Tags
I just got back from an overnight trip with my cousin Lisa and her partner Ali to L’Ejumeau, Lisa’s family’s estate in the Sologne.
L’Ejumeau, a farmhouse that sleeps 14 people on a 250-acre estate in the Sologne.
I expected L’Ejumeau to be nice, but I was blown away by the spectacular farmhouse — which sleeps 14 people! — and the 250 acres of fields, ponds and trails that surround it. My photos from our trip are at 2010 L’Ejumeau Photo Set.
We had lunch along the road at a tavern not far from L’Ejumeau, then we bought food for a few meals. It was rainy when we arrived so Ali started a fire and we spent a cozy afternoon reading. Lisa then whipped up a nice meal of salmon and white asparagus, with tomatoes and whole-wheat bread.
Dinner was salmon and white asparagus with tomatoes.
The next morning was cloudy but not rainy, so after breakfast Lisa and I set out to explore some of the many sentiers (trails) on the estate. These took us through forests and fields and along the shores of three étangs (shallow ponds) that were full of bird life.
The back of the house from the étang.
After returning home to refuel we set off again to visit Lisa’s aunt Sophie, who lives nearby. She wasn’t home when we visited but we left a message and she got back to us later to invite us all to lunch with her two house guests. The food was authentic French country cuisine: boudin (blood sausage), lentils, locally-made goat cheese and fresh strawberries. I was slightly daunted by the sausage, which was black as night, but it actually tasted good, as did the rest of the meal. The conversation was almost entirely in French. I followed some of the talk and joined in a few times but mostly I just enjoyed the repartee without fully understanding what was going on. At the end of the meal Sophie was kind enough to give me an autographed copy of a book of her artwork — you can see a sample at this link.
2019 Update: Sadly, most of the land has now been sold, as have many of the furnishings, and the farmhouse itself has been put up for sale. This post will, however, remain as a vivid reminder of what once existed.
