Letter I received this morning: YAY!!!

Bonjour Madame ,

I hope you had a good trip round the Chtaeau !

I have spoken to John and Pam Ryan and they have accepted your offer with 2 weeks holiday a year for the next 5 years . I have to say they are thrilled about that part ! They usually come well out of season so I am sure that will work out well for you all.

All the furniture is included in the sale .

The Notary fees on your purchase are xxx and we have made an appointment with the Notary in Duras for a week today to sign the first contract which as discussed I will e mail through to you ..

The Ryan's are over in the house from the 8th of April for about 1 month so they can sign whilst they are here and also sign a power of attorney for the final deeds .

Please do pop in and see us this morning as we require a photocopy of your passport .

Kind regards

Rosalind

 

 

Immorama Aquitaine
Place du Marché
47120 Duras
Rosalind Monk et Louise Sergenton

 

www.duras-immobilier.com
0033 (0)5 53 83 81 68

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Dejeuner: une retrospectif

Day one: Duras

Day two: Sainte Foy la Grande

Day three: Saint Emilion

Day four: Issigeac

Still life in Issigeac

Duras, a few pix

This is a very photogenic town at all hours of the day. I especially like to take photos as the sun is setting behind the chateau and bathing the stone buildings in a golden light.  

My favorite photo at sunset:

My favorite morning shot:

My favorite photo:

Touring about: day two

The market at Eymet, pronounced "eye-may," is lively and makes that bastide town come alive on Thursday mornings. I headed over there for a stroll through the square to see what the merchants were offering today. I had no plans to actually buy anything today, as I am leaving town first thing tomorrow morning, but it was fun to ride the friendly vibe for awhile. I stopped at the large pharmacie there to see if I could score some of my favorite moisturizer and I found it for 15.50€ per tube, which is a lot better than the $39 I pay for it in the states. I bought two. 

Then I drove to the medeival town of Issigeac, which is between Eymet and Bergerac. Issigeac is full of half-timbered buildings from many centuries ago and it has a definite feel of ancientness with its narrow, winding lanes and shadowy spaces. It even has a moat that runs around the old village perimeter. I found a cute spot in the heart of the village for lunch. The "plat du jour" came with soup in a pretty ceramic pot, a salad, a large plate of steak frites, dessert and a quarter liter of wine, all for 13€.  I skipped dessert as I was stuffed after the first three courses.

As I was driving back from Issigeac, toward Sainte Foy, I spotted a Maisons du Mondes shop in a large commercial plaza. They are a home and garden store, much like Ikea. The prices are very reasonable and the design has a definite French flair, instead of Scandinavian. I have looked at their website a few times, and will definitely buy some cute accessories, maybe dishes from them when I have a house here.

Blog within a blog

While I was concentrating on my earlier posts, sitting at the Cafe de la Paix in town, I looked up briefly to see that a little parade had formed and was heading through town. A group of aging and aged veterans were celebrating an old victory, or perhaps loss. I will have to research what March 19 means in French history.

I think my house found me

This really shouldn't be a surprise, that I would end up loving the same house I saw when I was here last fall. The same tiny, village place with the sunny stone facade and the tiny diamond window. It's tucked under a 12th Century clock tower, which looms like a much-taller big brother. It's a tiny, rare gem, unlike any others, stuck as it has been for some 900 years on one end of a happy little town in the shadow of the clanging monument. Funny thing, when I was in the house today, the clock clanged, croaked really, just twice when it was four o'clock. A clock that can't tell time? It sounds like a grandma clanging her wash tub to announce lunch to grandpa. Clang? Bang? Clank? Clunk? Oh well, if you were 900 years old you'd sound pretty off too.

After hundreds of houses pored over on internet sites, dozens of towns considered, studied and many written off, then 14 houses seen and considered thoroughly on this trip to Duras . . . 

This one wants me. I think I want it too. Are you listening, Grandpa? Lunch!