Dordogne Highlights

I can't believe we've been home for almost 3 weeks...so much has happened in such a short period of time. I'm so grateful I thoroughly enjoyed every minute away (except for the 9 hour delay at the airport) and that we could even squeeze in a babymoon (a first!) before things really got crazy :)

Today I'll be dreaming of floating down that river with our friends Paula and Mark. What excellent traveling companions they are! We had such a great time enjoying France together and they even helped us with some house projects along the way. What good sports they were to participate in weather stripping windows and schlepping bags 300 feet up the cobblestone path. Gems I tell ya :)

Above you'll see the village of Beynac (where La Maisonnette sits) in the distance. Talk about a killer view, no? If you think you've seen it before, you probably have...that is if you are a Rick Steves fan. I believe a similar image of the village dons the cover of the video version of his Guide to France.

Also, Sally passed along this article about the Dordogne region from MSNBC. If you haven't seen the article in the NYTimes, you can also read that here. It's good to know we aren't the only ones enamored with this area of France!

















Had to hit the Sarlat market despite the gloomy weather that day. I was sad to not see my favorite spice, vanilla and honey vendors. I suppose the cold weather kept them all away. Drat! I was really hoping to stock up on some goodies.

















We ate our fair share of white asparagus that week and were more than happy to do so. It was delicious and I'm not sure I've ever seen it at a market in the States before--just canned versions. The strawberries were excellent too (here's an easy, yummy treat to make with strawberries this summer that requires zero cooking).























Views of the valley and of Beynac from the Marqueyssac Gardens. We walked around with homemade ice cream cones (available next to the chateau--try the walnut with chocolate) while sunshine and spring rain took turns covering us while we enjoyed the excellent views and a good, long walk.

p.s. I'm getting big. Errr...I mean the baby is getting big :)

p.p.s. love the little sign letting you know where guests can picnic. For some reason I love the way the French spell the word.


































And more fun image from our lunch with Daniele--truly a trip highlight and a meal I'll never forget. Plus, when a woman in her early 70's tells you she's never seen snowfall in May before, you know it's a memorable day! Isn't her hat cute? She is such a firecracker.