Can you imagine? Well you don’t have to because there is a wonderful family-owned a medieval castle getaway in the Southern Alps called Le Chateau Picomtal run by Jacque Peureux and Sharon Halperin. The castle is their home year round. It’s only a train ride from Paris and short car trip from Aix En Provence, France! Speaking from firsthand experience it is great for a family vacation, romantic break or terrific biking adventure. The rooms are elegantly appointed and will literally take you back in time.
You can walk or bike to a couple of lakes or even the nearby town of Baratier…. or you can take stroll through the woods and end up in town where you can enjoy a beer of a glass of wine and listen to local musicians playing while towns people dance and talk. You’ll wake in the mornings and look out at Lake Serre-Ponçon. There’s an amazing little cheese shop across the road. In Baratier you will find shops with fresh baked breads as well as clothing and specialty shops. We really enjoyed spending time at a pleasant restaurant in Baratier called Les Peupliers. The restaurant actually has a small spa adjacent for your relaxing pleasure.
On the day of our arrival Sharon and Jacque invited us to join their family at a small church in the nearby hills where we listened to a wonderful performance by a Russian couple singing traditional Russian songs.
It is wonderfully void of technology and guaranteed to help you unwind. Sharon and Jacque are quite knowledgeable and connected in terms local cultural activities. More than likely among the guests you’ll find a group of bikers taking a respite from tooling around Europe. Depending on the time of the year you might have the chance to experience and medieval period reenactment at the castle with entertainment and guests dressed in the entire period splendor. This requires separate fees and arrangements. Breakfast is available for a fee.
My children still talk about our experiences there…. including a trek back from the next town by moonlight through the woods. No one missed texting or computer games the whole time we were there.
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