The End and Au Revoir
The Farm Stay with the Petterson's
We arrived in France to find some blustery weather, far different from what we had been experiencing in the last few weeks. Toni and Steve were excited to finally see and experience the farm and so set out on a physical inspection of Petit Clos.
Since we were last there, Hank and Cindy have sold off a small, unattached parcel of their land to a neighbor in order to raise a bit of cash and make their acreage a bit more manageable. The property and farm itself are coming along quite well as they make constant improvements to their holdings. In the past year, they have removed the crepe (exterior stucco) from their house to expose the beautiful stone underneath and have added new and weatherized windows. The house had undergone a "remodel" some years ago when the craze was to give the farm houses an updated look by ruining the historical look. Today resident after resident is in the process of this restoration. New construction reflects in some cases a return to the past while others construct with the aid of stucco.
The interior of the house has also undergone several improvements with the addition of a boiler operated heating system with radiators that Hank installed in all of the rooms to add a bit of heat to those cold winter months as well as the chilly spring days we are now experiencing. In order to upgrade their rating with "The Gites de France" Hank was forced to reconfigure one of the upstairs bathrooms so that it was included within the room which necessitated the construction of an additional wall/door/and electrical. Now they can list themselves as offering two rooms, each "onsuite". The downstairs master bathroom is almost complete once Hank sets and hooks up the claw-foot tub that we brought down from upstairs.
Shortly after Toni and Steve left, Petit Clos was visited by a representative of the rating board to inspect the premises and awarding them "Three Eppes" which is basically three stars. A step up from their previously held "Two Eppes" (pictured as bushels of something). In addition to inspecting the overall cleanliness and visual presence of Petit Clos, they also made sure that all the linens on the beds were ironed. To save time Cindy irons them once they are on the bed (and who said the French couldn't take a joke?) Cindy also had to provide a mock up of a typical breakfast that would be served. Susan and I were once again enlisted to act the role of vistors, enjoying a breakfast of fresh baked breads with jam and cheese, simply lovely as we were photographed for inclusion in her report which then would be included on the web site.
Their real concern at the moment is their difficulties with their newly installed pool. Because the summer are so warm, its almost imperative to offer your guests a swimming pool. The norm in France seems to be to install a fiberglass shell in the ground, surrounded by decking of some sort. The pool was installed last summer by a less than reputable English speaking contractor who on the surface seemed to be more than qualified. He was initially hired to help with their heating system but indicated he also did pools.
The pool was improperly installed for last summer's guests and proved to be a headache from the very beginning. In addition to the shell being incorrectly installed, their were various issues with the pool equipment itself.
While we were there, they had to contract with a new pool man to reinstall and correct all of the existing problems since the original company has been of no help at all. In talking to various people, they have discovered that this particular contractor has made it a common practice of ripping off clients and doing shoddy work. Residents have banded together and are going after him by any means possible. The don't hold out much hope, but would just like to see that others as well as the licensing boards are made aware of his antics and make is life a bit more miserable. Today the pool is fine and operating properly, only the weather remains an obstacle to enjoying the newly renovated pool.
As the Carmans had but one week to spend, we felt the need to see a little something different every day. We spent some time in Eymet, the local English speaking town, then an afternoon and lunch in Duras before visiting the local Chateau. And then it was on to the local chocolate factory for some sampling. The small retail shop was quite generous in their sampling policy as we were made to feel we could try some of everything, even the chocolate covered prunes.
A few days later, we took a day trip to the towns of Sarlat for the local market and Dome for its scenic beauty and views of the Dordogne. Because Cindy is working from home almost everyday for a company in Amsterdam, she was unable to go with us which forced me to act as tour guide with the aid of "Kate" our trusty GPS device. With just a few re-calculating comments, we found our way to the market in Sarlat then up to the hill top town of Dome where Steve and I were parked at a local bar so the girls could go shopping. Scarves and more scarves were purchased to the delight of Susan and Toni (because they are sooooooo easy to pack and take up little or no room). Then it was time to head home and so we called it a day and headed for the barn.
Toni and Steve have been great to travel with as they are probably the two most energetic travelers you could be with. Their desire to see and experience everything is at times exhausting but act as a reminder that every day is unique and should be enjoyed to the fullest. After taking pictures of Petit Clos from every imaginable angle it was time for Toni and Steve to begin their long trip home with several lengthy layovers. As we have all found out, that in order to purchase the least expensive tickets, you've got to be content to enjoy various airports along the way. The Carmans were forced to enjoy Iceland's major airport on their way home in addition to an overnite stay in Denver ,so close to home, yet so very far away.
We dropped the Carmans off in Bordeaux on the 14th of May and drove back to Petit Clos to see what chores the Pettersons had in store for us. Since I couldn’t be trusted with a paint brush or any of the farm equipment (to include the weed wacker) I got off rather easy, reading and listening to Susan and Cindy as they painted their way down the hallway in anticipation of the previously mentioned inspection. I was able to give Hank a bit of help with hanging the new door in the newly configured bathroom but that was a small contribution to his daily routine, which at best is exhausting completing "Honey Do list for both inside and out. In addition to his many construction projects he mows the acreage around the house as well as tending to his vines which requires infinite hours and patience. Susan and Cindy have spent countless hours in the garden area along side the house planting, weeding and in general just sprucing up this beautiful site.
