September 30 ~ October 1: They Say Getting There is Half the Fun ....

September 30 ~ October 1:  They Say Getting There is Half the Fun ....

Jeff and I left our house on Sunday shortly after Jeff returned from Quaker Meeting.  We arrived at Beth and Jeremy's shortly after 3:00 p.m.  They had been out practicing their golf as they will play at the Terradyne annual golf outing on Monday.  We had a truly delightful visit catching up with them followed by a delicious meal of baked potatoes, grilled pork tenderloin, and green beans.  An evening of tv and chat.

Monday morning Beth and Jeremy were up and out early.  Jeff and I walked into town to have breakfast and then relaxed before catching an Uber ride to the airport at 2 p.m.

The first leg of the trip was uneventful -- Iberian Airlines is comfortable - the "premium economy" seats make the journey a bit easier.  The crew was less than what I would call attentive, but not a big problem.  We landed a bit early in Madrid and then had to walk forever (well over a mile) to get to our regional flight from Madrid to Bordeos (Spanish for Bordeaux).  Again, uneventful flight -- beautiful clouds outside our window, which Jeff tried to capture.

We landed in Bordeaux, made our way to baggage claim and were surprised when our bags were the first two off the plane.  Peter and Betty Lou's bags were not far behind.  A quick trip to the rental car counter and we were on our way to Noujan et Postiac and our vacation rental at Beau Sejour.

But in truth, getting there really isn't much fun when it comes to international travel!  However, we all survived and are whiling away some time in our beautiful, rustic holiday cottage called Les Vendangeurs (The Grape Pickers' Cottage).

Les Vendangeurs

Les Vendangeurs is absolutely delightful!  Built of the local "golden stone," the cottage is very comfortable - bright and airy with a wonderful veranda overlooking a private, tranquil garden.  The bathrooms are modern and both have showers.  The house dates from the beginning of the 18th century and was part of a wine-growing/making complex.  It has been lovingly restored and is truly a delight.

Exhausted and happy to be here, our host and hostess greeted us presented us with a lovely bottle of local sparkling rose, and acquainted us with the house before leaving us to get some much needed rest.  

Our Veranda

Another View of the Veranda

Lovely Kitchen

First floor bedroom - Peter and Betty Lou's room was spacious and comfortable.  The bathroom wasn't ensuite, but was convenient to the bedroom and available to all during the day.

Jeff and I took the upstairs room and had the bonus room as a place to store our suitcases, as our room was small.  We had an ensuite modern bathroom - small, but more than adequate.

Beau Sejour is a bed and breakfast in the main house pictured above.  The picture on the right is of our host, Jon, who has been working on painting and rehanging the shutters on the main house all week.

Our Citroen parked next to the doorway to our courtyard

We all slept for a few hours and then went to Branne to have a delightful dinner at Caffe Cuisine, a restaurant recommended by Maureen.  We settled on the Menu (a price fixed, three-course meal) that was absolutely delicious.  Starting with an amuse bouche, a terriyaki foam with some sort of fish in the base, and then to the appetizer, followed by beef over a polenta with cheese, and some cauliflower.  For dessert, there was a lovely peach and raspberry sauce served over a delicious golden cake.  A lovely bottle of local red wine - Chateau Les Gavieres - complemented our meal perfectly.

Cafe Cuisine in Branne

Playing with my new iPhone camera

Delicious Red Wine

Dinner!  We all got the same thing!

Then it was back to Les Vendangeurs for a good night's sleep!  So .... getting here was not really fun at all, but now that we are here, the fun has begun!