It's been awhile since I last posted so I'll need to backtrack a bit...
(Le Tour de Cause B&B)
A spent a couple weeks of September helping out at the Le Tour de Cause Bed and Breakfast along the beautiful Dordogne River in the Perigord region of France. The couple who owns the B&B, Caitlin and Albert, were really great. They fed me delicious food and always had good suggestions of things to do and see. I would help out a couple hours each morning freshening and cleaning the rooms then would have the rest of the day to do as I pleased.
(Caitlin & Albert)
(Hot Air Baloons Over the B&B)
I visited castles in the area including a nice hike along a Randonee "hiking trail" that took me through farms and woods to Chateau de Castelnaud. I enjoyed biking to the nearby villages past sunflower fields and walnut trees and exploring the cute streets and shops.
(View of the Dordorne from Castle)
One afternoon I was able to go canoeing down the Dordogne with an Australian family staying at the B&B. I also got to see one of the caves in the area, Rouffignac Cave, that has 30,000year old ancient cave drawings.
(Chateau de Beynac)
The food was also incredible! The area is known for its walnuts, truffles, and foie gras. Breakfast at the B&B typically consisted of fresh baguettes, croissants, and raisin rolls from the bakery, locally made goat cheese, Albert's fresh squeezed orange juice, and Caitlin's homemade jams. The best meal I had while there was at a restaurant sort of carved into the cliffside. We had a brothy soup with stale bread starters and for the last bit of soup left you pour some red wine into the bowl, swish it around, then drink it up. For the main course it was an absolutely amazing duck confit served with roasted chestnuts. Duck confit is duck that is cooked and preserved in its own fat then jarred up. The duck is then cooked until its nice and crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. After the duck it was a bery cobbler with a nice creme sauce to top off this amazing meal.
(Geese near Rouffignac Cave)
My time spent at the B&B was nice and relaxing. Working in the mornings and spending the afternoons biking, hiking, sitting by the pool, and eating made for a great stay with Caitlin and Albert. It really was my own little French Fairytale.
