This was a delightful, accidental discovery. We had left Bordeaux, driving up the Dordogne, and decided that we needed pastry and coffee. Getting the car had taken longer than expected and we had sprinted toward the countryside. We were passing through a small village that had sadly adapted to the highway with a bunch of crappy looking, vaguely modern shops that would have been a mall if they'd been abutted. But among them was a pâtisserie with parking.
The goodies were in great supply and the place smelled like leavened heaven. We picked out a few to take with us and a couple of sugar bombs to eat with our coffee, though this was not an otherwise mellow hangout. As soon as we'd drunk our coffee, we pulled back on the road heading west. Shortly, we passed a sign that read "Château de Montaigne." An arrow pointed north into the hills. We turned around and followed the arrows to where this champion of the essay was born February 28, 1533, and died September 13, 1592.
A couple of memorable quotes are in order:
"My life has been full of terrible misfortunes most of which never happened."
"He who establishes his argument by noise and command shows that his reason is weak."
We're not enamored of royalty or hereditary wealth, but this is a gorgeous place. While the interior of the Chateaux was closed that day, we were welcome to hang out, wander the grounds, and peer in the windows. We meandered for about an hour. Perhaps a dozen others also crisscrossed the grounds. The weather was perfect. We could imagine Montaigne having time to think and write while the illiterate villagers in the valley toiled on his family farm. Tough life. Irony in one case; reality in the other.
He had a billiards table, as you'll see. There are remnants of extensive ornamental gardens. The terrace overlooking the valley is wonderful and the view is bucolic.
Because we needed to get to Le Bugue to pick up keys for our rental house, we couldn't stay as long as we wished. On the way up the hill to the Chateaux, we'd passed Roman ruins and an attached museum. We wanted to check that out while it was handy.
