Let the Games Begin

October 5, 2013

It is Saturday, and the last of the wayward travelers has arrived.  (Myself.)  

Immediately upon arrival, we discovered there would be some technological hurdles.  Some phones worked intermittently others not at all.  WiFi at the Manoir worked only if you were in the Kitchen.  

I know, I know... you're thinking, "Why do you need to check your email? You're in France!?"  Blech... alas we've grown dependent upon our social media.  (Also, let's face it.  The ability now to out-Facebook that friend who constantly posts photos of her Cheerios-covered, children...well is priceless.) 

Rest assured many photos were taken, and we promise to post the best ones on this blog.  Also, they will be divided into excursion chapters, so viewing will be easier.  

Home base - Manoir de la Mothe  

Lisa G.  coined a phrase to describe the Manoir, "a Chateau in delightful disrepair".  One needs to keep in mind that France is very old, and everything in it is likely to be old.  To be honest with the French Revolution and two world-wars, it's kind of a miracle there are any buildings left standing.  

As you stroll the grounds, you can definitely see the ghosts of what was once a lively, elegant, and stately home.  At one time it even hosted a dinner-theatre.  There are a number of out buildings on the property, including a gardener's cottage, stable, and other pens which may have housed animals. The owner boasted about a covered area for Ping Pong.  Which was true. Amusingly, the table is located outside the Manoir in what appears to be an old pool house.  It took us a couple of days to find the paddles and balls.  We never did play ping pong.

The house is located along a picturesque bend of a lazy river called L'indre. To access the river you must walk through the back yard, unlock a rickety old wooden gate, and cross a wooden footbridge to stand beside its banks.  There is an inlet which forms a natural pond which sits stagnant.  The pond is filled with Monet's lilies.  You can easily imagine the artist sitting in the grass, capturing the sparkles of afternoon sunlight upon a canvas.  The light truly is amazing here.

While many were prepared for a certain level of disrepair (as all of us have traveled abroad) we weren't prepared for the dinginess.  The house may have not been used in a while, because it smelled musty and furniture and things were oddly strune about. 

However, the ladies on this trip are creative and had the ingenuity to set about to spruce up and "merchandise" the house. They flung open windows and doors, moved furniture, rearranged the kitchen, trimmed dahlias from the garden and placed them in whatever vases they could find.  They filled the rooms with vibrant colored flowers and by the time I arrived, the manoir felt very welcoming.

The kitchen is ancient, the stove a bit fussy, and the dining table has suffered from years of neglect.  However, the minor glitches in the manoir's offerings have served to make the trip all the more adventurous.  Good thing this group isn't short on invention or humor.  We got to stretch the legs of our imaginations.  For example, having no linens to cover the unsightly dining table, we found a roll of butcher paper in a cupboard and one guest set out to decorate the surface with picturesque scenes using her box of watercolor paints.  Each night she painted a different scene.  We've discovered you can do a lot with a little imagination and some votive candles.

In the end we accomplished a very important goal, which was to enjoy each other's company, soak in the charm and beauty of the countryside, relish in the everyday workings of a French township, sit down to a delicious meal made from the freshest finds from the local markets - and revel in a day's adventures over a bottle of wine.  We're in France, and as they say, C'est la via!  (That's life.)