Esther and Sèverine

Judy. We have been fortunate to have had some truly wonderful Airbnb hosts on this trip. I was afraid that Jerry and Elaine in Scotland would spoil us for everyone else, and they are still top-shelf. But our Périgord hostesses have given them a run for their money! 

The front porch at Maison Monet

We forgot to take a photo of the lovely Esther, so she kindly sent us one. 

In Meyrals, Esther welcomed us to her countryside gîte, Maison Monet, with a lovely bottle of local wine. Our little house was located in a field near her home, so if we needed her, she was right there. Most Airbnbs request that you not light candles—and I get that—but she had candles everywhere, which came in handy the night we had a fierce storm that knocked out power! The little porch had a beautiful view across the fields, and a view of the sunset. 

Such peaceful evenings

One afternoon Esther contacted us to ask if we wanted a side of wild boar. Yes, seriously. Her neighbor had just shot one, and had still had some meat in his freezer. She offered it to us, and we did our usual, “Why not?” After much laughter with her and some hard decisions, Ted used only part of it and made a delicious stew—enough for two meals, plus some for Esther and her husband. She’s not a great fan of boar (it WAS pretty darned delicious) but left it for the next visitors to Maison Monet, who thanked her deeply for the wine and for the tasty stew! 

That was one big boar!

Moving on to St. Léon de l’Isle, our tiny cottage, called Gîte Pierre Forte, was hosted by Sèverine, who, in her small plot of land, had a pool, a hot tub, a hammam (steam room), an outdoor summer kitchen, chickens, two daughters, and a lovely dog named Vaya.

Gîte Pierre Forte

The delightful Sèverine

Stepping into our warm and cozy space, we found she had left us a huge bowl of tomatoes and peppers, grapes, figs, and eggs, all from her garden! This time it was my turn, and I made ratatouille, one of our favorites, from her bounty. Plus we had omelets from her eggs and tomatoes. We hardly ate out at all that week, because we had so much food! 

Some of the bounty from Sèverine 

And what we did with it. Love eating local!

One night the Wi-Fi went out. Jade, her daughter, figured out it had to do with a broken booster. Within an hour, they were back with a new one! At night! 

Good morning from Gîte Pierre Forte

As with Elaine and Jerry, we had a bit of a chance to know them and their world. And that makes all the difference when you visit someplace new.

Market days

Judy. One of my absolute favorite things about France is the market days. I know there are markets in other countries, but nothing I’ve seen compares to a French market. In addition to fresh produce, flowers, breads, cheese, and meats, most of the smaller towns also have stalls with clothing, accessories, hardware, and anything else you might not have easy access to in town. Vendors banter with you and offer samples and advice. And the prices are unbelievably reasonable. I don’t know why the produce in the markets in the States is so high. The only comparison I can make was the Saturday market in Missoula, Montana, which was very affordable, and almost as much fun as a French market. 

It’s not just the stalls. People gather and chat like we do after church in the States. It doesn’t matter if they’re in the middle of an aisle, they’ve not seen each other all week! Coffee shops all around the perimeter are packed. It’s a weekly celebration, and always brings us joy. Whether or not we need anything, we go to as many as we can.

In smaller towns, clothes are a big seller

There's almost always an organic vegetable seller--usually more than one

This time of year, pumpkins and squash go quickly

There are often several hat and purse stalls

Friends chat next to the chicken vendor

ALWAYS dogs. Sometimes they get along, sometimes, not.

So much to catch up on!

No empty tables at nearby cafes!

Ah! Time for oysters!

This time of year, mushrooms abound.

Tablecloths and shopping baskets.

The villages of Périgord

Ted. The French state of Dordogne is usually referred to by locals as Périgord, a name for this province that goes back to the Romans. Tomorrow is October 1 and Judy and I will leave this area and head west for a one week stay in the village of Pomerol which is in the Bordeaux wine region. 

During our 17 days in Périgord, we have had many wonderful experiences of food, wine, churches, caves, castles and markets (more to come from Judy on that). Although our Airbnb hosts are very nice, we haven't really gotten to meet many other folks. One exception is a guy who left the rat race of Paris to open a small cafe called the Pink Elephant.

I think my favorite memories are of simply wandering the streets and alleys of the villages and small towns. On this map, which I found on the internet, you can clearly see the four parts of Périgord; black (truffles), white (limestone cliffs), purple (wine) and green (forests) along with many of the famous villages.

