Today I saw seven houses in several different towns:
Levignac de Guyenne, Sainte Foy la Grande, Gensac and Pessac sur Dordogne. My head is swimming trying to remember which details went with which property.
With the exception of Sainte Foy, which is quite large and bustling, the other places were much smaller than Duras, but all still had their share of charm and amenities.
Levignac de Guyenne is just south of Duras and you could miss it if you changed the radio station as you were traveling past. It does have a very large Gothic church and a few shops. The church is the most imposing feature and was, in fact, the bulk of the view from the terrace of the house I saw there. It had a beautiful exterior on both sides, and there were many interior features I also liked including a lot of exposed stone walls and multiple fireplaces. It also had an ample terrace and courtyard below, which was very private and basically a blank canvas. The negatives were a lot of updating and rearranging required. The kitchen was also pretty awful, but that's not unusual here.
My next stop was at Saint Foy, which is big and busy with a large year-round population,and it was hard to find a parking spot. I finally got one on the quai along the Dordogne, which was murky gray and rushing in a menacing way today.
I met Marie-Claude and Jean-Pierre Jeanson to see two houses in that town. One was large, with many square rooms and as many patterns of wallpaper as there were rooms. It had a nice, bright courtyard, but it was mostly without charm and looked rather like a handball court.
The other was one I had seen in advance and requested a viewing before leaving the states. It was a Middle Ages townhouse with a half-timbered facade, very nice spaces and a lovely, gravelled courtyard. Unfortunately it felt dark and damp and there was evidence that they had recently broken into walls, and along baseboards to treat for termites. These termites were likely descended from the same ones that were probably eating the house in the 13th century. As with some of the other houses I saw on the internet, it was much better looking in the professional photos than in reality. I hate to do it, but it's off my wish list. I don't really think Sainte Foy is for me either--too big.
The Realtors recommended a place for lunch, just across the town square from their office. It was a very good choice and I enjoyed a salad with some delicious local charcuterie, then a pan-seared pork chop with pommes Anna, carrots and turnips.
After lunch, I drove to the small, but charming village of Gensac to meet Gaby Van Edom, a six-foot amazon with a commanding presence. She showed me four houses, three of which were not even worth considering,but one was a knockout!
The knockout was a free-standing stone cottage in the very small village of Pessac sur Dordogne. It retains most of the original exposed stone walls, but has a modern kitchen and updated bathrooms. The real thriller is the large terrace that overlooks the Dordogne along with a charming garden below. The garden even has a tall "monkey puzzle" tree, which is quite a rare thing.The house was built in 1752 and there are several stone fireplaces and floors from that era. It exudes charm. It seems perfect, except that the town is sooo tiny. There are a few basic shops for essentials, all walkable, but no outdoor market. No restaurant. I wish I could pick it up and put it in Duras or Monsegur.
