Wednesday morning the sky was not encouraging but google predicted better things to come so we headed off to Château des Milandes, about 20 minutes from our petit chateau.
The château was built in the 15th century by the Caumont family but is perhaps better known as the home of Josephine Baker. Josephine was of African descent, born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1906 but became famous as a singer and entertainer in France and denounced her US nationality when she married a French industrialist in 1937.
She lived in the château for nearly 10 years before buying it and adopted the original “rainbow family” of children from many different countries and cultures.
She also had a role in the French resistance during WWII, was active in civil rights movements and was generally a very interesting woman, I highly recommend you google her! The château (now owned privately) houses a very interesting display of her life, with costumes, photos and memorabilia – no photos allowed – but really interesting.
The main reason we had come though was to view the “Birds of Prey” demonstration which features owls, falcons, hawks and others whose species were lost in translation! Unfortunately the commentary was mostly in French but it was visually very entertaining and worth the trip.
I even got to hold one on my arm albeit briefly, but definitely a very unique experience.
After lunch in the grounds we headed toward Domme, a bastide town that was founded in 1281 by Philip the Bold. It is sometimes referred to as the Acropolis of the Dordogne because of its commanding elevated position.
It was certainly a great spot to watch the thunderstorm that rolled in as we reached the viewpoint and eventually sent us scurrying for cover into the shops!
All in all, a satisfying day.
Tomorrow, the arrival of our first guests and hopefully the return of the sun!