Victory in Europe 05/08/2024

Today is moving day. We had a rental car reserved at the Enterprise car rental, located at the Bordeaux train station. I met Harry in the lobby of the Hilton at 8:30, and we had a 10 minute walk to pick up the car. Linda and Amanda stayed back to pack the luggage. We walked over to the train station, but did not locate Enterprise car rental. We used our phone GPS and followed its directions. It took us back toward the hotel. Then I looked at our reservation document, and it told us to go back to the station. We did this. It took us under the station toward our hotel. We found Enterprise, picked up our car, and drove back to the hotel and picked up our wives. We started at 8:30 and got back to the hotel 10:00. According to my Fit Bit, we had walked over 6500 steps in what was supposed to be a 10 minute walk. Independent travel is about challenges. Harry & I met the challenge.

Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrated throughout Europe that acknowledges the formal acceptance by the Allies of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on May 08, 1945. France celebrates this date as a national holiday and a public holiday. Orleans celebrates VE day, in addition they celebrate the anniversary of the Seige of Orleans lifted on this date by French forces led by Joan of Arc during the Hundred Years War. I do not believe that the majority of the population in the United States realize the importance of this day to Europe. We left Bordeaux driving to Sarlat and stopped in the village of Bergerac for lunch. The community was in the middle of celebrating VE day. It was very impressive and I am glad we were able to experience their celebrations. Bergerac is another 15th century village, with a lot of half timbered houses from that time period. Bergerac, which was a site where members of the French Resistence were held and interrogated during World War II, was freed from German occupation on 21 August 1944. I think that VE Day is very special to the citizens of Bergerac.

When we got to Sarlat, we found ourselves in the middle of VE day celebrations and market day. Parking places were not available. Our apartment was in a pedestrian only zone. We dropped Linda and Amanda off, they were going to find our apartment, and meet us where we dropped them off after they found it. Harry and I eventually found a parking spot and went to meet the ladies. No one was at the meeting place. Harry and I decided to go to the apartment. We found the apartment and the wives were not there. We went back to our meeting place. No wives. We waited, and we waited. Eventually they came walking back down the street, smiling. They did not find the apartment, but talked about how cute this place was. They were happy we had found the apartment, because they had not.

Sarlat is to be our base for the next week. Sarlat is a medieval town that saw its origins as early as 1081. Modern history has largely passed this village by and today it is most representative of 14th century France. Our apartment was built in the 15th century.

If your travels bring you here, put this on your "to do list"'