Bergerac

Waking up to another feast from Gaspar, we had a lovely morning breakfasting on the terrace and were stuffed with croissants, scrambled eggs and apple juice from down the road by the time we left for our day trip to Bergerac. We parked the car on the banks of the Dordogne before heading off to explore the old town. The historic centre was another Beauty and the Beast moment with timbered buildings and winding street tangled up with ivy and wisteria. The heat was ferocious so we did our best to keep to the shade as we explored the centre of the town and took in the #OldStuff. We also stopped for a necessary pharmacy visit to top up on bite cream and source some more potent insect repellent (bites getting out of hand at this point). Mission Straw Hat was completed before lunch and before we embarked on our boat tour along the river.

The temperature on the water was much more agreeable as we cruised downstream and learned about the history of Bergerac and its place on the river, including its massive influence on the region as a Protestant city. We had some excellent wildlife moments and were treated to an impressive aerial display from a black kite who was clearly showing off. After a quick drink by the water we headed back to the Maison Dodo for a cooling afternoon swim and spent some time chatting to the other guests (notably Malou the boarder collie) before joining everyone for dinner in garden. Gaspar treated us to risotto, guinea fowl and a hearty portion tiramisu accompanied by a bottle of rosé from the vineyard next door. Naturally, coffee and limoncello followed.

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