Don’t ask me where the day went, it’s clear I haven’t a clue. It started normally enough, if a little later than usual. But by the time I’d inhaled my coffee and rebooted my brain, somehow the morning slipped through my fingers. Might have had something to do with the fact I didn’t get to bed until 3 am. Also, no clue why.
Last night’s fog hasn’t lifted – it feels like we’ve fallen into a different dimension.
We drive a little further north, to the heart of the Loire, the heart of chateau living, just past Blois.
We stopped here, on our first trip to France, almost 15 years ago when we spent three weeks in Paris and the Loire valley touring chateau.
I wish I’d been blogging then, to record my first sight of Paris, when every corner revealed a fresh surprise. I wish I’d recorded my first experience of the France I’d dreamt of for decades.
The fog follows us all day, casting a pall over everything. The sun breaks through at two points, creating gorgeous lighting, but they’re both short lived celebrations.
We take the opportunity (aka “lose the afternoon”) to catch up on domestics and restock the larder/cellar for the end of our trip. I’ve drawn the line at cooking until the very end – it puts too much pressure on keeping the kitchen/pantry/fridge spotless at the eleventh hour. Dobby lodged a formal complaint last year at having to reclean endlessly.
Luckily supermarkets in France stock high quality local made prepared meals. You can even buy truffled pomme de terre, or aligot, a divine whipped potato/cheese local speciality, should you be so inclined. Yeah, we were. #sorrynotsorry. Not even a little bit.
We’re making our way up to Versailles, a stop on that first trip all those years ago. Since then, the Hall of Mirrors has been restored at great expense and I hope to see the sections we didn’t get to see last time.
I hope the fog clears before then. Versailles is one of my favourite places. King Ludwig’s fully furnished Linderhof Castle, a homage to Versailles, is the closest we’ll come to seeing what it might have looked like in its heyday. We toured it a few years ago – it was spectacular.
I hope the fog lifts before then. Despite its misty loveliness, it’s getting to me a little. And the long range weather forecast isn’t helping. The day before we get on the ferry has a forecast top of 6 degrees and a low of -2. Brrrr.
For the first time, I missed the old me a little today. She of the little black dress, heels and blown out hair. I’d almost forgotten who that girl was but she’s creeping back into my thoughts a little.
Miss Baci Travels 