Friday the 21st of May:
We departed Uzes at 9.30am.and headed for the Dordogne region, where we are now "villagers" in the small hamlet of Bonneuil just outside La Brochbeaucourt for a week, before returning to Provence on the 27th of May. Although we traveled on motorways for most of the 600 odd kilometers of the journey, it was a long day. Our arrival was early evening, and we acquainted ourselves with our new abode, which is a cottage, originally part of a 13th century farm house. A basic but tastefully finished home having a comfortable and regional feel. We are residents of Bonneuil for the next week.The nearest village with shops is La broach la court a couple of kilometers away, where we have a local butcher, bakery and a small general store.
Saturday the 21st of May:
Our Saturday was a recovery and orientation day becoming familar with our new surroundings. A supermarket shopping venture stocking on food and local wines was the major achievement. The remainder of the day was spent attending the overgrown garden. This task was completed the following day as the cottage had not been occupied for some time.
Sunday the 22nd of May:
A day spent completing our garden tending and after lunch a trip to Brontome the town built on a island in Dronne River where we enjoyed our first taste of Dordogne architecture, visiting the famous Abbey and the achient caves now a tourist attraction.
Monday May the 23rd:
We decided that our stay in Bonneuile would be enjoyed as a stress free interlude where we could enjoy our accommodation in a small French Village to the utmost. We completed the garden tidy up and headed off shortly before lunch to visit a famous French porcelain factory and the very poignant Village of the Martyrs (Oradour-Sur-Glane) which not far away from Limoges, approximately hundred kilometers north of Perigueux.
The porcelain retail outlet also included the factory at the rear, and the display of goods for sale is one of the biggest in France. We did buy one small piece as a memento and then moved on further north. The pictures tell the story.
Oradour-Sur-Glane is a village that was destroyed in the Second World War in an afternoon rampage by German troops. The city has been preserved, as it was devastated with 642 villages dead and only five survivors. A completely new town has been established along side of the preserved ruins. On visiting the devastation General de Gaulle made two decisions. Firstly that the ruins should be preserved, so that future generations might not forget, and secondly that a new Oradour should rise close to the ruins. Nine years later in 1953 the new Oradour was inaugurated. This visit was a very moving experience and today many young people visit and come to appreciate some of the inglorious history of mankind's past. Returning late afternoon we enjoyed a home cooked meal enjoyed in the garden with some very enjoyable but reasonably priced French white wine.
Tuesday the 24th of May:
A visit to Brantome (the Venice of the Dordogne)
and a Internet upload from the Local Tourism office was the plan, but they were not open on Tuesdays. I decided that the the most logical plan was to wait until we reached St Remy at the weekend as it is time consuming task seeking assistance with a limited knowledge of the local language. We then drove to Thivers where we had a lunch in a park and a conversation (in french only) with a middle aged local woman out walking her dog. She was so proud to point out all the local attractions not to be missed on our map.
Leaving Thivers we headed for St Jean de Cole and the subterranean caves containing prehistoric remains and paintings. Unfortunately we took the wrong track and finished up in a local vineyard, and as time was running short decided to give this feature of the region a miss. We then proceeded to Villars where we enjoyed an hour inspecting the famous Cheateau de Puyguilhem, dating from the First Renaissance. It is claimed to be equal to the Loire château built in the reign of Françoise1. The Château contained a number of furnishings and tapestry taking from the 16th to 18th century and these added character to the rooms. The Château was classified as a historic monument in 1881, and as such is the only one open to the public in the Dordogne area. The notes provided states the structure marries Medieval Flamboyant Gothic architecture with that of the First Renaissance.
VILLAGE LIFE:
The experience of village life in Bonneuile with no shops, no phone or TV and just dozen or so homes and no English spoken was both rewarding and peaceful.
The elderly couple who had been original farmers in the area, still retained a small plot to maintain their links with farming and to enable them to live a self sufficient life. The plot was some distance from their home and they carted water in containers daily to ensure their recently planted seedlings survived. My curiosity led me to visit their plot where they also tended a very fine pig that was probably unaware of his future date on the local dining tables. The village was very much about bartering of goods services and produce. At the end of the week we were fortunate to meet Michael and Sally an English couple who have been living in the village for some years. They had just returned from Spain as the weather had been too hot. and they shared their experiences with us. Over the last couple of years they had fully restored a derelict barn into an extremely comfortable and practical home. Michael had been in the real estate business and told us of the opportunities in French real estate over recent years. These days his main interests revolve about semi-retirement and touring throughout Europe following his hobby of racing historic racing cars. It is easy to see the pull of this sort of lifestyle to people considering escaping the pressures of life.
We must thank Michael and Vivian [who are currently touring Australia] for the use of their cottage which was full of character and charm. We were not looking for mod cons, but just the ability to just relax and experience! We actually listened to a talking book over a couple of evenings, cooked meals together, read and shared many a conversation (just the two of us!) Some of the things we forget to do in the real world!
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Wednesday the 25th of May.
We journeyed to Perigueux and he this was an opportunity to visit our first museum, and of course this expanded the knowledge of the history of the region. Perigueux is a thriving city that services the extensive agricultural areas of the surrounding countryside, and we just happened to visit on the day of another city market. Unfortunately the main cathedral was undergoing extensive renovation and we were unable to visit. Now
Our evening concluded with dinner at the Beaursjour Hotel at Monsec. The meal was excellent and we enjoyed the company of Josiane the manager who generously presented us with a small memento of the evening. As we were leaving we got a recommendation from an American couple also dining, for another local restaurant to enjoy on our last evening.
Thursday the 26th of May:
Our last day was spent tidying up packing the cases and then we went of off to visit Nontron a village situated 40 kms away on the ridge providing a good view of the surrounding countryside. We had our usual French baguette lunch and kept up our fitness attack with more walking and sightseeing. The ancient buildings built into the natural hillside and the view in the distance of an ancient viaduct again emphasized the history that abounds in Europe. This week we appreciated the slightly slower pace of our sightseeing and of course the complete contrast of our accommodation to that already experienced and to come. Again we thank Vivian and Michael touring Australia for the use of their wonderful "French Retreat" and hope they have been unable to follow our adventures via this web site.
Friday 27th was a 7.00am departure for St Remy.
Au revoir Bonneuile and French village life!
We loved every moment and
J'espere
vous revoir bientot!!
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The 60cm lawn now 30mm
After the garden toil our reward!
Le Moulin de l'Abbaye restaurant Bartome renowned in region for its food and ambience.
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