Wow, our time here went by fast. We leave for Paris in the morning.
We decided to head to the nearby village of Domme today. It had a lot of things going for it - it is near by (short drive) and our guidebook made it sound interesting. I got to sleep 'till 8:00 today since Dan got up with Julia and Sara. I joined them for breakfast when I climbed down the spiral staircase from upstairs to downstairs.
Julia put her arms up for a hug while still seated in her high chair. I gave her a good morning hug. Sara was interested in the iPad, but say 'Hi Mom' - we normally don't allow electronics at the table, but no one is perfect. ;)
It started as an overcast day, but grew to be sunny and nicely warm. I'm still wearing shorts but Sara and Julia are wearing pants and long sleeves these days. It keeps them cozy and I don't have to work so hard to keep sunscreen on them!
Domme was a perfect decision for our last day in this area. It had a fortified gate to drive through - like we were driving into a town that used to have a "wall" around it. (It reminded me a little of York, England). Dan drove through the gate and up, up, up, to a parking lot. We didn't know it, but we were right by the panorama that has the best view in town. A great way to start our exploration of the town. The view was wonderful - the river went right through it and then the valley was all a checkerboard of green fields. The view is far up - overlooking everything. Even the girls enjoyed it.
Then we got a town map and wandered around. (Well, we went to a bakery first of course.) The walk lead us to a superb public garden - that was charming, beautiful, and fun! It had a play ground for Sara and Julia - and also a long promenade for us to walk on to enjoy the view. The promenade was lined with trees on one side and had a cliff (sheer down) on the other side. Not to worry about falling, there was a 3 foot wall to prevent that. After laying on the play ground we strolled the promenade - and then Sara and Julia played in a set of three trees. They darted around them, they ran through them, they laughed and laughed and laughed. It was a great travel moment - everyone happy, enjoying a park, a sunny day, with an amazing view.
After propping up the camera on the rock wall to get a family picture we walked to the windmill. Then, we walked all through town 'till Julia fell asleep.
Around noon we were at the top of town again. Julia was still sleeping (like a baby) and the noon bells started. Dong. Dong. Dong. 12 times! Then the bells went non-stop for what seemed like forever. Even Dan laughed - it was funny - here we had a sleeping baby, right beside the church bells - when we'd spent the last hour trying to be quiet for her. The bells did not wake her up.
We got a seat at the recommended restaurant with the panoramic view. Our table was right on the rock wall overlooking it all. They made space for Julia to sleep (in the stroller) right by us, and we got through 90% of the meal with her sleeping. I had steak, salad, and french fries. Dan had duck, duck, duck. Duck is *huge* in this area - and he got a plate that included dried duck, roasted duck, and some sort of duck slices that looked gray to me. I was happy with my beef. ;) I had to choose between onion sauce and nut sauce and nuts are a big thing here so I went with that.
By 1:00 we were in the car to head back here. Dan stopped at the grocery store and took Sara and Julia in with him so I could take a short snooze in the car. I fell asleep right away. 15 minutes was all it took and I was reinvigorated. It is good for me to try to catch a nap like that to power me up to share my afternoon and evening with Sara and Julia - and have all the energy possible!
When we got back here Dan telecommuted and Sara/Julia/I went to Sarlat for one last walk around. What a fun time. There are not alot of tourists, just a few people strolling. The town was ours to enjoy. I wandered over to the garden and let them play on the play ground with some French kids. Julia *loves* getting a chance to play, climb, swing, and run. She just lights up. Sara loves being the big sister to show her things. I explained to Sara that I was a little sister - and it took her a while to process it. She just said, "I'm the big sister" and that was that!
Sara helped me by walking up/down the big hill that is between us and town. She jumped out of the stroller all on her own to do it. Thoughtful kid. ;)
Back here I made dinner of pork, green beans, and tortelini pasta. Sara ate so many green beans Dan said she was going to turn into one.
It was a fun day. Perfect blend of exploration and savoring a characteristic village of this region. Easy logistics were a plus. Tomorrow is a day with a lot of logistics: drive, high-speed train, taxi, and finally to our Paris apartment in the evening. After being in the countryside for so long are we ready for Paris? We'll see!
Quotes of the day:
Scenario - Leaving Domme Dan asked Sara to do the Domme dance (we often request dances from her - and then she makes up a dance for us and performs it)
Sara: "Okay Papa, here is the dance for this town. It has all French moves."
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Scenario - Eating dinner. I put herbs on the pork.
Sara: "I do not like this stuff on the pork. I want to delete my herbs."
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