The first time I glanced at the clock this morning it was 5:13. That is too early for any sort of activity requiring cognition - like walking. Julia was making waking up noises. I closed my eyes again hoping for a bit more sleep, and the next time I looked at the clock it was 8:23. She fell back asleep! Both Dan and I got to sleep in.
After breakfast outside on the back deck (a wooden platform with a wooden slanted roof, with a wooden table and wooden chairs) we packed up and left for a driving tour.
It was in our guide book as "the overlooked Eastern Dordogne." As much as we liked the second driving tour we took in Provence, we were hoping this second tour of the Dordogne would also be a nice surprise. Plus, the description said, "many find this remote, less visited section of the Dordogne even more beautiful than the country side around Sarlat." Then later the tour stopped at "if this is not the most beautiful village in France, I'd like to see the one that is." So with all these thoughts swirling around in our minds we set off.
The trip started on small roads. Past cornfields. Past green fields of long grass. The roads were never straight - they were also bending this way or that way. I guess if there was a tree in the way they just went around it. It was a fun joy ride.
We got diesel at the first chance we had - you never know when it will be tough to find "gas" for the car and we didn't want to get low while in the middle of no where (which is just about everywhere here). Our credit cards don't have the "chip" so Dan had to pay the cashier upon exit.
Our first town was Martel. We got there after we had to stop to wait for a circus to pass by. It was about 30 huge long trucks labeled with different animals. There was police directing traffic. Then later in a small town they were digging up the road. So we actually had to stop at a portable stop light! We've probably seen 10 stop lights (traffic lights) this whole trip so it was notable! Our car automatically powers down when we stop (it is a stick shift that saves on CO2 emissions. When we were stopped our GPS also decided to re-route us. We joked that our GPS was impatient. We are so relaxed that we just sat there in the car and enjoyed the town we were "stuck" in - as if we were at a cafe - hey, life is not a rush! After about 5-6 minutes we were back on our way.
Our first stop was "Martel" a medieval town with a nice pedestrian area - where Sara said, "lets stop at a restaurant" - and so we did. It was the only one. Dan had pizza (with walnuts on it!), Sara had a plain pizza (Dan had to take the olives off it for her), I had a salad with ham, cheese, and grilled vegetables, and Julia had a little of everything.
We continued on to "Carennac" a "jumble of peaked roofs and half-timbered walls." We parked and jumped out of the car to look around. Parking was easy and wandering around was simple - and a delight. We walked up the stone steps to the church "Oh, so pretty" was Sara's comment about the stained glass. It was similar to the other villages we've stopped in, but this one had a serene path along the river - that looked oh-so-inviting for a stroll, but we got back in the car to head to "Loubressac."
"Loubressac" is "mystical" occurring to the guide book and "the most beautiful in France" -- there are many that seem to have that sort of tag associated with it -- and this one was very pretty. It was high up - so when we parked at the village green we were immediately drawn to the ledge overlooking the view. You could see all the way to the end of the world - and then a bit further. Sara and Julia were more interested in exploring than the view, so I walked with them through the story book perfect village. There were no shops. No cafes. Just houses, a church, and perfectness. It was perfect. Can't get much prettier. Sara skipped from flower box to flower box - smelling all the flowers. And when she skips, she *really* skips - becoming airborne as she lifts one leg up and hops with the other. She is one happy kid. Julia ran right behind Sara, trying her hardest to keep up. She made happy squeals as she went what must have felt like warp speed to her tiny self. I trailed them both with a huge smile on my face. It was magical.
We had "Loubressac" almost to our selves. The only people we saw were enjoying the one cafe that was near the village green (the little nest of streets didn't have any cafes, but this one cafe clung to the edge of the ridge so people could sit and fuel up their body or their minds). People were having coffee or whatever. Just seeping up the view and the ambience - really just "being" - just thinking, relaxing, and being mellow. We went to the cafe - just to walk up and down its ramp (the girls enjoy any sort of thing to walk on - and a ramp with steps is worth doing a few times - they also enjoyed a near by tree that had a base you could climb). Our time was limited - since Dan needed to get back to telecommute - we were there for probably an hour - which was enough time to soak in the magic and let it linger in our memories.
The drive back was over an hour. Then we had dinner outside here (gnocchi, green beans, pea pods) and I put Julia to bed when she started climbing the stairs up to her room. (That kid is so subtle.) As reward for a nap today, Sara got to walk into town with me this evening. She had been saying "remember when we walked around Uzes in the dark?" so she remembered the night we stepped out there and danced around to the evening musicians - and Dan said he'd stay with Julia while she slept and he telecommuted - so Sara and I walked to town around 7 PM.
It was just Sara, me, and my back pack. I had a flash light and water. And, icecream money. She chatted the whole way down - happy as a lark to be out on an adventure past her bed time. When we got to town our usual ice cream place was closed so we went to the main square, sat at a cafe table, and watched the sky go from blue, to mid-night blue, to black. As the sky did its evening dance, the gas lights came to life and we filled our bellies with ice cream. Sara had her usual - even though I tried to get her to try something new - she had to have a cone with strawberry and chocolate. And I had apricot and caramel. We laughed, talked, and just had fun. She is a fun person to hang out with. She asks good questions (and sometimes answers them herself) and she loves playing "I notice" where we say different things that we notice. I used my iPhone to record some of our conversation - to try to remember all the cute things she says.
After our icecream she wanted to play hide and seek, so we did. Right there in the main square - lit by gas light and candles on outdoor cafe tables. She raced around finding spots to hide and then saying "Mama! I'm over here!" while I "look" for her. I know we humored people who were enjoying watching us. She had a ball of energy - and only when it was pretty darn dark (yet still festive since there were a lot of people strolling and dining) did she say it is time to go. I think she was just excited about using the flash light.
She carried the flash light all the way up. 23 minutes walk back here. I know that since I recorded her talking the whole time. She chatted about a wide variety of topics (how many people life in Aisa? how does the Earth spin? how is your shadow taller than mine? when will I be as tall as you? how old will you be, when I'm as old as you? lets go to France when you are 74.), and no matter what the topic was her curiosity was genuine -- and sweet.
We got back here at 8:30 - really time for her to get to sleep! I got her to bed quickly, though I forgot to give her "Peep" her favorite stuffed animal - so she called out for "Peep" a few minutes after I said goodnight. Now Peep and Sara are fast asleep.
It is 9:37 now, so time for me to get to sleep - I never know how early my morning will be - so getting to bed as soon as possible is always my goal!
It was a fun day - some driving, some villages, lovely views, and fun with each other.
Quote of the day:
Scenario: on the walk back up to this house after our evening ice-cream Sara said,
Sara: "Why are these pot holes still here?"
Mama: "They will always be there. But maybe they will patch them."
Sara: "Or maybe they will go to Asia."
Mama: "Well no, they are here in France."
Sara: "But they could take an airplane, and go to Asia."
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