Hotel de la Madeleine Sarlat-la-Canéda

... some way off and enjoyed the view as we walked the 1km to the top...

By the time we made it to the bottom the heavens had opened. An extremely rude little man told us off for standing under some shelter in the street but out the front of his shop. I just laughed and then ignored him which made him furious... serves him right ...

Another pretty little village this time famous for its red brick houses. A little more life than the last few villages and even a few shops open, one of which specialised in foie gras. As this is foie gras territory we did as the locals do and bought ourselves some which we will enjoy one night with one of the remaining bottle of champagne we still have in Scooby.

Today was eventful yet relaxing. We just walked around this town that had tons of history and shops and was just great. I bought some new jeans and a shirt and found some things that i only wish i had the money to buy! We got a can of Dr. Pepper, which you can't find anywhere by the way, for 2 euros which is like $3.50 or something. Karen keeps getting ...

We left the bordeaux region today for the dordogne valley - the ancient town of Sarlat - waaaay medieval-
I've determined that there is not enough of france to walk in to justify the amount of food we've been eating...oof. We havent even had any pastries or creme brulee we're so full from lunch and dinner!
we"ll post more in the matin!
Bonne Nuit!

We spent the entire afternoon canoeing down the Dordogne. We packed a lunch and found a nice spot along the river to enjoy some wine and cheese. It was so peaceful and beautiful. Every couple of Kilometers was anothe castle overlooking the river. The river was so flat that we could just float along and enjoy the view.

From the cousins house we moved further west to Neils parents house. They have a place in a beautiful old town. It is an old walled vilage on the hilltop overlooking the valley. The village is full of cobblestone streets, windy narrow alleys and cute little homes. We ate great meals, enjoyed excellent wine and spent time with Neils parents. thank you again for hosting us!

... arranged for me last night. I ended up missing my ride, because as I sat out in the garden eating breakfast, I thought they would knock on the gate. I even poked out my head once or twice, but didn't see anyone. It turned out that I was supposed to wait outside for my ride - oops!

Luckily, Pierre-Henri was on his way to another town, so once again, he was gracious enough to drop me off at the rental place. We had a bit of a chat, and it turns out that ...

... at the castle, I was in search of food. I couldn't wait to eat tonight, because Sarlat is very famous for one thing - foie gras!!!

Sarlat is very touristy, so I ended up choosing a restaurant on a side street, hoping that it would be a bit less touristy. I decided on a place called Restaurant du Commerce and ordered a pastis as an aperitif - I've only had this once before, three years ago, but remember it's delicious and refreshing black licorice ...

... br>Next was a trip up to Bordeaux where we met with Emma. Spend the next few days around the coast south of here including the biggest sand dune in Europe. Really good.

More to follow...

... courses before so wasn't the instigator, but my mom was intent on doing it and proving that even at 64 she can still do some exciting things. The look of determination and pride was great). Lowlights: - I hadn't booked accomodation, so there was periodic distraction to find a new gite to stay in - Taking an unplanned 2 hour "diversion" from Paris to the Dordogne (I missed a turn) ... The words I hadn't ...