It was a rough weekend. The boys are gone back to the U.K for two weeks and the first few days without their cheerful interactions were not easy. Even Sophie rushed to their door at the start of every walk seemingly unable to accept that she was here and they were not.

I knew that Monday was expected to be bright and sunny so I woke up and grabbed my phone to come up with a plan. I decided the weather was too beautiful to not take advantage of, so I got out my map, and looked at All Trails to find a hike. I decided I didn’t want to to drive more than 30 minutes so I picked a 6 mile hike around the pretty village of Lassay Les Chateaus. I had visited this town last fall and found it beautiful and a bit more alive than many of the other villages near my home.

Sophie and I parked at the church and walked up through the center of town to the chateau where we started the trail. I noticed several people out enjoying the sunshine at tables outside of the restaurants and cafes that lined the streets. Sophie and I decided to forgo eating and try to walk as quickly as possible so we might get a chance to have our own meal at the other end of the walk.

As fast as we walked, we failed to get back to a restaurant before the 2 pm cut off. What we did get was miles of countryside, a babbling brook, bluebells starting to color the woods and a couple of hours of fresh air. It was a lovely walk that offered views of several chateaus standing in varied states of ruin. At one point we came upon a man silently fly fishing in the brook and we felt like we needed to move on wordlessly to leave the scene as magical as we found it.

This little town is enchanting. I will come back again and again to wander its streets and stumble down paths chasing my Sophie.