So, we packed our bags this morning and somehow managed to fit them all, along with us six passengers, inside of the van (props go to Andrew for his ingenuity... It was an utter engineering FEAT) and headed south west for Thoumassou Haut, which I have come to realize is basically the name of the farm itself is not actually a village... Oops. After six hours of driving and three very, VERY tired and cranky children, we finally arrived at our destination. I must say, this is by far the most beautiful place that I have ever been (pictures to come soon).
There are three separate stone houses that make up the living quarters, all built of stone: one was the original farm house, the other the guest house, and the third was the barn, but has now been renovated into bedrooms and a loft area. The gardens are magnificent (Mama, you'd fall over!), with a huge yard and the entire property surrounded by wooded areas. Thoumassou Haut (not to be confused with Thoumassou Bas: a nearby farm) is situated near the Dordogne River (the closest town that I can remember is St. Cyprien and we also passed Castelnaud where Richard the Lionheart once lived!) at the top of a mountain, if you will, or rather a very, VERY large and steep hill, with winding roads all the way up... I was thinking of going for a jog in the morning, but after seeing that the house is at the very top of what may as well be Mt. Kilimanjaro, I think I'll be passing.
As we arrived, we were quickly greeted by Nathalie's mother, Claudine (ALSO KNOWN AS THE CREATOR OF DIMOUITOU, as seen below...
... Funniest coincidence ever! Probably one of the highlights of my day) and her husband, Allan (who doesn't speak any english, might I add... He's too cute though!), with some yummy champagne in hand. We sat out on the patio in the midst of their garden, ate homemade pate, sausage, some sort of yummy carrot/vinagrette/garlic salad, and cherry pie... DELICIOUS (this is why I love France so much, hahaha). After a long time of both catching up and getting to know each other better (I had met both Claudine and Allan once before in Ottawa) we rolled our many suitcases to our appropriate rooms and called it a night. I got situated in the "guest house," which is actually now owned by Nathalie and Andrew. It's basically a separate living space, with a kitchen/living/dining area, bedroom, and bathroom. It's absolutely charming and a perfect place for me to call home for the next five weeks.
That's all for now folks, bon nuit et bisou!
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