As the time for the inspection grew near everyone was forced to deal with the construction dust in final preparation for the inspector's walk-thru visit. Everything looked to big in good shape and all was in readiness My role in this process was to make sure the cleaners were not interrupted having to pick Caleigh up from school in Saint Foie (sp) a delightful little town about ½ hour's drive.
Caleigh goes to school five days a week and continues to excel in all of her subjects. She has one more year at this school then hopes to go to a business school in Breighton just outside of London. Her days sometime begin a 7:30am and finishes at 5:30pm........long days. The trip is a bit too long to ride her scooter to so someone has to drive her. It was fun driving her and catching up on a bit of what's going on in her life. She comes to stay with us in CA a few days after we get back which everyone is looking forward to.
The next bit of preparation in store for us was the arrival of Matt and Natalie, the Grand Kids and Natalie's Mom who would arrive on the 30th for a few days prior to traveling on to Venice then on to London for a few more days. Needless to say we were more than anxious to see them all after almost two months away.
We were all looking forward to seeing the kids and finding out how Aiden and Isabella did on their flight over. They were scheduled to arrive at 9pm in Bordeaux but when we arrived at the airport, we found out that they were delayed in London and wouldn't be arriving until closer to 11pm. And after the 2 hour drive back to Petit Clos they would all be in rather ragged shape.
Once off the plane, with Aiden a bundle of fire, Isabella not so, we piled the luggage into the two cars and set of for the ride to the farm. I'm sorry to say that Aiden was more excited to see his grand mer than his grand per and Isabella didn't know where she was or who we were.
Aiden bunked in with Susan and I and the others were in the newly completed onsuite bedroom. It was a leisurely next few days attempting to get everyone back on some kind of schedule. The grandkids took right to life on the farm chasing the chickens about and gawking at the horses and the donkey that graze in the fields. Aiden is very fond of the cats but more so of his Ipad. Isabella is at the brunt of Aidens pinching and teasing when all she wants to do is give Aiden a hug or two and watch her new pink Ipad in peace.
Matt and Company did bring some great weather with them from CA. As I mentioned, we hadn't seen the sun thru the clouds and rain since Portugal so the warm weather was a welcome relief. As I'm getting pretty good navigating the countryside, we did some of the same tours we did with the Carmans. We did venture out and found a new castle overlooking the Dordogne which the kids seemed to really enjoy and my knees hated.
We managed a new find this trip and that was a Chinese all you can eat restaurant that we frequented a few times. Wonderful buffet and stir fry available for a mere 15euros. The downside being that it was a forty minute drive from Cindy's. I computed one nite on the way to Chinese, that back home we would have passed literally hundreds of Asian restaurants rather than driving the forty minutes to find just this one lone eatery.
The time went by quickly amid the chaos of all the family. Hank took ill (hopefully not because of us) just prior to our departure. Matt's crew was off to Venice (bet the strollers did well in there) and Susan and I headed for Antibes near Nice for our flight home. We dropped them off at the Bordeaux airport, bid everyone farewell (we'll see Caleigh shortly and Hank and Cindy and Christmas) to everyone.
Cindy had arranged for us to stay with friends in Antibes which was a bit too far a drive so we stopped off for the nite in Carcassone after leaving Bordeaux. There always seems to be this learning curve we have to get on when arriving in these Castle Cities and Carcassone proved to be no exception. A rather large town located at the base of the Castle just filled with oneway streets and other various surprises; When we finally located our hotel, Cote Cite, we found no one home. As luck would have it, another guest was just leaving the enclosed parking structure and let us drive in where we waited for the owners. The hotel was old but newly restored with a proprietress that spoke no English but did understand each others hand signs. She directed us to the Castle were we had dinner and would return for our visit to the castle the next am.
Great dinner complete with Spanish music and delicious food. As we were on a time crunch getting to Antibes before 6pm (the owners were headed out) we got up early for the Castle's opening and were on the road by noon to the South of France and our final destination of Antibes
Arriving in Antibes proved to be another treasure hunt to find our elusive hotel. First we had the wrong street name plugged in, then once that was corrected we couldn't even find the place on foot. The only saving grace in this entire fiasco is that we parked in one of the few free long stay parking spots in Antibes Our hosts were more than a bit surprised to see where we had parked as they helped us back to the apartment with our luggage.
Antibes is a bustling weekend, tourist spot that was filled to capacity when we arrived. A bit noisy but lively not quite to our liking but the weather was clear and the sun was shining. Lots of sidewalk cafes and local markets everyday to browse and buy your goodies also, as I found out, the perfect spot for pick-pockets to congregate and look for the unsuspecting tourist. Well they found me yesterday and managed to relieve me of +/- 70euros and my long held, favorite money clip. To say that I was sick was an understatement, not for the money lost but for the money clip Susan had given me many years ago. We'll chock one more up to rookie trave lmistakes and one additional travel mishap encountered.
All and All, Susan and I traveled well, no accidents, sickness or injuries so if this was our major mishap so be it. We logged another wonderful travel experience and even added a new country (No. Africa) to our ongoing list of countries visited. The best was traveling together, and with friends, while seeing our family abroad and experiencing a brief bit of travel with Matt's kids and family........and Natalie, don't let the spiders loose on Aiden until I get back! We travel to Nice for a nites stay before flying home on the 12th.
The traveling has been eventful, but it will certainly feel good to be home again.
Again, thanks for reading and none of this will be on the final exam. See some of you very soon and others in the near future.
Love to all,
