Weekend away and learning French.

After finishing three rewarding days of work the volunteers began their weekend of fun the best way possible: the concert at the lake. What a magical night it was. We all sat on the grass among the locals sipping our drinks and enjoying the unique performance by the talented group ‘The Bukatribe’. We also got a chance to chat to the group afterwards which was an excellent way of helping us excel in French. And we even got a picture! Lucky us!!!

Sunset at the lake while enjoying the concert.

We rose early on Saturday in anticipation of our day trip planned impeccably by Paul. We left La Giraudiere at half 8 heading straight to Bourdeilles – a scenic village located along the river Dronne. The main attraction was certainly ‘Le Château’. We climbed to the top where we met a breathtaking view – certainly worth the seemingly never ending stairs we climbed.

Château de Bourdeilles.

The view from the castle

Next we headed to Brantôme – my favourite place I have visited so far. L’ambiance était magnifique!!! Lunch consisted of delicious gallettes, omelettes and salads in an excellent restaurant;. After dining we had a leisurely stroll along the river and into the shops where we all bought some small presents for our family. Then we explored the historical Abbey before heading to our next destination – Aubettere sur Dronne. The most impressive feature of this village was, of course the church. We spent the evening chatting to Paul’s friends while enjoying a drink and a crepe. This was an excellent opportunity to practice our French. We all tried our best to engage in conversation. They even invited us to vist them in La Rochelle!!!