This trip may be the Rouen of us

Despite the two hour delay we made good time through Northern France towards our first destination in Alençon, where we were due for aperitifs at 7 pm  … “whatever happens” driver Gaza’s says “we don’t want to go through Rouen”   So why did we?   Bad navigator, moi!   Two hours were spent driving round the town during the evening rush hour.

We rang ahead to warn our hosts at the Chateau de Sarceaux that we would be late   It was not a problem they said   We came off the motorway and within five minutes we’re driving up the mile long driveway, through deer inhabited parkland to be confronted with the Chateau above

We were met by the Marquis Herve Glicout les Touches, our host and his wife, the Marchioness and chef, and shown to our room, which was very old and rather beautiful   The whole place, (not huge, only four letting bedrooms) was steeped in history and decorated sympathetically to its origins   We were the only guests and, following aperitifs and amuse bouches  in front of the fire with Herve as we now call him, were served a four course meal by the owners, in a candlelit dining room  with Chopin nocturnes playing in the background.

We were so bushed by this time we fell into bed to woke  up to a continental breakfast and “heggs from our own ‘ens” as Herve said.