Sculptures of Boxwood and Coconut Ice cream
From Dix, Neuf, Huit...The Countdown To France in Autoire, France on Oct 02 '07
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Wednesday, October 3.
Today I went to the nearby gardens of Marquyssac. A privately owned manor and estate. Originally a huge flat area way up on top of a mountain (there are alot of those here), the terraces were built by Bertrand Vernet of Marqueyssac and in the 1800's a mass of serpentine paths through the woods were created for the new owner, Julien Bessiere, just to ride his horses! In 1861, Julien de Cerval inherited the property, and he had a passion for gardens...he planted thousands of boxwood, lime trees, cypress and cyclamen. Over the years the boxwood have been sculpted into hedges, boxes, spirals, scrolls, mounds and topiaries! Extraordinary, that plants could take on the three-D shape of art. It reminded me of a time when Megan was little and we were riding the monorail into Disney World. Along the way were trees that had been skillfully shaped into whimsical animals like elephants and dancing bears. I would say "Look, Meg, a giraffe", "Look Meg, a lion", pointing out each character we passed. Always an observant child, she watched with great seriousness as each sculpture slid by until she spied a brand new straight sapling that had just been planted, "Look, Mom", she cried out,"a worm!" We laughed until tears rolled down our faces, because the adults knew a worm wasn't the sort of thing that would be considered whimsical or cute...but it really DID look like a worm! I have always loved Megan's perspective on things.
I laugh because coconut translates so literally-noix de coco!
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Back to the gardens, pathways snake through arbors of cypress, past violets and cyclamen blooming in the shade of the hedges and stone benches. You can walk to the cliffs, through a flat garden or up to the highest bluff to see a 360 degree view of the Perigord. There are colorful peacocks strutting freely. They are so tame, or so secure, they walk within inches of you, the little delicate plume on the top of their heads bobbing like an airy crown. They eat grass! I've never been that close to a peacock. They have huge clawed feet that look like they belong to a turkey. Their feathers change color depending on how the light hits them, royal blue, deep, deep greens, and aubergine, a purple like an eggplant's skin.
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There is a manor house that has been restored, but it only has a few furnished rooms, and it's nothing special. This place is more about nature, quiet, meditation. The shadiest slopes are carpeted with lime green moss, and spider webs drip from the boxwood branches like intricate diamond necklaces shimmering in the morning light. Birds sing. It is very peaceful.
A small chapel sits opposite the manor house, hidden in a grove of trees. The door is locked, but I can look inside through a scrolled grate. Stones on the floor are engraved with the name of the peson buried under it...One is for Jane D'Erp...I wonder if she's related to Wyatt (D) Erp?! Ha ha. A steep trail leads up to a Calvaire (big cross, as in Calgary?). A family friend, who became Pope Pius X, used to sit up there and ponder life. I do the same.
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A cafe with a terrace and soft green tents with scallopped tops line the graveled courtyard outside the manor. I sit in the sun instead, at a dark green enameled table with little round seated chairs. A light breeze ruffles my hair. it is very pleasant. I have a salad and a "tartine croquante", which is a cross between an open face grilled cheese sandwich, and a pizza on thick bread( mine has ham and mushrooms melted in there too). They have homemade ice cream, made by their own local "craftsman", M Manourier.... (everyone here is a specialist or a craftsman, even the foie gras makers. They take their food VERY seriously).I am not a huge ice cream fan, but I can't resist the list of flavors: walnut, chestnut, almond, caramel, pistachio, nougat. All the fruits are represented: strawberry, raspberry, banana, lime, lemon, peach. They even have violet, rose petal, daffodil, poppy, jasmine, and lavender. I don't want to waste my calories on the flower flavors, but I'll bet they are interesting. There are other flavors too, of course, but I decide on 3 "boules"- coconut, walnut and pistachio (I laugh because coconut translates so literally-noix de coco).
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It has been a long time since I tasted anything so delicious, that I have to let it sit in my mouth for a moment to savor the flavor. My first bite is coconut, and it whisks me back to a family vacation in Hawaii where we have eaten freshly made coconut cake, the grated coconut sticking to our lips, and the taste so delicious we shut our eyes for a minute, little squeaks of delight escaping us. We ate that cake every day while we were there, and this ice cream is like that. Better than good. The walnut and pistachio are just as delicious, which is not surprising since there are nut orchards everywhere. I have seen the signs for "Route de Noix", route of the nuts. I have driven it. It's true in so many ways!
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After dessert I drive to ,what are touted as, the most beautiful villages in France: Lebrousseau and Autoire. And they are, although after what I have seen so far, I don't know how they picked a winner.
I am running out of battery, so will finish this later! Love and kisses!
OK, I'm back, just to add some pictures and finish this up.
Observation: the pharmacies are all marked here with lighted green crosses.
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