indicates which part of the car is about to be damaged. Very helpful when manoeuvering through narrow streets abutted by stone houses – would have been handy to have on the Fiat in Monterchi, although no doubt the Italians would think it would take the fun out of driving. It's just occurred to me that the beeper would probably go off every time they were behind another car because that is how close they drive!
It took us about an hour and a half to get to Berbiguieres, past some beautiful scenery – mediaeval hilltop villages, narrow roads winding through green fields, and then to our little cottage. We are again on 3 levels (oh, my knees!). Downstairs is a double bedroom and a bathroom with laundry facilities. It is built into the side of the hill and has chunks of rock sticking through the walls. On the main floor is an open lounge/dining/kitchen with really well-stocked CD, DVD and book shelves and a toilet. Upstairs is a large loft with 2 single beds plus a couple of low lounge chairs and tables. We had visited a local supermarket on our way here so had stocked up on basics – cooked mushroom fettucine and salad for dinner. And a delicious bottle of local sauvignon blanc that cost E2.90 (less than $6 – we were paying more than that for a glass of ANY sort of wine in Paris!). In bed and fast asleep by 10.30pm.

Friday 8th ... a visit to the zoo

This delightful carousel is in the Jardins des Plantes (Botanic Gardens) which also contains the Paris Zoo. Take a look at the menagerie of animals - some crazy giraffes, a Tasmanian Devil, a triceratops, some sort of dinosaur turtle - fabulous.

Thursday 7th May - Versailles for some, quiet day for others ...

Some of Em's photos of their gorgeous day ... best weather seen so far. They then returned to Paris and went to a performance of The Four Seasons at Ste Chapelle - Rob says it was the highlight to date.

I had a very laid back morning reading and being lazy which was great after 2 busy weeks. Peta arrived by train from her cooking course at 2 and we caught up for a while then went for a wander around our neighbourhood. Had a delicious dinner of a takeaway roasted chicken, tiny little steamed new potatoes, salad and white wine.