[Itinerary Page]The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
Au Revoir, Mes Amis
Our time here is winding down. As it turns out, Eric and Heidi had to leave today to catch their flight in Paris and start their long journey home in the morning. The original plan sounded pretty simple, but like many things on the road, it didn't work out quite that way.
Their original plan was to take a train from Sarlat to Bordeaux and catch the TGV (high speed train) to DeGaulle airport, spend the night and catch their flight in the morning. But there was track maintenance work on part of the line so they were going to bus people past the work, then put them on a train to Bordeaux.
That was what we expected would happen when we dropped them at the train station, but after Margene and I drove off, they got the word that there had been an accident down the line somewhere and the whole train had been canceled! Oops! Fortunately, Steve and Lynn were still in the parking lot making plans for their own travel that day, so everyone piled into the car and drove 45 minutes north to Perigeaux where they could catch another train to Bordeaux in time to make their connection to Paris.
Fortunately, it all worked out for them ... this time, but it would really have been a mess if Steve and Lynn had left immediately. It certainly makes the case for having a working cell phone over here.
While all this drama was going down, Margene and I headed back to Beynac (in blissful ignorance) for lunch and some last-minute shopping. We drove up to the Chateau this time (WAY easier than walking!) and settled down once again on the terrace of the Taverne du Remparts for a civilized lunch.
Margene spent the afternoon pre-packing and I did my best to get an Internet connection to upload past trip reports ... without much luck, I should add. We were stunned when Steve and Lynn finally got back and filled us in on what had happened!
The remaining projects of the trip involved reducing the amount of food in the fridge, eliminating our remaining stock of wine and finding a place for dinner. (Work, work, work!) None of us were in the mood for another big dinner but we found a pizzeria down on the river that had excellent wood-fired pies. It was exactly what we were looking for. I only wish we had found this place earlier in the trip!
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