When Solange told me that Limousin was known for mushrooms and a certain kind of ceramic material, the only thing I thought it was better than was sitting at home all through the Toussaint holiday. Moreover, when she first mentioned Limousin and these ceramics plates, all in her French dialect, I understood that we were going to a faraway place that was known for ceramic plates and either her sister-in-law, who would be hosting us, had a limousine or the town was known for limousines, much like its ceramic plates. Before you call me dumb over the last statement, let me say that Scandal was on while she was speaking! And I had also never heard of Limousine before that day, moreover the word “Limousine” came only after she had said our means of transportation which made my mind play the word association game – Transport; Limousine. But I guess what she was trying to say was we were driving to Limousine and not by Limousine LOL! (seriously, which would have made more sense to you! If you never knew the town existed) When I decided to pay attention to what she was really saying, i.e. I hit the pause button on Scandal, I understood that she was inviting me on a trip to a small town that was about a 6/7 hour drive away. We’d be staying in her family home, and there would be lots of mushrooms! Of course, she laughed when she said this because she knows I detest mushrooms, and we were basically going to mushroom world! I was still very thrilled – mostly grateful that they had been kind enough to invite me. I had never been to the countryside of any country, so that was another plus! And the road trip aspect was super cool! I hadn’t done a 6-hour road trip before. It was going to be just us girls in the wonderful town of Limoges, Limousin! On top of that, Solange promised we’d make a stop at Château de Chambord on our way there, which was her thoughtful little treat to me! Since I kept talking about how I’d love to see that particular castle!
Château de Chambord was even more beautiful than the pictures I had seen, as we got there right at sunset, and the lovely colors of the sky reflected beautifully on what I believed was what inspired Walt Disney’s castle logo.
However, the more surprising beauty was the home that welcomed us at our final destination – Solange’s family home! It reminded me of a castle or an aristocrat’s mansion! It was very ancient looking, and it had all the qualities of rooms and buildings one would see in a historic French home. I had never seen anything like it! And I immediately entered a world, one where I’d be dining and discussing playful word games with Les précieuses. Or be expecting a visit from Louis XV after he has made his stop at Madame de Pompadour’s, of course! Suddenly, my tight skinny Zara jeans felt quite too inappropriate. I wanted my mantua and matching petticoat then and there!
I couldn’t contain my excitement and deep appreciation for the beauty of the home. I took a mini diversion off my joy ride, when I realized mushroom pie was for dinner, but I was quickly comforted with a plate of spaghetti! Carbs will do the trick!
We arrived late, so there wasn’t much to see around the house. The morning after was an even more beautiful delight when I woke up to the lovely view below! We definitely had to sit outside for lunch!
