La Plume d Oie La Roque-Gageac

... 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.

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!

... such a beautiful river region.

Somewhere along the way, I stopped to take a dip in the river, and a drunk guy from the UK named Louis, started chatting with me. I guess his family is originally from the area, and his family has an old house here that he has been slowly restoring over the years. Sounds pretty convenient for him to get here - he takes his car on a night ferry that arrives in Caen, and from there it's a 4-5 hour drive here, so he arrives just ...

... see blog entry entitled "A mix of Disney, baguette, fromage, and *****!" http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-en tries/pwong/europe_2006/1153739220/tpod .html )

Two local couples, or perhaps French tourists, sitting next to me nodded in approval when it was delivered to my table. Their words and gestures seemed to indicate "Good choice, this is very French!" ... but then they nearly freaked out when I poured way too much water into it "NON!!! C'est ...

... s what it turned into.

So to start with the French cooking course, I had been planing this with my Aunty Sue about 2 years ago and finally we made it happen, it was wonderful, we spent the week with a lovely group of people who all had the love or at least willingness to learn to cook between us and with the guidance of head chef Jim concocted some amazing dishes, ate ...

... Changed money and bought a phone card, then wandered around the phones for half an hour before realising I was putting it in upside down. By the way, I still have $5 Singaporean on a phone card, if anyone has a way to spend it? Called Mark and told him to meet me at 8:40 the next morning at Bordeaux. Anyhoo, finally got through the scanners and re-packed my back pack. Taking a computer is useful, but irritating. I tried to communicate in French ...

Upon leaving my lovely villa, I returned to a charming, affordable hotel near the train station in Cahors, and explored that medieval town of 21,000 a bit better. The cathedrals, the 700 year old fortified Pont Valentre, and more winding streets, farmers markets and promenades along the Lot in the warm summer sun made for a delightful August.