My dad, Chuck and his friend, Marilyn arrived on Thursday afternoon. They flew into Paris on Monday so had a few days of sightseeing in the city before hanging out with us for a week in the country. We picked them up from Angouleme and unusually, the train was late by more than an hour so Will and I grabbed a beer in the station. While doing so, we saw a sign telling us the reason the train was delayed was “affluence au depart”, which sounds pretty nice. When Chuck and Marilyn arrived, however, we found out it meant that they first got on an overcrowded train, were told to switch to another train on a different platform only to be told after getting there to go back to the original train. There was a national strike on that day so whatever the problem was was related to that.
After arriving home and having lunch, we did one of our local walks and then went out to dinner in nearby Mareuil. We ate at L’Olive Noir, a first for us since it had just reopened for the season. It’s owned by an English couple and they do pizzas and a number of mains. The food was passable but not too exciting. In England, it would have been considered good but compared to what we’re used to eating out here, it just didn’t measure up. We may give their pizzas a try but they will have a had time besting our place in Brantome.
We have had a run of really nice spring weather since they arrived; sunny, with temps in the high teens, low 20’s (60-70’sF). On Friday, we had the pleasure of eating outside right alongside the river in Brantome at the cute waiter restaurant. It was warm enough for the eponymous waiter to remove his outer layer revealing quite a nice chest underneath. Marilyn commented that in profile, he looks like Tom Cruise and she told him as much. Beforehand, we had a stroll through the market and also did an hour-long walk through the surrounding area so we had built up a healthy appetite before eating. We came home and had another local walk before going out that night. Sharon joined us for dinner at the “Bad Boys” restaurant – just down the road from us and staffed by young offenders who are there learning a trade. They serve a five-course meal for €26 which is very inexpensive considering the quality and service. I won’t list what everyone had but suffice it to say, we all left very satisfied.
Saturday was the nicest weather-wise so we decided to stay put for the day. In the morning, we did the Enchanted Forest walk, which is just down the road from us and very picturesque. We had lunch at home and then sat outside for most the afternoon. Sharon suggested doing a bbq for dinner so she did the shopping while we lounged. To kick off the season, Sharon whipped up a couple of batches of margaritas so the evening got off on the right foot. We then moved inside for dinner. The mains were confit de canard and chicken breasts done on the grill plus fennel with blue cheese, wrapped in foil and warmed over the coals and a veggie pasta salad that Will and I made. We got some strawberry and raspberry tartlets from the bakery that morning and served that along with cheese for dessert. So much for a light supper! Of course, the evening ended with poker and we were up to at least 2am playing.
Sunday started with a local walk in the morning and then leftovers for lunch. Sharon had made some delicious broccoli stilton soup that she brought over so we started with that. In the afternoon, we visited the Chateau de Mareuil in the village of the same name. The oldest part is from the 14th C and the rest from the 16th C. It’s owned by an elderly couple who must be in their late 80’s. They give guided tours on Sunday afternoon in the off-season and we’d heard from some friends who went that it’s worth a visit. I’m glad to say it didn’t disappoint. From what I pieced together, the chateau was in his family until the revolution when it was vacated; it then became a farm and they moved back in 15 years ago and are restoring it. Sure enough, the gentleman of the manor was up on a ladder on the outer walls doing who-knows-what when we left. As he walked by, his wife introduced him and said “He speaks better English” to which he replied, “I also have a better hat”. I certainly hope so cause the one he was wearing looked like a yellow ski-sock that hung down to his mid back. Anyway, she showed us various rooms that had antique furniture (some from Louis XVI, some from earlier periods) and various knickknacks. I gather that the husband’s family comes from aristocracy and has lots of famous relatives. The chateau itself is falling down in some places and that’s because people used to come and take the stones for their houses and roads while it was vacant. Needless to say, the lady of the manor didn’t think the revolution was such a hot idea, which isn’t a very popular view here.
We stayed home for the rest of the afternoon and then Will and I made dinner which was a chicken and vegetable stir-fry with chopped soy-coated walnuts. In the evening, we watched Murder By Death and then went to bed. Today we went to St Jean de Cole where we had a brief look around and then lunch. That was a mere 4-course affair for each of us. On the way home, we stopped by Le Chateau de Puyguihlem, built in the 16th century and very picturesque (I’m sure Will has a few in his FB album – click the pic above to view). Afterwards, we had a quick walk through the town of Bordeilles, which is just down the river from Barntome and has two chateaux overlooking the river. Now we’re resting at home and will eventually have dinner here tonight if we can find the room for it. Tomorrow we’re off to Sarlat to see caves, villages and chateaux; we return the next day and then take the visitors back to Angouleme on Thurs am.
Stay tuned for Part II, coming very soon.