Tuesday 24 July 2012

And for once in our lives it was quiet....


Time flies when you're having fun! I can't believe it has taken me this long to share the details of our holiday but better late than never. We had the most wonderful, relaxing week away in a region of France called Poitou-Charentes. Quiet and undiscovered, we had a fantastic time exploring the beautiful countryside around where we were staying. In particular, we were lucky to discover an absolute gem of a place to stay in. A couple of hours drive from the airport, and nestled in the middle of some stunning French countryside, is the Logis de Puygaty, a 15th century beauty of a home.








Max and Pierre, the couple who own the Logis de Puygaty, have done the most incredible job of restoring this beautiful chateau in a way that is both sensitive to the history of the building yet full of gorgeous design details that had me gawping {and wanting to take most of the furniture home with us}.

 They were both so warm and welcoming that we instantly felt at ease and fell happily {and quickly} into an unhurried way of passing our days - some sightseeing, some  wandering and plenty of excellent food and wine. Hearing their fascinating stories about how they ended up in the middle of rural France was a real treat too. No detail has been overlooked, right down to the furniture that Pierre himself designs {S was rather relieved none of it was going to fit in our suitcase, because if I had had my way...} It was simply beautiful, as were the settings..






Some of the four legged company was pretty good too...





Our room was stunning, as was the main space and we made the wise choice of dining in one evening and enjoying the table d'hote, prepared by Pierre. It was delicious, as were the cognac cocktails that we enjoyed beforehand. Cognac was one of the towns we visited during our little stay and despite the tour of Remy Martin that we took, I'm still not convinced. Put it in a cocktail, however, and I'm sold! I only wish I'd taken some photos but I was faaar too caught up in eating {ha}.




We spent a fair amount of time in the pretty, nearby{ish) town of Angouleme - where comic art spills out from the design school and onto every street corner, either in the form of graffiti or the speech bubble street signs. The region is still relatively quiet on the tourist front - though I would assume that depends on where you visit, La Rochelle for example - but we thoroughly enjoyed exploring away from the beaten track.






I won't ramble on too much longer, though I have dozens more photos to share. Aside from all the beautiful countryside and hidden gems you can discover, the incredible churches carved into cliffs or the amazing wine collections you stumble upon, make a point of visiting at least one attraction in the region. The most serious and sombre of them all: Monkey Valley, home to these lads..


We had a fantastic week. Spending that time together, unhurried and uninterrupted and in such a beautiful place felt totally luxurious.

LoveBx




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