Kurt checked the weather forecast and it was showing a 90% chance of rain for the remaining two days of our trip. There isn't much to do when it rains, so we decided to change our flights home. It was sad to be leaving, but we could all use the weekend at home to adjust to the time difference and reacclimate to being back home.
Before the rain came, I took Mom and Kathy out for a morning excursion. I wanted to show them one of my favorite places, Domme. Of course, they were just as amazed at the incredible views. One can see for miles, but it isn't just the distance. It's the meticulously manicured French countryside with the Dordogne River running through it. So breathtaking. We walked around the quaint hillside town and picked up a few more gifts. What's a few more, right?
Back at the house, we began the arduous task of packing. Unsure of how we would protect our paintings and other delicate purchases, we asked our neighbor, Margot, for help. Her husband, the paintings restorer, had packing boxes and kindly retrieved them out of his barn. Who knows what precious paintings those boxes may have once held.
Margot took us on a tour of their lovely home, showing us a few of the many treasures that they've collected during their exciting and charmed lives. Even their home could only be described as charming.
We began stuffing our luggage, rearranging and restuffing them. We were trading items. Will this fit here? Will that fit there? Finally, after throwing away purses, toothpaste, deodorant, makeup and other things, we were able to get it all in there. Every piece of baggage was bursting at the seams.
Once we had everything packed, I took Mom and Kathy on one last outing to the castle ruins of Commarque. It was late when we arrived and the tours were closed, but I really wanted them to see it. The long walk back up from the castle through the "enchanted forest" seemed a little scary this time as it was getting dark, and we were out there alone.
Next came the problem of getting all of that luggage and the four of us into that tiny European car. We kept rearranging things, saying, "This will never work. We will have to rent another car to Paris." But, persistence paid off, well sort of. All of us had luggage under our feet so our knees were up to our chests. Mom and Kathy were in the back seat with luggage stacked to the ceiling between them. It was hilarious that they couldn't see each other in that tiny space.
We couldn't wait to get on that plane. I was asleep before we took off and thankfully was able to sleep during most of the flight. For some reason, we had to pick up all our luggage in Philadelphia and then had to re-check them. Ugh. Then, it was just a short plane ride to Nashville where Jeff was waiting, sitting on the tailgate. It was so good to see his face. Our luggage took up the entire truck bed. He couldn't believe we had gotten all of it into that little car. Neither do we.
It was the trip of my dreams, and I still cannot believe I was so blessed to have experienced this once in a lifetime, if you're lucky, trip. Thank you, God.
If you must turn the big 5-0, you might as well soften the blow by doing it in France. So that's what I planned, and it actually worked. It really wasn't that bad. I have spent the majority of my last few birthdays working at Camp Neyati in Alabama. Jeff is usually working in Bowling Green so it has been his practice to call me about ten times during the day to sing to me. He knows how much I love the birthday song. Since it costs so much to call, even with the international plan, he texted me instead every couple of hours. It was very sweet, but I missed hearing his voice sing, "dear Ju-ya". Mom took a few pictures of me before we headed out to the beaches of Bordeaux.
The beach was really different from any other beaches I had ever been to. There were no high rise hotels or buildings of any kind. The beach had really fine brown sand and was very wide. Several huge concrete structures looked as if they had just fallen there. They had square openings with iron bars that resembled jail doors, and they were covered in grafitti. Mom and Kurt had walked up ahead while Kathy and I stayed back a bit so we could do something sneaky. (I'll never tell) Mom heard us laughing hard and said she knew exactly what we were up to.
We walked a long way down the beach to find a place where the waved crashed onto the shore, then we set out our towels and made ourselves comfortable. We laid back, closed our eyes and listened to the waves while we soaked up the sun. After about ten minutes, Kathy said, "I hear water!" We all opened our eyes and saw that the ocean was upon us! Thirty seconds later and we would have lost our car keys and cell phones to the ocean. We jumped up, grabbed our water logged belongings and headed way back on the beach. We wondered if the other people on the beach had been watching us, waiting, then laughing at us, the clueless foreigners. The waves and undertow were strong. This time, taking our cue from them, noticing that no one else was in the water, we decided not to go in too deep.
It was fun being on the beach with my mother and sister. It reminded me of the old days, only this time, one of her girls was 50.
I bent down to write in the sand, Then Kathy did, too.
After getting our fill of sand and sun, we packed up and drove past Bordeaux to wine country. Most of the family-owned vineyards sell their wines in elaborate barns, however, we were late and most were closed. However, Kurt bought a bottle of Chateau Julia for me for my birthday. I don't know if I'll ever drink it, but I love it.
We used the GPS to find an Italian restaurant for my birthday dinner and followed the directions to a questionable looking place. While sitting there trying to decide if we should chance it, we noticed a steady stream of locals stopping by to pick up take out. Taking that as a good sign, we went in but were promptly escorted outside to eat, which ended up being very nice. It was really good food. I had the vegetarian lasagna which was served in the dish right out of the oven. It actually boiled in the bowl for a long time.
It was a three hour drive home to Baran. All in all, a beautiful way to turn 50!
We awoke to another day of blue skies but cooler temperatures. Our day started with ham, tomato and cheese omelets, coffee and baguettes.
Chateau de L'Herm
Kurt and I had seen Chateau Herm during our first week, but we waited so we could take Kathy (Herm) there. Of course, it is closed for the month of June. Still, we got an up close enough view of the lovely castle in ruins. It had a stone bridge over its moat. We took pictures of Kathy in front of it to send to her husband, Joe.
Sheep!
We took a walk down a long path beside the castle and heard sheep, lots of sheep baaahing, and it made me stop in my tracks. It was one of the things I wanted to experience on my wish list for my trip to France. There were big sheep, baby sheep, furry sheep, and sheared sheep. There was even a black sheep. The others seem to like him and kept him in the center of them. There were fields full of sheep on both sides of the road. Mom doesn't understand why that makes me so happy. Come to think of it, neither do I, but it really did. During the entire trip, I've been keeping an eye out for them. Another blessing.
Benac Castle
Next, we took Kathy and Mom to see Benac Castle, which sits high on a hill, overlooking the Dordogne River.
Then dinner on the terrace of a restaurant sitting on the edge of the river. We had our very first creme brulee for dessert. I enjoyed cracking it, like Amelie.
On the drive home, Kurt noticed a large depot vente so once again, we made a pit stop. We all combed through the building and the outside, both overflowing with treasures. I had a small pile on the counter and was ready to pay when my mother asked if I had seen a couple of paintings on the floor. They were very dirty, but were just perfect, and the best part was they were only five euros each. Sold!
