Belle époque

When we woke on Sunday morning, the gentle sound of the patter of rain at our open window drifted in, and the soft breeze brought a coolness we were grateful for after some hot days.

Our guests, ignoring the rain, were keen to venture out and explore some of the little villages. We’d armed them with a few telephone numbers of producers, who had said they will offer tastings on a Sunday.

We’d planned to go to the ‘Belle Époque ‘ festival in Essoyes, which celebrates the period 1871–1914 known as the ‘Beautiful era’. It was during this time that Renoir lived there with his young family. We decided to wait a while first, to see if the rain stopped.

We pottered around the house doing a few jobs, and by around 3pm the day had settled, so we headed out to see what was happening at the festival.

It was such a beautiful event, with various exhibits displaying period items annd crafts, and locals dressed up as tradespeople from the belle époque era. There was one chap showing us his skill riding an old style penny farthing bicycle. I’m not sure I’d have wanted to be seated up there, trying to dodge the pedestrians.

Some of the locals came dressed up in historical costumes to embrace the day, sometimes it was the whole family, other times groups of friends just enjoying a fun afternoon out together.

The local fire brigade brought a period fire engine to display, along with lots of paraphernalia of the period. It was so nice listening to the passion of the firemen sharing their knowledge of the kit, and how things were very different for their predecessors.

Our guests returned early evening, after having a fabulous day of exploring the villages, enjoying lunch by the river, soaking up the Renoir festival, and enjoying a tasting or two. We finished our day chatting with a glass of Champagne in the garden.