❝ After acclaiming the newly married pair at the sortie de l’église or wherever the ceremony is held, it’s time to assemble on a lawn, under the shade of tents or tall trees. Naturally, a venue like the Chateau de Courtomer is ideal! Streaming in from the solemnities, guests are ready for cold drinks and champagne. ❞
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❝ Pascal is an anesthesiologist. But Henry didn’t even ask him if he missed his old life in Paris. Pascal was too busy trying to keep a little calf away from its mother’s udder, as he squirted the last drop from her left rear teat into the shiny stainless-steel bucket. When Henry was little, we kept a small herd of Jersey milk cows… ❞
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Here in the peace of the Normandy countryside, we are “au confinement,” like the millions of our French compatriots. We share our fate with some of our family, including two little girls and their parents who are staying in the Farmhouse. We are the lucky ones, we know…
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The Chateau is quiet. Our guests stay home. And so must we.
Today was the last day for the open-air market in the village. It must close, like those in the nearby towns of Seés and l’Aigle. Our little Carrefour grocery stays open, as do the two boulangeries and the cave à cidre. And, of course, the pharmacy.
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"What do you think of this?" asked Madame Mireille, digging into a cardboard box. She pulled out a handful of "passementerie." Pompoms of rose-colored sink spilled over her fingers with the suppleness of a stream of water.
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The gardener of Chateau de Courtomer.
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“Fruits de mer” to die for.
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Elisabeth de Courtomer offers her expertise on how to plan the perfect destination wedding.
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Photos from the Courtomer schoolhouse, from Gilles who grew up in Courtomer.
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