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June 7, 2026: Around Castelnaud La Chappelle

Today is Izzy’s 30th birthday so we started the day with a trip to the patisserie to pick up her special cake. That required us to have a coffee with the castle behind us high up on the hill.

interestingly there was a vending machine where you could buy lasagne. Problem was it had a use-by date of June 26….how does lasagne not turn putrid after 10 days!!!

We went out for brunch to a beautiful chateau situated on the Dordogne River.

The birthday girl is in the blue shirt and looks very happy.

The  chateau was Chateau des Milandes and is one of the most unique castles in the Dordogne—not because of medieval battles, but because of its connection to one extraordinary woman: Josephine Baker.

It was her home. She rented the château in 1940 and bought it in 1947. It has beautiful gardens which were used for shows and even boxing matches.

Josephine Baker was one of the most remarkable and multifaceted figures of the 20th century. Born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1906, Baker rose from poverty to become the most celebrated entertainer in Europe by the 1920s. She moved to Paris in 1925 and became an overnight sensation, famous for her electrifying dancing, magnetic stage presence, and iconic performances at the Folies Bergère. She was the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture (Zouzou, 1934). 

In Paris, she found a freedom largely denied to her in segregated America, and she used that brilliantly. Perhaps her most extraordinary chapter — Baker worked as a spy and courier for the French Resistance during WWII. She used her celebrity status to gather intelligence at parties and events, smuggling information written in invisible ink on her sheet music. She was awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Légion d’honneur by Charles de Gaulle for her bravery.

Baker adopted 12 children of different nationalities, races, and religions from around the world, whom she called her “Rainbow Tribe” — a living experiment in the possibility of a world without prejudice.

In 2021, France gave her one of its highest honors: she became the first Black woman to be inducted into the Pantheon in Paris, where France’s greatest heroes are interred. Her ceremony was attended by President Emmanuel Macron.

After that inspiring brunch, we went home and had a lovely swim in our pool…today has been the first day that it’s been hot enough to swim

Time to prepare Izzy’s birthday dinner. We had bought a large piece of cote de boeuf ( I think it’s ribeye) which Jim cooked on the bbq. Here’s the before and after….

It was delicious…served with roasted potatoes, celeriac salad, green salad. This was after the gazpacho soup made by Robin and before the cheese and chocolate cake which had a special birthday greeting…

Then, as if the hot air balloon company knew it was Izzy’s birthday, a blue hot air balloon kept moving towards us. They were so close we could almost invite them to dinner, but they sailed on past the house.

Another great day in Dordogne…