SOUTHERN FRANCE October 30-Nov.3, 2012

Our adventure began before we even left Florida as Hurricane Sandy was heading to NYC and our booked flights to and from JFK airport. By Saturday it was clear that there would be no flights leaving JFK on Monday as planned and thank goodness the airlines were eager to reschedule flights before the hurricane came close. 

All in all, our new flights were better: Tampa to Miami, Miami to Paris with pretty easy layovers. We did have a long day waiting to catch the train from CDG down to Bordeaux and on to the tiny towns near Peter.  But Peter surprised us with a text that Richard, his partner, had been in an accident just before leaving to get us. Since it would take Peter a while to finish with the Gendarmes and come to   the train station, we found a pub nearby and had a snack and pint of beer until he got there. Nice to share a bit of the evening with Frenchmen watching soccer and best to know that Richard wasn't hurt even though the car was totaled!!!

Peter and Richard live in the south of France along the Lot River. They restore really old French properties and his latest project is a French chateau, so we were anxious to see it for the first  time.

It was cloudy the first day we were there so we bundled up to walk around the property and see this amazing house and out buildings.  It's huge!

 Later that afternoon we walked down to the river with the dog to see a bit of the sunset

 His chateau is about 400 years old, with dairy barns, storerooms and  Peter's newest endeavor...his vinegary. He has decided to make vinegar and create a small business as he renovates the large property. The upper floor was originally a tobacco drying room where local tobacco was hung on wires from the ceiling.

Entrance gate to the kitchen patio

 Sun was shining the second morning so I got some better photos of the covered walkway and rooms.

 This is the main entrance to the living room and main living space. They have installed over 60 new windows , all white frames with panes, adding a wonderful lightness to the exterior.

 I think this is the 4th house he and Richard have taken on as projects, and we haven't seen two others so we took a day's drive to the little village houses. We met the owners of one of them in Issigeac, a medieval village in southern Dordogne then enjoyed a lunch together before going on with the rest of our tour.

 This is how narrow the street is in the village of

 After lunch we drove to the most recent finished project in the little village of Belves, a Medieval Hilltop village on the south east edge of the Dordogne near Sarlat. this one is still for sale.  A cute little one bedroom 3 story tower house.  If you could only see what it looked like before he began...

 We walked to the center of the village from the tower house.

 It was getting near sun down so the photos are a bit dark, but such a darling village.

 Paul found the bakery and picked up some fabulous French baguettes that we ate on the way home.

 Saturday we visited the village nearest to the chateau and had another wonderful French meal.

 My salad of warmed goat cheese on toast with greens and tomatoes before the entree of gorgonzola pasta arrive

 Delicious!

We stopped at the cemetery in town to see the beautiful flowers that had been set out for All Saints Day, November 1st.  A custom in every French village, chrysanthemums and cyclamens everywhere.

 From there we went to the tallest hill to look out over the valley trying to see the chateau from here.

Photo time for all of us.

 The last picture I got of the property from across the field, dark and rainy outside.

 Peter and Richard drove us back to Bordeaux on Sunday morning to catch our flight to Rome and onto Athens. We were to begin our 12 day cruise of the Greek Islands on Monday afternoon.  I know the next time we visit there will be amazing changes done. But he does have plenty to keep him busy for the coming years, for sure.