A walk in the hills
We walked up into the hills behind Beynac-et-Cazenac today following a photocopied trail map and the occasional yellow trail flash. We were saved from being completely lost only by a rotund gentleman with a goatee who we interrupted doing his gardening in his underwear.
Almost as soon as you leave the village and the river the countryside changes. The gentle hills are a combination of farms and light forest. The farms seem to be growing mostly wheat or corn; although there were a few fields of cows as well. The forests are oak and beech trees making a rich green ceiling over the pathways. Down below there are wildflowers and butterflies and dragonflies everywhere.
The walk itself was not terribly strenuous barring the heat. We’d completely misjudged how warm it was before we set off and weren’t carrying enough water (although we were, as usual, about the only people we saw wearing hats). By the time we got to the end poor Callum was staggering along, completely dehydrated and muttering darkly about deserts and mirages.
Declan was also unhappy but managed to keep up our family tradition of bad jokes while walking. His ‘best’ effort: Where do you find a person wearing night-vision goggles? On a nudist beach! [Blank looks from rest of family.] Because they’re all going commando!
We had dinner in a cafe down by the river with a lovely cool breeze blowing in. But Callum obviously really got hit by the heat as he only picked at his pizza.
While waiting for the cafe to hit the point of serving food we played cards. We’ve introduced the kids to the game of 500 and they’ve taken to it like ducks to water. Declan in particular is frightening, he knows where the cards all are and bids with abandon.
I had been thinking to teach them poker sometime, but now don’t know what sort of monster I’d be creating.