Tuesday, September 23, 2014

The Dordogne - St. Andre D'Allas and La Maison Grise

Gentle Friends I've been organizing my thoughts, so scattered, and snaps, so many, into coherent thoughtful posts - hopefully.  At this point it looks like there could be quite a few travel log postings - just a heads up for those not interested in my trip report......  do remember as I go along if you have any questions about anything please feel free to ask.  Here goes......
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I left on a Friday for my overnight flight to Paris connecting to Bordeaux.  I did the usual thing and scheduled a Van pick up with Super Shuttle.  Always dependable and really quite quick.  After I had checked in and dropped off my bag and was sort of wandering around the airport I had a couple of hours until the plane left so I found a cafe and .......

... bought a magazine, coffee and a Pain au chocolate.  The boarding gate for my Air France flight was just downstairs from were I was sitting so I didn't have far to go when they finally called for boarding - and the herds of folks flocked to the Gate.  I was way back in the plane in what I call "slave class" but I had a bulk head seat so I had plenty of leg room. 

 The flight was non-eventful - which is a good thing - and we got to Paris.  I had only a short window of time to make my connecting flight to Bordeaux and after making my way through CDG and two checkpoints of security I arrived at my next gate as they were boarding the flight so no wait time there.  This was another non-event flight.  I met up with my friends in the Bordeaux Airport who were there to pick me up.  The drive from Bordeaux to St. Andre D'Allas took a couple of hours, but eventually we made it back to the house they had rented.....  La Maison Grise.  Built in the 18th century and restored by the current owners, it was a great jumping off point for the whole region - we were within and hours drive or less of all the major things to do and see.........

... a shot of the house from the street...

... the front gate...  here a some shots of the house and views....

... the Tower from the orchard....


... a better view of the tower...

... at the foot of the tower is the fish/frog pond into which two of the three springs on the property flow.....

... a shot from the top of the tower looking towards the village...

... the lower patio looking out over the landscape....


.... the covered patio were we ate dinner with a view of the pool....

... my first dinner in France, grilled Pigeon and Pommes de Terre Sarladaises - potatoes roasted in goose fat and garlic - with a green salad.   The next morning I got up early and took a couple of snaps from my bedroom windows....

and this was my wake up view...... quiet as all get out with light cool breezes.......

.....  while we were there the weather was bright and sunny, and in the middle of a heat spell.  Everyday got into the low 90's, and since I'm used to the high 60's here in SF,  I was a sweaty mess for the whole trip, but I persevered and was just resigned to being hot and sweaty.  But the early mornings were lovely and cool.
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There you go sports fans, setting the tone for the rest of the Travel Posts.  
Thanks for stopping by, more to come!!

Take care,
edgar

15 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness...What a place...I kept thinking I would get to the end of post and hear " Bazenga". I would stay there the whole trip and never leave.

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  2. Your posts will be armchair travel at it's best! Thanks for sharing.

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  3. A beautiful place you stayed, and the view from your room is so pleasant! Looking forward to hearing and seeing more about your trip.

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  4. Dearest Edgar: Wow what a beautiful place to saty and the fog how lovely and romantic, the food looks fantastco, I am so happy when people share their photos, I love hearing how someone has had a great time on holiday.

    Blessings
    Catherine

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  5. What a beautiful place to stay while traveling. Gorgeous views.

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  6. What a gorgeous place to have for your headquarters! Just beautiful. Looking forward to more travelogue posts!

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  7. Dream come true! You got to stay in a home with a TOWER!! Waay cool! I loved every photo:) You take amazing pictures. Beautiful!!! love Annette

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  8. Oh my gosh, what a house!!! Hard to call it a house though. So gorgeous! Such lovely views too! So fun to read about your experiences so far. I'm so looking forward to more!

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  9. Great photos as usual Edgar! Could you take photos inside the rental house too? The outside looks very nice and betting the inside looks even better. Looking forward to the rest of your travel posts.

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  10. Are you kidding me?! What a beautiful house and view! Sorry it was so hot, I would've been a mess myself, but what amazing mornings!
    Lancy

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  11. Oh. My. God.

    it's incredible. No words, seriously. Do you have/feel comfortable sharing some interior shots?

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  12. What a beautiful house! I will enjoy this vicarious trip to France!

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  13. The pictures of the area are so lovely. In the 90s I am a hot sweaty mess also. I hope the pain au chocolate in the airport was good. I am sure it was not as good as those from the local bakers.

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  14. What an enchanting place to stay!! I hope you were able to take a few more pictures of the grounds as well.

    Thank you so much for sharing your adventure with us armchair travelers :)

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  15. I'm way behind on blog reading again! The place you stayed is AMAZING!! Your friends have excellent taste. How many people were staying there? Did it cost an arm and a leg?? =) It looks like it was worth it, though!! And how lucky to have such an excellent cook in residence, too! ;)

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“In every end, there is also a beginning.”

 Gentle Friends, I finished the sampler last night and here's a snaperooo... Village Square Sampler from Samplers Remembered   1/8 - 3/2...