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Let’s begin : )

Alethea x

Another monthly missive from me, a temporary summer cadence while I juggle heat, TBI stuff and back-to-back Airbnb guests. I’ll be back to the usual twice monthly rhythm soon.

With seemingly the whole of France en congé (holidays), even during the sacrosanct 12-2pm quiet time (lunch, bien sûr) the roads and supermarkets are busy. There’s a general local view that following the devastating wildfires in the Gironde and Landes, both huge holiday spots, many who’d booked there have now decamped to the Dordogne instead. Certainly, I’ve never seen the area this busy.

F&F & guests

This property was always meant to be full of people. With a steady stream of Airbnb guests in La Petite Maison, I’m also fortunate to have lovely family and friend visits – much easier, as F&F can just flop and do their thing.

My cousins finally made it here after farcical levels of car trouble. Overall, two vintage cars attempted the trip, only to fail one after the other. Replaced by a modern car, that then hit a rock on the return journey, necessitating the need for yet another vehicle. Six channel crossings, four cars, two weeks – it must be some kind of record!

Friends from The Hague, and their lovely pups, also stopped by for a brief visit, cue lots of comedy dog moments, walks and good chats. Romy was particularly delighted to see her old friend Akim, tolerated the new puppy, Wilson (haha!), while I was equally delighted to catch up with their humans, after a three year no-see.

Later, other lovely friends arrived with their six-year-old for the annual crocodile inspection. That this scrappy inflatable has survived four years, when so many of its pool companions have passed on to the déchetterie (tip), is remarkable.

My friend also introduced me to a fab app called Yuka, which scans barcodes and tells you where packaged food sits on the good-o-meter. Helpful for anyone watching cholesterol or anything else. Having never eaten gebakken uitjes (crispy onions, a Dutch favourite) again after once properly inspecting the label 🥹 – so many thousands of calories – I was initially not keen. However, having discovered my Chinese chilli sauce addiction can remain (not a tip-top score, but importantly, not nul point s either) I’m now a Yuka convert : )

To retreat or not

In between all that, it was time for #godmothervacances with Pen-e-lope, my annual briefing in youth-lingo and all things cool, and a much-needed pit-stop between the lights and delights of Paris and the significantly quieter prospect of a week-long Buddhist retreat at Plum Village.

My task? Ensure P was rested, fed, equipped to handle vegan life - a challenge in itself when one is not too keen on vegetables! – and delivered safely to the monastery.

It started with train cancellation drama, a mad dash across Paris for P involving pervy taxi drivers, followed by mild panic for me when she didn’t get off the replacement train. Several harried text messages later, it transpired that I was in the wrong place, not P. Things progressed to me forgetting to feed the teenager on day one (unfortunately, I have form on this!) and making up for it with a suitably non-Yuka approved tuck stash for her upcoming week in vegan-land.

Plum Village is a Buddhist monastery near Bergerac, set up by acclaimed Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh, who spent decades in exile from Vietnam after campaigning internationally for peace during the war. What began as a small rural community has grown into Europe’s largest Buddhist monastery, and it now offers a programme of mindfulness retreats.

Keen not to cramp P’s style on arrival, I hung back but was happy when she wanted me to join the tour. Contraband tuck bag over one arm, and my phone in the other hand, I trailed behind the small group snapping the occasional illicit photos (parental reassurance material for later).

There were some fantastic spaces for the dharma sessions, bamboo groves, stone circles and a generally peaceful vibe, but with temperatures nudging 40 degrees that week, all tour participants were noticeably relieved when shown the ‘cool room’, an air-conditioned space they could retreat to if it all got too much.

Having fixed the cabin fan (go me) and then mistakenly identified the outdoor loo as a sauna – not that kind of retreat – it was time to leave P to it.

On the way home, I found myself wondering if I could still do that sort of thing. I’ve never been particularly fond of camping, despite having done a surprising amount of it, including six weeks across the Sahara with someone I’d never met before who, let’s say, turned out to be quite odd, but that’s another story. It’s always the loo situation that bothers me.

