This doesn't look like Miraval!?

It started out as a spa trip.

Neeracha, always up for an adventure, mentioned that we were due for a spa trip. About that same time I came across the Stephmodo blog, where Stephanie detailed her recent and loving restoration of a house in Beynac-et-Cazenac, France.
I said to Neeracha, "Let's go to the Dordogne instead." She only paused slightly before responding "I could do that."

The house slept five so we invited Hilarie. She didn't commit for many months; in fact, she never actually let me know she was coming. But I knew she would. Rounding out the party were Hilarie's twin sister, also named Leslie, and Paige.

La Maisonette has no pool and no yard. It's simply a tastefully decorated village house with a view of the Valley of the Five Chateaux. We planned to leave the kids at home.

Dave tells the story this way: My wife planned a trip to France with her friends to look for houses to us to rent next summer. And then she decided that we'd go to Italy instead. This makes perfect sense depending on how well you know me.

Unfortunately there was the teeny tiny issue of a volcano erupting in Iceland this week, pushing ash into the skies and causing unprecedented bottlenecks in global air traffic. As I type this, 17,000 flights have been canceled. I really thought the airspace over France would be safe to enter by Saturday afternoon. Yet a a mere three hours before our flight was to take off we got the text: AF 083 canceled.

I was stunned. Neeracha and Hilarie are already on the continent, having flown in a few days earlier to work. Leslie, coming from the east coast, was able to rebook for Monday. But there are no seats for me and Paige across the pond for six more days.

Right now the spa trip is looking like a local pedi after The Pinks' softball game tomorrow.