Day Two: Pictures Galore

Our first full day at the gite and since everything is closed on Sunday, we spent a perfectly lazy day soaking it all up.

Our gite is on the left; the open window is the master bedroom. The tower on the right has another bedroom and bathroom for visiting friends and family:

View from our bedroom:

View from our patio:

The tower:


Walnut tree with requisite swing:


View from the pool of the Maison de Maitre (owner's house):



Karen's vegetable garden. We have been invited to "profiter" from her hard work. Specifically, we have been politely ordered to help put a dent in her overabundant cucumber crop:


The cukes, as well as some green pepper, were featured in our salad this evening:


Even though it was a lazy day, we were involved in all sorts of glamorous activities like building mountains of stone:

Opening the door...


And closing the door... Several dozen times. An Eliza specialty.

Gimp!


And other such folly...














Our new pet:



Eliza ended the day by passing out mid-Fancy Nancy. They must be some fancy dreams...

Day One: Getting There

Our trip began as we expected, with much excitement and anticipation.

Keeping all smiley proved a little difficult later with an hour wait to check in, long lines at security and a series of flight delays. However, while we sat in the middle of the Dulles tarmac, the lovely pilot invited those interested to come visit the cockpit. I heard a series of "Hi Mom" shouts over the loud speaker and pretended like I knew which one was Samantha.



The girls slept beautifully on the plane, but were still exhausted when we arrived in Geneva.



Once we picked up the rental car, we had a 6 hour drive ahead of us.



Although we thought the girls would sleep, they surprised us with a rendition of what they might look like on drugs:

The drive was long and difficult, especially for our hero, Kenny, the driver. The best part was savoring a culinary masterpiece of a sandwich from a highway rest stop. Kenny and I both agreed one of the best we had ever tasted. Take that, Maryland House. And, of course, the scenery, whose beauty I butchered with my Iphone photos, was breathtaking. I love you, France.

After a very long day in the car, we finally arrived at the gite (French for cottage) which could not be more charming. Our lovely hosts, who you will no doubt hear more about, gave us a warm welcome and a quick tour so Kenny could dash to the grocery store before they closed at 8.

I will post more pictures tomorrow; we were too tired to do much other than eat, shower, and pass out in pink beds.

The Adventure Awaits

On July 29th, we will leave our home in Bethesda to spend a month here:




We will be living about 5 km outside the medieval village of Sarlat, in south west France:


We have no idea what to expect. Will Kenny kick ass in the world champs? Will Alex survive a week alone with the girls? Will it be magical, maddening, or a little of both? Stay tuned to find out. In the meantime, here are some more pictures of where we will be gorging ourselves daily on bread, cheese, and wine: