Villefranche De Lauragais,
France
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Just outside Toulouse is a quaint village called Villefranche De Lauragais, where the Charbonnier's lived. (The exchange family soren stayed with during his exchange).We went to see the village, which again seemed so much bigger 14 years ago. Found the pharmacy that the Charbonnier's live at. As chance would have it soren recognised the pharmacist and asked about the Charbonnier's. We then made our way to Baziege where the Charbonnier's had moved to. A lovely family who's youngest daughter Annie (soren took her room for three monthson exchange) was getting married that weekend, we were kindly invited to a post wedding day lunch at the end of our trip where Soren got to catch up with the rest of the family, Oliver the oldest son, and his sister Cecile. The lunch was held at Belfou Castle that was once owned by the Charbonnier's family, before it was sold and then sold again to a Swedish man who is renovating it. After lunch Oliver and his lovely wife Laurie gave us a tour of the castle. As a young boy Oliver got to explore and find all the secrets that a castle has. What looked like a small castle from the outside turned out to be a five lever exploration, sadly no dungeon, but it was great to find room after room, and a fantastic view from the top overlooking Belfou, filled with sunflower farms.
Soren remembers the castle been over grown with weeds and walking down from the farm house to buy eggs (as a young boy the 200m walk seemed like half a day's journey), and playing with bow and arrows with Oliver on the farm.
