THE FRENCH CALL IT “DIVERSION.” For us it was a minor detour from Connie's original plan, through some spectacular scenery to visit our oldest new friends. We met Allan and Diana on the cruise to Barcelona back at the beginning of this trip and we visited them at their home in St. Martin-de-Vers later that summer. (Life in a Fairytale, journals.worldnomads.vagabonds) They still spend summer here in France and they graciously invited us for another visit, something that rarely happens with us. Most people find that once is enough.
A detour along the Dordogne
Their cottage hasn’t changed much in the last four years and St. Martin-de-Vers hasn’t changed in as many centuries. Alan has become an accomplished cook, his cookery bible this time was the local Goose Fat and Garlic. This was our first experience with duck-neck pate and saute-ed duck gizzards and I hope it won’t be my last. Wonderful! But after two days with Alan, Diana and their friends we may have to join a detox program. So many wines (and brandies and cheeses) and so little time.
Sabadel-Lauzes, home of John and Ali
The area around Cahors has become quite a haven for expats and Alan rounded up the most interesting ones. Richard, a Canadian, is a geographer by trade, joined us for lunch. He has helped establish national parks in the Canadian Arctic as well as UNESCO World Heritage sites, a favorite of ours as you might recall. John and Ali hosted us for lunch at their remodeled home. John’s interest is at the other end of the world, as it were. He has spent an unbelievable amount of time on South Georgia Island near Antarctica and is an accomplished birder which appealed to Connie no end. Not surprisingly — in the “it’s a small world” context — he personally knows or knows of almost all of the people we met on our Antarctic cruise and many we have met birding around the world. The difference, of course, is that he is one of them and we only observe from the bleachers.
It may have been a diversion but a very pleasant one, indeed. Merci.
