WALKING
Yesterday was lovely and warm, and we walked to the nearby village of Castelnaud, site of a castle high on cliff. We went along a paved path for bikers and pedestrians through groves of walnut trees. It was a 45 minute walk at a moderately brisk pace and got us some much needed exercise. It’s the end of the walnut harvest, and any walnuts on the path are fair game. Stamp on them, open, and eat. At the boulangerie, we bought a tasty loaf of walnut bread.
Castelnaud is compact, and there were several restaurants, but only one was open. Restaurant Le Tournepique serves Perigord and Basque specialties. Arriving just after their noon opening, we were able to snag a table with no reservation. In the next half hour, the restaurant filled up totally. All French, no other Americans.
The Chief Penguin ordered the homemade foie gras, delicate in flavor, followed by the shepherd salad of greens, cherry tomatoes and strips of cheese and chorizo.
I went for an omelet with Serrano ham with a green side salad. The French do omelets so well! This one was stuffed with ham and the eggs were light. Of course, we had to have a glass of local wine. Around us, other diners were ordering duck and beef and the smells were tempting. With the return walk back to the B&B, we got in a lot of steps!
WANDERING ROQUE-GAGEAC
Having spent so many days in the car, we took the rest of the afternoon off and lazed at our B&B. Around 5:00 pm, we drove to the nearby town of Roque-Gageac, touted as one of the loveliest in the area, where we were also booked for dinner. Roque-Gageac did not disappoint! Located on the river, it dates back to the Middle Ages and is built from the ground up into and against a massive stone cliff. At street level, there are shops, some selling walnuts and walnut oil, and restaurants.
Every so often appears what might be an alleyway somewhere else, but here is a set of stone steps leading to the next level.
Some of these stairways are steep and often they wind a bit. We climbed up one long set and found ourselves on a straight stretch past a series of tropical plants: bamboo, hibiscus, giant ferns, all with handwritten labels at the base. There were signs requesting respect for the plants and a mounted plaque listing the man who had created this garden.
Farther on, we came to a small plaza outside a simple church. Built in the 1300’s, it was solid still.
The doors were open, and we peered in. There were two stone benches on the plaza and an upright stone cross. We sat in the quiet, and I pondered how difficult it must have been to construct this back then. Walking in the opposite direction, we walked up another set of stone steps going a bit higher to the medieval fort. A very impressive structure built against the stone.
After dinner, we stopped a few times to snap a few nighttime shots of the buildings.
EATING
I had booked dinner at La Belle Etoile, located in one of the Roque-Gageac hotels. The dining room is lovely, and we were pleased to be seated before our reservation time. This was a first class meal with great service. The dishes, from several amuse bouches to main courses and desserts, were sophisticated and creative, but never precious. Noteworthy were the little cups of cauliflower soup with foam. The Chief Penguin had langoustine ravioli followed by fish. I had egg cocotte (baked egg usually in cream) with shrimp and bits of morels. It was luscious.
Then I had veal roast dotted with ginger and spinach on the side. My dessert was strawberries in a balsamic syrup with a soft pastry on top while the Chief Penguin had profiteroles filled with chestnut cream. This meal was a real treat!
Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)