Our first little house was located in Périgord Noir just west of Sarlat and our current cottage now lies between St-Astier and Neuvic in Périgord Blanc. Here are a few images that I captured.

Belvès

Brantôme (this monastery was founded by Charlemagne)

Domme

La Roque-Gageac (taken from a boat on the river)

Monpazier is a bastide (fortified town)

Périgueux (People stop wherever they want to chat)

Rocamadour (just outside of Périgord)

Saint-Jean-de-Côle

Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère

Sarlat

Château de Beynac

Ted. We don’t typically tour a lot of castles. For one thing, the sheer number of them is a bit daunting. There are literally thousands in France alone. Driving around Dordogne, it is nothing to see at least two or three from the road every day. Like churches, after a while they all sort of look alike. But we thought we should pick out one, pay the money and wander around. After a bit of deliberation, we settled on Beynac. Note that it is called a château which is a broad term in French, encompassing fortified castles, palaces and even big houses. 

Annoyingly, most castles are at the top of a hill. I suppose it made sense for defensive purposes back in the 14th century but it is a pain for 21st century tourists. So, we joined the folks wandering up the hill. Going on a weekday morning in September, we weren’t overwhelmed by the crowds so it was very pleasant. 

Some scenes from the film "Chocolat" were shot here

Finally - the front door!

Arriving at the top, it was easy to see how tough it would be to take this castle. During the 100 years war between France and England, the Dordogne River was a border between France and Aquitaine, the duchy controlled by England. From this castle, on the north shore of the river, it is easy to observe two castles on the opposite side. 

The "English" castles are in the upper left corner

Chapel and Dordogne Valley

Though there were frequent skirmishes between the opposing forces, Beynac never fell. Built in the 12th century and expanded over the years, it fell into disrepair in more recent times until it was purchased and restored by an Italian businessman in 1962. He decorated the rooms in styles from several centuries.

This was Richard the Lionheart's room in the 12th c

"Throne" room (toilet)

I am currently rereading Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror in which I am reminded that for every majestic château or church in Europe, there were thousands of hovels. It sort of makes one wonder. Still, it is impressive.

An aerial view from the internet

France...again!

Ted. Maybe it’s because Judy and I are very comfortable with the language but we find ourselves returning to France nearly every year. We love the food, wine and culture and still have long time friends there. 

We decided a few years ago that each time we returned to France, we would try a new region. For 2025, we picked the city of Bordeaux and the nearby department (state) of Dordogne; named for the eponymous river that flows through it. The borders of Dordogne encompass much of the ancient province of Perigord so that is another name for this region (yeah - it's a little confusing). 

Our plan was to stay in an Airbnb for four weeks in Bordeaux and then take a four day driving tour of Dordogne. However, two months ago we were informed by our Airbnb host that she had to cancel the reservation that we had made almost a year earlier. Apparently an infestation of termites called for some major work. This close to our arrival meant options were limited. But then we thought, “What might this make possible?” 

In the end, we totally changed our itinerary and decided to take a three week roadtrip of the countryside, followed by a week in the city of Bordeaux. On September 14 we bid a fond farewell to Kaunas, Lithuania and drove to Vilnius for our long trip, via Frankfurt, Germany, to Bordeaux, France. Just before leaving, I messaged my nephew, Chris who lives in Frankfurt to say we would be thinking of him during our 90 minute layover. He immediately messaged back to say that he was dropping off his brother-in-law at the airport that afternoon so we should look for him while we were there. Funny enough, Josh’s gate was near ours so we were able to give our nephew (in-law) a quick hug before we boarded our next flight. 

What are the odds?? Pretty good according to our daughter!

After spending the night at an airport hotel in Bordeaux, we picked up our rental car and drove to our first destination; a gîte (holiday cottage) just outside the tiny village of Meyrals. 

This community of less than 600 is nestled in part of Dordogne known as the Perigord Noir (Black Perigord). There are four regions of Perigord and each is known by a color. Our corner of Perigord is called "Black" because of the truffles that grow in its lush, dark forests. This area is most famous for the caves, many of which have magnificent prehistoric paintings. Here are a couple of snapshots of our house and our village.

Home Sweet Home (for 10 days)

View from our porch

Our little village, about a 30 minute walk through the forest

St Eutrope Church (12th century)

A lauze (stacked stone) roof

Lauze roofs are typical of Perigord Noir

The bar/restaurant/convenience store