We’re into our last week here – sadly – but trying to make the most of the last few days. The owner of the house we’re renting had recommended a few places to eat in the region including a restaurant in a very small hamlet not far away, serving Guinness and good ‘pub grub’. We’d been past the hamlet on a previous outing and had ended up having to do a three-point turn in a dead-end churchyard under the gaze of mourners gathered for a funeral. Intrigued by the recommendation and undeterred by the reconnaissance visit we went back to try the restaurant. The menu was, naturally for this region, very heavy on duck and with a wide range of beers. We enjoyed the excellent daily special of duck in Guinness casserole and steak with home-made gâteau aux noix to follow. Nice to see that the restaurant was well frequented by French families.
The patron of the restaurant chatted to us afterwards and asked if we had seen a small Chateau in the area that he had only recently been made aware of – Château de Sirey. We found that there was a walk not far from us that passed by the Chateau so we decided to combine both. The Chateau was partly destroyed by a gas explosion over 25 years ago and a British expat apparently had a go at restoring it but ran out of money and abandoned it, taking some of the stone with him. No doubt he was popular! A young local restaurant owner bought the château and has restored the exterior and hopes to complete the interior. It’s obviously his passion as he has bought a second local château that we drive past regularly, larger and in a worse state of repair, again with the intention of restoring it.
As we walked through various hamlets we could hear gunshots nearby, obviously the local Sunday hunt, and passed signs indicating the same and then later a small deer ran past us, hopefully avoiding the hunters’ guns. The signs of the recent harvesting activities are very evident with stockpiles of walnuts for private consumption and maize cobs piled up ready for the cows and turkeys and geese being fattened for Christmas. We also came across some wildlife, previously unknown to us, that we discovered was a salamander – a black and bright yellow small type of lizard. Unfortunately it wasn’t alive and no obvious signs of what had killed it – perhaps dropped from a height by a bird?
What a wonderful trip you and Joe have had Claire!
We hope you have a safe and uneventful trip back home.
Love to you both,
Chris & Malcolm.
Thanks Chris. We’ve loved every minute and it will be back to reality with a bump! Love to all xx
Safe journey Claire enjoyed reading about all the siights you have seen.
Maureen