Our long travel day came to an end once we dragged all our bags and bikes (with the help of of our waiting hosts Franck and Sandrine) inside, had a quick snack, unpacked the essentials for our first night, and slept well enough to conquer the travel and jet lag.
Our morning delight was waking up to this commanding view of the river valley from our terrace. Unlike last year this place is perched up a step road and drive which afforded us this expansive view looking up the Dordogne river. Overall this place is a vast improvement in space, privacy, and panorama.
We are in the building nestled between the car park below and castle above.
Following tradition Kim ventured down to the Boulangerie in the shopping area along the main road. The steep way down and way back up is challenging especially on wet pavement, but quick way to get the heart pounding on return. What a trooper!
Never seen before was this procession of riders making their way up to the castle on horse power instead of people power. Having made the trek on foot we know how challenging it is to navigate the cobble pathway to the top. Riding a horse (don't know where they came from) would not be my choice of conveyance but gets the job done without cardiac arrest or bone crunching fall - especially on wet surface.
Upon Kim's return breakfast awaits. The local Boulangerie is supposedly the best in the area according to the locals and today's fare exceeded our expectations. The seeded (aka cereal) baguette and breakfast pastry was a just reward following our arduous journey. A long way to go for genuine French bread.
A bit of unpacking and bike assembly is followed by a trip to market (LeClerc) in Sarlat a short drive away. Notice the most important items come first followed by enough food for our first week and other essentials needed to make life here bearable. We purchased a drip coffee maker to replace the host provided espresso maker which is a local favorite but too laborious and messy for our morning coffee ritual.
This might be the most expensive shop ever at ~300 euros which is a far cry from years past as the conversion rate on the falling dollar is about $1.15 to the euro. Last year it was $1.02 reflecting the perverse economic policies of our new administration.
