Tribute to little Vauville

The longer that we live in this area of Normandy, the more we enjoy and appreciate it. The sunsets over the water, our hikes, the changing weather, the farm life and verdant fields, the history, the nature, the quiet and tranquility. Sometimes we like to get out and just see what the sky is doing. The winds and currents are strong here, so the face of the sky is constantly changing, with every color, shape of clouds, and angle of sunlight imaginable. Add to that the canvas of the Channel and we are constantly entertained by the shafts of sunlight that beam through the clouds to touch the water with a song...

Gardening in the backyard.. We try to keep our window boxes blooming...

The more neighbors we meet, the more we appreciate this little village... We have found the people who live here to be friendly, helpful, and active in their community. They seem to really care about and take care of each other. We have enjoyed aperitifs, coffees, and dinners with neighbors. We have been given vegetables fresh from the garden, tools to borrow when we need them (such as a drill, shovel, and lawnmower), flowers and plants, and helpful advice. Our neighbors have taught us about the history of the area, gardening, French culture and language, and about taking time for things that matter. I have never lived in a small town (or small French village). Now I know what it is like to not be able to walk down the street without stopping to chat with someone. It is a nice change and learning experience for both us.

Rocamadour

During our week in Collonges-la-Rouge, we took an afternoon trip to Rocamadour. It is a beautiful and historic medieval village built right into a high rock cliff. There are village houses and a pedestrian street on the lower level (Citè Pietonne), churches halfway up (Citè Religieuse), and then the grand castle at the top. We visited the church of Notre-Dame, where the strange but famous Black Madonna statue is enshrined. The fortified gateways on the lower level were especially cool.

Rocamadour is well-known as a site of pilgrimage, en-route to the more famous site of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. We walked the long path (called the Grand Escalier: 216 steps) that leads from the bottom and winds up to the top. (There is an elevator, but not for free!) Apparently pilgrims used to do this on their knees. At the switchbacks you find “stations of the cross” at which they would stop and do their recitations. It was very interesting. It was a long and steep path, made a little easier today because it is well worn, no doubt by countless New Balances and Nikes. The view from the top was beautiful. We saw a hot air balloon and some eagles.

While this is a neat place to go for a little while, I wouldn’t recommend it for a long destination. There were hordes of people everywhere, and it wasn’t even high season. Granted, there was a hot air balloon festival going on, but apparently it stays crowded a lot. The tourists now far outnumber the pilgrims, and all the houses have been turned into trinket souvenir shops, but with some imagination you can see how it must have been back in the Middle Ages.

Collonges-la-Rouge

We left La Roque-Gageac the next morning, went by Sarlat, and then on to Collonges-la-Rouge, another medieval village on the official “most beautiful” list. (Funny note I learned when reading about it, is that the mayor of Collonges-la-Rouge wrote the book "The Most Beautiful Villages in France " from which the association and list started). Most of the buildings have been constructed using the local red sandstone. The architecture of this eighth century red rock village is fun, too. Over the week we enjoyed walking in this village with friends, sight-seeing and a little shopping. To the left you see the eleventh century St. Pierre church.


























We spent a little over a week here for the Feast of Tabernacles, an annual observance detailed in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Collonges-la-Rouge was one of over 50 United Church of God sites all over the world, going on at the same time. We spent this time with about 30 French members and over 70 members of the church from all over the world, including England, Australia, Martinique, Belgium, Switzerland, and the United States. It was nice to be able to worship freely and fellowship, in a country that in general does not respect religion. The French members are spread out all over this country, so they really appreciate the few times a year they can come together. We had services each morning, delicious meals together, and activities in the afternoons. Daniel and I enjoyed helping to build bridges between English and French speakers as well as spending time with old friends and making new ones. It was an inspiring and wonderful week!

Dordogne River Valley

We left St. Emilion for the Dordogne River Valley, enjoying the beautiful countryside and vineyards. It took longer than usual (partially due to an autoroute exit I missed) so we decided to call ahead to reserve a place for a canoe ride. The last trip out was to be at 3:00 pm. At around 2:50 we called and said we’d be there just after 3:00. We ended up stopping in a parking lot outside of La Roque-Gageac and running to the road to meet the van, on the way to the drop off point. We didn’t take time to change clothes or pack anything; we just ran. There was one other American couple in the van. We jumped in, and after a few minutes they turned around and said “Parlez-vous anglais?” (We had spoken to the bus driver in French and then were just quiet, catching our breath). They were a nice retired couple, in Europe for the first time.

The ride started innocently enough, with the usual donning of lifejackets and unloading the canoes. The water was calm and we only saw trees and countryside for a while, along the banks. About 20 minutes down river, it began to sprinkle. Then it started to pour. And the wind blew. And the goose bumps rose. Eventually we reached the area where we saw the beautiful chateaux and villages along the banks of the river. By that time, our teeth were chattering and we just wanted to get out and get warm and dry. We were totally unprepared, since we had just jumped out of the car and into the van! Despite the weather, it was still absolutely beautiful and we have somewhat fond memories of canoeing the Dordogne.

We docked our canoes at La Roque-Gageac, about two hours down from where we started and the American couple drove us back to the car. We went straight to our hotel to dry off and thaw out, and when we went back outside we got to appreciate why this village is officially classified one of the most beautiful villages in France (“Les Plus Beaux Villages de France”). It is a little medieval village situated on the Dordogne river, built right out of the cliffs. We watched as the sunset changed the pallet of the cottages, cliffs, and reflections in the water. Then we went inside for a delicious gourmet meal at the well-reputed restaurant in our little place, the Hotel Belle Etoile.

Saint Emilion III

Saint Emilion is one of four main wine regions of Bordeaux. What makes it so special is the special microclimate and unique soil conditions that are just right for making this wine. Small chateaux and vineyards surround the town and vines grow everywhere.

The first place that we visited and toured was Chateau Fonplegade, a beautiful chateau on a hill just outside of town. After the informative guided tour we learned a great deal about wine tasting, in the “salon de degustation.” There is the visual examination, first nose, then the swirling (to reveal the bouquet), then the second nose, then the sipping/slurping, the sitting in the mouth (until it gets to body temperature and saturates your tastebuds), then the aspiration (sucking in air while keeping the wine in your mouth), the swirling, and finally the spitting. All of this is carefully choreographed to get all the smells into your nose and mouth to experience the utmost taste… the result of a many-years process of planting, harvesting, fermentation, pressing, aging in oak barrels, bottling, etc…. It was interesting to learn about all the time and care that goes into one simple bottle of wine.

Later we dropped in on another wine producer, who was in the midst of working but took some time with us to tell us about his wine, the region’s best years, what makes the soil special, and the whole process… He was very friendly, and very passionate about his work. This was all in the time of vendange, peak-harvest! We saw tractors pulling trailers loaded down with grapes going down the road… It was neat to think of where the final product would end up… all over the world!

We visited Chateau Bel-Air on another day. That was probably the most interesting guided tour (though all had their own unique flavor). We got to see and explore the underground caves and catacombs. That’s another thing that makes this region special.. All around Saint Emilion, kilometers of underground caverns and catacombs naturally hold a perfect temperature for storing wine!