Magali (who I've known for 20 + years since she attended college in the States), her partner Philippe, and daughter Penelope welcomed us warmly into their lovely home. Toulouse is a wonderful city and we really enjoyed sightseeing there for several days with Penelope. We enjoyed just walking around, getting the feel of the city, and of course, having a Starbucks. We also went into the Capitole building which is the heart of the city and the symbol seat of power, and also an impressive museum.
Penney (Penelope), the Captain and me outside the museum:
Penney is a natural model and trying to teach me to vamp it up on the stairway:
And we finished off the day with cocktails on a rooftop bar:
Back home again, Magali cooked duck for us...a first for me and I have to admit that it was very good!
The next day after Magali and Philippe finished their work week, we all drove several hours north into the country to Lerm. Magali's parents have a 200 year old country home there. First of all, we have to say that we haven't seen another countryside in all of Europe that is as beautiful as the French country. There are so many castles scattered through the countryside and they are kept up well, often with families still living in them.
This was just one of the castles along the way...
And us, in the driveway leading to this castle...
And Magali, Philippe, and Penney...
Michel and Christine, Magali's parents welcomed us with open arms into their wonderful country home...
Front side of the house:
And backside of the house:
Since we were in the Bordeaux wine region, we took an afternoon and drove to the small town of St Emillion for some wine tasting. A quaint little town completely surrounded by miles and miles of vineyards. We had a lovely lunch and a fun afternoon of tasting various wines of the area.
Stone streets up and down thru town:
Winery and vineyard outside of St Emillion:
Vineyards as far as you can see:
Then back home to Michel and Christine and great food and drink with them in the evenings on the back patio. I had heard many times that the French have a great liquor that acts as a digestive so that you can continue to eat the delicious cuisine. And Michel introduced it to us one evening. It is called Armagnac:
Michel introducing Armagnac:
And encouraging me to smell it and taste it...I did, and it was delicious and did the trick!
What an honor it was for us to get to know this wonderful family and to be so welcomed into their home. We didn't feel like tourists in France, but part of the family!!!
Now it was time to leave our French family and drive further north to the city of Bordeaux. Once again we were enthralled with the beauty of the countryside. Vineyards, castles, and such lushness everywhere you looked. In Bordeaux we did the usual tourist activities of sightseeing, eating fantastic food and drinking exceptional wine.
This is one of the original gates into the city:
The Captain along the riverfront in front of an old sailboat:
This is a mirror water pond in the heart of the city that mists up and surrounds you with fog every 30 minutes--fun:
So after "Too Much Fun" in France, it was time to head back to Palma, Mallorca and reconnect with Ecstasea. Thank you to our fabulous friends and to France itself for the wonderful hospitality!!!
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