We woke to a glorious Bastille Day morning, with the sun shining and the birds singing, there's something to be said for the peace of an isolated country town. At a leisurely pace we arose, had breakfast and explored the village a little. The only signs of a national holiday were the fact that the stores were closed and a few flags at the war memorial. If it wasn't for the lack of people on the streets you could almost be in Croatia. Neither are very big on grass or garden areas, just a lot of stone everywhere, pleasant all the same. Having spent the last 2 weeks in England we weren't accustomed to such heat and had to return to the house for a little siest (Well when in Rome............. as they say).

In the afternoon we headed on a 3.5km walk down the road to Chateau Guillaume. On the way there we passed a roadside memorial to two men who were shot for being part of the French Resistance. The village has a ceremony remembering them regularly and maintain flowers at the site. The Germans were apparently very active in this area during WWII.

Chateau Guillaume was named after Alienor of Aquataine's father, William IX, who also built it at the end of the 12th century. It has been added to over time creating the rather majestic residence of today. It's beautiful gardens were in stark contrast to the surroundings of the adjoining village. It was here we found a small church, also from the 12th century, with a single stained glass window, in fact it was the only window.

All that walking had made us rather thirsty and as luck would have it the Tabac/Bistro was open upon our return. We had only intended to have one beer but they were cheap, cold and plentiful so we had three. Tom had a couple of shandies and was even able to successfully order the last couple of rounds in french!