Yesterday we left our amazing camp spot on a tributary of the Dordogne river. As long as you order the evening before, you can get a wonderful, customized arrangement of Baguettes and Croissants. The camp site even has a luxurious swimming pool looking up onto the mountains and a put-put golf course. But I haven’t even told you the best part. We were lucky enough to snag the best spot in the whole place because it was right next to the blue swimming hole. A little creek meanders behind the back of the site, and it empties into a gorgeous, deep, natural pool. The steps down to it resemble a Greek Theatre, and they even have a wooden “diving board”. We spent a lot of our time jumping there, and it’s very safe because the pool becomes very deep after the creek splashes into the swimming spot. 
The day we arrived, we drove straight to a kayak and canoe-renting company. The man who ran it spoke little English, but we were able to get along quite well. He drove us past little towns at the bottom of cliffs where grand Chateaus were perched on the rocks. The valley was very picturesque, so we had a fine time exploring it on our two-person kayaks. When he finally drove us to the spot, the man set up the boats and got a friend to translate for us, which was nice. She also told us about a beautiful campsite that we could go to on a tributary of the Dordogne. Sound familiar?

Getting back to the point, being on the river reminded me of home. In Oregon, there are many beautiful rivers that meander in the same was as the Dordogne. Our family is known for being a rafting family, too and we couldn’t resist the experience. Many other people were on the river that day. It was reaching the end of the season and the last of the good weather. Aside from the river, I can see what people like about the area. There are many a Château and many a palm; it seems very royal if understand what I mean. The bright sunlight illuminates the rock and the buildings, and it would be pretty glorious for a photographer. 
Kayaking is also very different than rowing a huge, sixteen-foot cataraft, like the one that we have at home. I have finally grown big enough to steer it, and before we left, I even went through some rapids rowing all on my own. I have never been in a kayak before, which even I can’t believe, so I had to get the hang of it. Originally, we paired Mom and I, and Dad and Raisa in the boats, due to better weight distribution. One factor we did not consider was the relationship dynamic issues, meaning we did not get along very well. To make a long story short we both wanted to steer, so we ended up switching kayaks. It was also really hard not to get the camera out, but it seemed like a recipe for disaster.
We stopped two times on the opposite bank of the cliffs to eat and take photos. It was really quite hilarious when the tourist boats came by because the people wanted to take pictures of us. I may have already mentioned this in one of my earlier posts, Brugge, Amsterdam, and the Countryside, but in Amsterdam the tourists thought we were locals and smiled and took photos of us. Quite weird, I know…This isn’t the first time either. 
I made this observation early on in our travels, but if you travel in France, you are likely to come across a field of sunflowers at some point. We did along a road near our campsite. The flowers were past their time, and their heads drooped as though they had been shamed. If you would like to see a picture of the sunflowers, see my. Instagram page, Sophia.Brauner. 
I was very sad to leave our little piece of paradise, but, alas it was necessary. We drove out of there, heading for Spain after only three days. It was truly one of the most enjoyable and beautiful experiences I have ever had the fortune to have.