Saturday 29th May
Botte – Eynesse.We always enjoy staying in Chambre d’hotes when there isn’t anyone else staying at the same time, as it gives us the opportunity to talk to our hosts without being too self conscious and to find out a little bit about how they live their lives. Today we had a leisurely breakfast with Madame who worked within the AOC whilst her husband runs the b&b side of things, surrounded by the family farm.
Duras which was our first stop has a Chateau on the side of a very steep hill, so we were feeling quite well exercised by the time we had reached the top and the Chateau gates.
Duras chateau
OK this is the 'cow shoeing room' and in the absence of a cow Vivi very bravely stood in! This room is also know as the whispering room. If you stand facing a corner and someone stands facing the diagonal corner you can whisper to one another and no one in the room can hear you. Yes, it works!
Botte – Eynesse.We always enjoy staying in Chambre d’hotes when there isn’t anyone else staying at the same time, as it gives us the opportunity to talk to our hosts without being too self conscious and to find out a little bit about how they live their lives. Today we had a leisurely breakfast with Madame who worked within the AOC whilst her husband runs the b&b side of things, surrounded by the family farm.
Duras which was our first stop has a Chateau on the side of a very steep hill, so we were feeling quite well exercised by the time we had reached the top and the Chateau gates.
Duras chateau
OK this is the 'cow shoeing room' and in the absence of a cow Vivi very bravely stood in! This room is also know as the whispering room. If you stand facing a corner and someone stands facing the diagonal corner you can whisper to one another and no one in the room can hear you. Yes, it works!
We had a very happy time exploring it. It has had a chequered history having been built in medieval times and after that was the family seat of the Dukes of Duras who were very influential in Louis XV’s reign. What also helped to swell the family fortune was an uncle being Pope who saw to it that the family’s influence was extended by building castles and acquiring land. The same Pope was also responsible for moving the Papacy from Rome to Avignon. After the French revolution the chateau had passed through many hands before falling into disrepair. Fortunately the town managed to buy it in the 1950s and they make full use of it now, and it is most interesting with lots of information. They also let it for weddings and today the great dining hall was laid up for a wedding party this afternoon - to some British so we enjoyed looking at the table plan, but couldn’t recognise anyone! However the town was packed with Brits all presumably there for the wedding.
We then set off northwards again towards Eynesse which is on the River Dordogne midway between Bergerac and St Emilion. It was a lovely ride even if it was undulating but eventually was spoiled somewhat by some irritatingly persistent rain. Lunch was a standing only affair under a tree at the side of the road – not what we’ve become accustomed to. However we were privileged to watch several hundred swifts swooping and catching flies over our heads a flock of geese, some ducks and a donkey.
Arriving in Eynesse we followed signs to our B&B which was right on the banks of the Dordogne. This was an old farmhouse delightfully furnished and decorated. Our room was in a converted shed which was a bit damp but apart from that OK. We were told dinner was at 8 but that all the guests would assemble at 7.30 for a pre dinner aperitif. Now that was something that I (Alec) was not looking forward to and all my anxieties were confirmed as soon as we set foot into the drawing room at 7.35. Firstly we were obviously late and secondly the ‘other guests’ consisted of a young married couple a mixed couple, and an all girl couple, and conversation was not their strong point. Also their combined ages probably didn’t come near to ours. So we decided that it really was not our responsibility to instigate a discussion so stared into our rapidly emptying glasses of pamplemousse sparkling wine (very nice) and wished that a hole would open up before us and we’d fall into it!
Dinner was delicious and consisted of Courgette and Goats Cheese terrine, parmentier of duck and prune gateaux which we ate as soon as possible in order to be able to escape. Fortunately the urge to smoke meant there was a steady stream heading for the door so getting out was easy. In fact it wasn’t all bad; our host and hostess were charming and had we been there on our own we would have had an easy and very entertaining evening!
We then set off northwards again towards Eynesse which is on the River Dordogne midway between Bergerac and St Emilion. It was a lovely ride even if it was undulating but eventually was spoiled somewhat by some irritatingly persistent rain. Lunch was a standing only affair under a tree at the side of the road – not what we’ve become accustomed to. However we were privileged to watch several hundred swifts swooping and catching flies over our heads a flock of geese, some ducks and a donkey.
Arriving in Eynesse we followed signs to our B&B which was right on the banks of the Dordogne. This was an old farmhouse delightfully furnished and decorated. Our room was in a converted shed which was a bit damp but apart from that OK. We were told dinner was at 8 but that all the guests would assemble at 7.30 for a pre dinner aperitif. Now that was something that I (Alec) was not looking forward to and all my anxieties were confirmed as soon as we set foot into the drawing room at 7.35. Firstly we were obviously late and secondly the ‘other guests’ consisted of a young married couple a mixed couple, and an all girl couple, and conversation was not their strong point. Also their combined ages probably didn’t come near to ours. So we decided that it really was not our responsibility to instigate a discussion so stared into our rapidly emptying glasses of pamplemousse sparkling wine (very nice) and wished that a hole would open up before us and we’d fall into it!
Dinner was delicious and consisted of Courgette and Goats Cheese terrine, parmentier of duck and prune gateaux which we ate as soon as possible in order to be able to escape. Fortunately the urge to smoke meant there was a steady stream heading for the door so getting out was easy. In fact it wasn’t all bad; our host and hostess were charming and had we been there on our own we would have had an easy and very entertaining evening!
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