A picnic, two chateaux and three lovely towns

Sunday 13 Sept
Breakfast at La Cachette sets us up well. Cereal, yoghurt, fruit, croissant, bread, jams, cheeses, meats, coffee, juice ... It's all laid on. The skies are not clear this morning but they look more forgiving than yesterday.
We set off for the Bastide town of Domme. I am driving! It is quiet on this Sunday morning. The sun struggles through cloud but does a jolly good job of beaming down warmth. The storm has long gone. This old town is ready to show off to us like an old dog whose tricks have been seen a thousand times.
We have coffee overlooking the river, canoeists paddling way below on the river, the swift current pushing them along at a great rate. The views are stunning.

We go through the museum, a glimpse into the past. We meander around for a bit, come across a classic car club and their array of old Citroen, Renault, Volvo. Even a Triumph. A little later we see them filing out of town. We are not far behind, on our way to Roque de Gageac. It's a town on the river, cut into the rocks behind. The wine shop has a beauty beyond the wine it houses, and canoes are flocking along the riverside in droves. We enjoy a DIY picnic lunch by the river. Baguette, foie gras, emmental, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, fig confit and Dijon mayo. And rose wine. Who cares if it is drizzling slightly, we are beneath the trees and feasting on French treats.
Next stop is Beynac. I am still driving! We park and set forth on the steep road up the hill towards the impressive looking Chateau. It is drizzling a little but this keeps us cool. It's a long slog to the top. About half way up I decide that if I lived at the chateau at the top I would be teetotal. Lugging wine up there would be far too much like hard work! Oh ... except, if I did live there I would have servants and they would bring my liquid requirements right to me. It would have priority in the cold store and I would  guzzle it out of tankards to obliterate the hardships of life in the Middle Ages.
Oh, Help, I am in the Middle Ages ... And I have to say I am rather enjoying the middle aged years in 2015 in Europe!
Once at the castle ... and it really is a long and steep climb up ... I realise this is more a fortress, a castle of battle, than a regal residence of gaiety.  Perhaps there would be no wine servant after all.

This place is Medieval to its core, hanging high up on the cliff, stark and sprawling, room after room after room, each with a different purpose. You can almost sense the Knights around the corner. The battle weary keen to rest. The watchmen wishing they could close their eyes and sleep. Richard 1st, the Lionheart, resided here for ten years. The views from the ramparts up the very top are spectacular. My mind cannot compute how a place like this was built all those years ago, and still exists today in such good shape, especially given it is perched on the edge of a cliff way, way up high.  

Staggering. Literally. Especially with wine on board!
As we'd made our way up, I had watched many people slipping their way back down on the wet cobble stones, kids and adults alike, (yes it is that steep) and so we opt to walk down the alternative road rather than the slippery cobbles. The leafy woods on this pathway are in stark contrast to the mustard stone buildings of the old township.
What an amazing place, start to finish.

We drive on to Chateau Fenelon, a castle near our village of Grolejac. It had been closed on our first attempt, but now it is open. And  spectacular. In private ownership, one can wander around the beautifully furnished rooms at leisure. I feel like Puss In Boots and his master the Marquis may greet us at any moment. With pointy turrets and a web of rooms, it is not as opulent as some castles, but this place has a rustic charm all of its own, sitting in isolation in the countryside.  The mustard stone contrasts with the green grass and the place exudes nobility.

(NB: A couple of years later, in 2017, I met the NZ branch of the Fenelon family. Imagine the surprise when we made the Chateau Fenelon connection and I said I'd been there! That's another story!)

We return to La Cachette where new guests have arrived ... Phil and Terry from Chichester. We sit on the terrace overlooking surrounding hills and enjoying a nice Chablis. Then we walk to the edge of the village for dinner at Hotel du Pont. With curtains of dusky salmon pink and an old fashioned bar, it reminds me of a dining room from decades ago. Patrons sit and eat quietly while the waitress rushes around at a hundred miles an hour. I feel that speaking words might disturb her zooming and alarm the clientele. We speak in hushed tones. 
Brett orders the melon and I opt for the foie gras - again! We do a partial food exchange and melding ... And I declare we have just concocted a new taste sensation. Melon au foie gras. It is a truly exquisite combination and should be on menus everywhere - but I'm unlikely to encounter it anywhere. 
We engage with an American couple sitting next to us, who live in Germany, and exchange tales of the wonders of the Dordogne.
We walk back to La Cachette and sleep very soundly after another very full and fabulous day.

Observation of the Day: The Middle Ages are alive and well in the Dordogne. And ... anyone who believes that if you've seen one old building you've seen them all is, most certainly, having a major belief system malfunction!  I've seen dozens over the years but none remotely like I saw today. And more to come tomorrow ... And forever I hope ...