We arrived in the small town of Pommiers, just northwest of Lyon and right smack in the middle of the Beaujolais wine region. Our dear friends, Jean-Marc and Sophie, were wonderful hosts, along with their four children - Louis, Victoire, Columbe and Celeste. Of course, Grandmere Elizabeth, was generous and gracious in every way.
On the first night of our visit in Pommiers, we had dinner at the local Jean-Marc and Sophie castle in town, Chateau de Bagnols. This castle was perfect - just how Daddy pictured it as a kid. It was built in the 13th century and had a moat, a bridge crossing the moat, a central courtyard and beautiful gardens. The interior rooms are filled with Renaissance wall paintings, said to be the most extensive and best preserved in a provincial French chateau. And dinner? Prepared by Chef Matthieu Fontaine, it was simply magnifique. But can there be anything wrong with a meal that ends with 3 plates of dessert?
Every day was sunny and warm and unplanned. Their summer home is surrounded by vineyards planted generations ago by Jean-Marc's family. Our meals were simple but gorgeous. The girls - who have not seen each other since last summer in Lake Tahoe - reconnected immediately and swam, played and swung from the trees.
The highlight of our stay, by far, was Sophie and Anna's adventure on a local ropes course, Au Fil des Arbres. This included walking on tightrope wires between trees and zooming down zip lines (pictures here). Since the ropes course adventure, we have been talking non-stop about where to build a tree house and zip line in our backyard in Berkeley. Here are a couple videos:
We had a wonderful time! Hugs and kisses to all the Merlins!
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