A trip to Bourdeilles - France .. Dreaming of France

This was a difficult post as for a start I had no idea where it was. I knew it was in France , I knew I was with Diane and Nigel but because my computer decided to rearrange all my photos out of their folders I had to sort them out.

It was this little plaque that helped me!!

After a long time researching I found out that he or she was an author.

I have searched and searched and unlike me I cannot find out any info except
that whoever he/she was they wrote books about Bourdeilles.

Must be in the name -- VERY SECRET!!!

JEAN SECRET

 

The castle of Bourdeilles was firstly a medieval castle, in the end of the 13th, then a Renaissance palace of XVI century, housing an impressive collection of nearly 700 items of antique furnishings. The fortress remained French until 1360 when the treaty of Brétigny ceded the Périgord to the English. - See more at: http://en.infotourisme.net/monument/bourdeilles/4936/chateau-de-bourdeilles#sthash.v8wfAQjE.dpuf

Chateau de Bourdeilles...





 

I think this Chateau is two different designs or there are two!

 

I am sure Nigel will be able to help me out on this one . 

Le Jardin du Presbytere

 



 

I hope you all have a super week . I am off on a trip to Austria

with my Formula 1 friends. I still have to blog about my last trip ..

Italy in September 2014.  Lots to keep me going .

 

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥



 



Le Jardin du Presbytere

 

An Old Sign in France ...

When I was on my trip 1 year ago

with Diane and Nigel

we did a lot of sightseeing ..

and as you know in France you

can see so many different things.

 

And one is the old signs .

 

We came across this sign . (wonder if Diane remembers)

 

Diane has a few blogs , here is a link to her PhotoDiary.

 

 

BYRRH  is an aromatised wine-based apéritif made of red wine, mistelle, and quinine. Created in 1866, it was popular as a French apéritif.

 

With its marketing and reputation as a "hygienic drink", Byrrh sold well in the early 20th century. It was even exported, despite the similarity of its name to "beer", complicating sales in English- and German-language speaking regions

 

Brothers Pallade and Simon Violet, drapers from Thuir (France), decided to take advantage of the wine fever in the region to develop an apéritif wine flavored with cinchona. They mixed dry wines and mistelles and initially marketed the resulting product as a health drink or tonic. This was because the local apéritif producers were displeased about competition with their established brands.

 

Rebranding the brothers' aperitif as a health drink got around this problem, and Byrrh was sold in pharmacies

 

Interesting as I was doing my google search

I came across a sign just like the above  

 being  sold on Etsy..!! (click on link)

and an interesting

post HERE using Byrrh in a cocktail.

 

Enjoy if you do make a Cocktail !!

 

♥♥♥♥♥

 

 

 

Saint Germain De Confolens - France ...

 Another great place we saw on my visit to the Charente 

in May 2014 with Diane and Nigel. 

I just did a google on this castle and found Diane's blog post 
of a visit she did in 2012. I am sure she won't mind the link to her blog!!

View Larger Map

Saint-Germain-de-Confolens is a small village  in the north-east of the Charente department (Poitou-Charentes region) to the north of Confolens.
The village stands below a hill that is dominated by  two  important monuments - the castle and the 12th century Church of Saint-Vincent.

We went to see this .....

 And were amazed to also see these ...

Here you can alos see the church of 

St Vincent ...

(more about these in a new post) 

The fortified castle of Saint-Germain, although in ruins, still has a substantial amount to see - especially the two large circular towers, with the remains of the main castle building in between them. The castle dates from the 14th-15th centuries and is built on the site of a 12th century fortress.

 And nestled away behind the wall and with a river running near by 

is this lovely little Cemetery .. lovingly looked after too!

The Church of Saint Vincent was originally the chapel of the chateau. 

Say a little pray for me ..

 Love the Stained Glass window!

   The Gallic rooster ,   as a symbol for France dates back to the collapse of the Roman Empire and the formation of Gaul. Despite its frequent use as a symbol for France, the rooster has never been an official emblem. “Cocorico !” (French for “cock-a-doodle-doo”) is often used as an affirmation of French patriotism.

 I know a lot of you

enjoy history, architecture and  the views too.

Hope you enjoy this. 

Thank you to everyone for their lovely comments on my previous post 

and on Facebook too!!  I think Facebook is taking over from blogging , but 

I am going to keep going on here for as long as I can.

♥ ♥ ♥ 

Always lovely to receive a Postcard or Two and a gift! ♥

 

Even from thousands of miles away ,

and I mean thousands.

my friend Marilyn thought of me and sena card from

Santiago , Chile.

 

Marilyn travels a lot , and she doesn't have a blog . I

think she should, maybe one day!!

View Larger Map

 

Santiago, also Santiago de Chile, is the capital and

largest city of Chile and  is located in the country's central valley,

at an elevation of 520 m above mean sea level.

 

 

Looks fabulous.  They also  went to

Easter Island. Has anyone been to Easter Island?

Marilyn and her husband Trev are the only people I know to go.

A boyhood dream for Trevor.

 

RED  marks the Spot ... Easter Island..

 

 

 

View Larger Map

 

 

  

 Easter Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean,

and is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai,

 created by the early Rapa Nui people.

 

Easter Island is one of the most remote inhabited island in the world,

more than 2,180 miles away from the coast of Chile and

1,289 miles from the nearest inhabited island

A BIG THANK YOU to Marilyn.

 

♥ ♥ ♥

 

Two  days before Christmas. 

 I had a parcel from ITALY !!

 

I had a huge surprise !!

 

Well what was inside was a surprise but unfortunately

he (Christian) had to tell me  to expect the delivery as the company,

he uses, wanted a phone number for me. So he had to ask me.

 

Christian is a  wonderful young man , who I happened

to meet when working at Williams F1. He is Italian, he lives in Italy with his

wife AND  he is a WILLIAMS F1 FAN!!!  (Unusual :-) )

 

He lives in Verona , and one day I will go ,he will be my guide.

How wonderful. Funny thing is, he says he lives in the WRONG country!!

And I live near his TEAM !!

 

 

Inside was a postcard

 

A lovely box

 



 

YES it was a Panetonne

all the way from VERONA

 

 

And a box of Waferini ..



 

I was over the moon , I was shocked and surprised , I wept a tear.. 

Such a  wonderful gift .  It meant a lot .

 

Just as much as  the Williams shirt I sent him means to him!!

 

Big thank you Christian.  Forza Williams !!