A week of mindfulness, vegan food, communal living and limited facilities? The mindfulness and food sound appealing, the rest, I’m not so sure anymore…

Raindance

Following canicule number four, or five, I’ve lost count, finally breaking this weekend, we had some rain! Whooooo.

The temperature has also dropped to lovely, normal summer levels and you can almost feel nature breathing a sigh of relief. The grass, which had been burnt brown, is already sprouting green again.  

Other random things

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Need a peaceful rural retreat? There’s still one week’s availability for La Petite Maison in September and some October availability too – when it’s lovely and warm, but not blazing hot, and the colours are fabulous!

In these parts, restaurants are destination by default – everywhere involves a drive, hike or bike – and given the number of tourists descending on the area in the summer, there are inevitably some disappointing, run-of-the-mill, tourist-rinsing places with bad service and equally blah food. La Roque Gageac and Domme, in my opinion, are chief culprits for this sort of rip-off behaviour. 

In the spirit of research, Romy and I once stopped for a coffee at the Belvedere in Domme. It’s perched on the edge of the cliff, with a fantastic view, rivalled only by the fantastic but much more expensive, treat-type, restaurant, L’Esplanade on the other side.

The coffee was pah, but it was the water situation that really irritated me. I’d asked for water for me, and the dog. After quite some time, the waiter returned with my coffee and a bottle of water, opening it and promptly pouring most of it into Romy’s dog bowl before sloping off. Slightly ridiculous. My dog may be fussy, but huh?!

So, it’s always lovely to have somewhere you know will be reliably good, where the people are friendly, the food is great and you can settle in for the evening without wondering if you’ve accidentally walked into a tourist trap.

Hence, Le Chien Vert. A firm favourite, it’s also become something of a holiday-essential for my regular visiting friends who kindly insist on taking me there every visit. Merci : )

Effectively an open-air restaurant, it has an admirably relaxed and convivial atmosphere, with a lovely terrace and a great spot in the pretty village of Besse. It’s welcoming to small people, with a play area, and well-behaved dogs too.

Last week, the visiting six-year old was particularly excited to recreate his wooden block house, remembering in impressive detail the toys in the play area from the year before. Helaas pindakaas then that the toy fairies had altered the offerings. Having briefly considered chalk painting, the ipad and headphones soon became consierably more appealing : )

The menu is deliberately small, always a good sign in my view, and the ingredients and flavours are consistently top notch. Possibly the best frites in the area, but for me it’s the super delicate sauces and salsas accompanying the dishes that elevate everything.

Whilst I admit to some bias, given that it’s run by friends Juliette and Marc, it has long been a favourite amongst locals and visitors alike.

Plus, there’s a green dog!

Perfect for: families, children, dogs and groups of friends for a relaxed summer evening.

Part of a new collection of A&A Local favourites – places or activities that either sit slightly under the radar or are so consistently good that they stand out from the tourist trail.

With a lovely influx of new subscribers recently, it seems like a good moment to share some of the more ridiculous stories from the A&A archives.

So, whether you’re one of the new arrivals - bienvenue - or have been here for a while and simply fancy re-visiting a few stories, consider this a small (definitely not comprehensive) guide to some favourite A&A stories…

More Snapshots of the Domaine Les Plonges ‘journey’ next edition.

Possibly you found your way here via Instagram? @domainelesplonges? If so, an extra Bienvenue! You’ll already know I love a good visual…

If you’re interested in the tech I’m using for this, it’s Beehiiv. I did a LOT of research on platforms and I’m happy to explain why etc in more detail, just ask. They’ve also given me a partner link, and this gives anyone using the link a 30-day free trial and 20% off your first three months on any paid plan. Note, it’s an affiliate link and I may receive commission on any purchases made through it.

PS: A Beehiiv / Instagram glitch means I’m currently unable to share insta images - they will return!

Whichever way you subscribe, your support and readership is thoroughly appreciated and I’m delighted to have you along for the adventure! 💛