I guess I am too wordy. To continue, after Bandol:
We made two stops in Bordeaux, before the Dordogne Valley and after, to pick up and return a car. The first time we stayed at Hotel St. Louis Beaulieu, a former abbey which is still affiliated with religious conferences and education and which still has an active chapel for mass. The rooms have been converted to simple yet clean and comfortable rooms. No a/c or tv, but wifi, elevators and a good breakfast for 7.50 euros. Our son and his S/O ate dinner at the cafe on site and were quite impressed. The situation is lovely. We had rooftop views out our window of old Bordeaux and the interior courtyard was a good place to relax over breakfast. Parking on site was free and behind a gate. Rooms were about 85-90 euros per night.
On the other end of our trip, we stayed at the Hotel Particulier near the train station in Bordeaux. An apart/hotel, walking distance to the station and restaurants, it had free wifi, separate bedroom, modern bathroom, kitchenette (microwave, small fridge, coffee maker, Keurig, toaster, and washer/dryer combo, two tvs, no AC. We were on the first floor so no elevator, but the staff helped us up and down the stairs to our apt. Parking in a locked underground garage just about 50 meters away for 15.00 euros a night. A good bargain at about 120 euros per night.
The Dordogne Valley...The Gite from heaven. Gites de France, Dordogne region, #125, Le Fort. This was just what I had hoped for when planning this important family trip. An old building, updated to the nines, with 4 bedrooms, three baths, a very modern kitchen (induction stove, dishwasher, etc.), laundry room, balcony accsessible from all three upstairs bedrooms, swimming pool, swings, bbq with nice outdoor furniture, orchard on site, path down to the river, and access to all 10 hectares of property. The owners' beautiful chateau is on the property (they were at their home in Versailles.) Caretakers and their border collie, Loustic, were available at all times. It was located in the countryside between Vitrac and La Roque Gageac, close to Cenac et St. Julian for a grocery store and patisserie. 7-8 minutes drive to La Roque, 5 minutes drive to location of our input for kayaking the river, yet still isolated by our dirt road to feel completely in the country. We did some sight-seeing or activity each day, leaving mid to late morning, eating lunch out, returning to the gite to swim and relax and prepare dinner at our "home", as the grandkids called it. We visited Font de Gaume (worth the time spent monitoring the ticket site to get an English language tour), Lascaux IV, Beynac castle, Castelnaud-la Chapelle, Domme, the Sarlat Wednesday market, and a 3 hour kayaking trip on the river. The little ones (9 and 12) enjoyed just seeing the differences in the grocery stores and bakeries. We went to a fine dining restaurant one evening, the Grand Bleu, in Sarlat. The kids tried all kinds of new foods (they aren't picky.) We also visited a savonerie and a chocolaterie and the Abri de Madeleine. Our son and his S/O explored the grotte of La Roque also, and said it was worth it, although not for the walking impaired. At about $3000.00 for 10 nights, it was super cheap for seven people!
All in all, the trip was what I had envisioned, especially for the younger ones, back in 2020 before the shutdown. We wanted to go in June 2021 for our fiftieth wedding anniversary, so we just celebrated our 52nd instead, and Hubby's 80th birthday.
All in all, the trip was just what we planned. Lots of French family time (maybe our last opportunity to see some of them), some revisiting of places from the past, and a grand introduction to France for the grandchildren. We hope we passed on our love of France to them, as we know we have to our children.
Merci,
I am done.