Today we visited this wonderful little village by the name of Talmont. Once in the village Thierry and Mia found a little place to have coffee and turned us loose to do our photo thing. It has been called the most beautiful village in France and a bit later in the year there are hollyhocks everywhere.
We did see a lot of flowers but the hollyhocks would be great as they are so tall. This is a very small village right on the ocean edge.
All the homes are stone as all homes seem to be in France, no more than 2 stories and with either very bright shutters and doors or very old shutters & doors. I can’t say which I like better, the old or the bright. All the roads and walkways are cobblestone which again is everywhere in France. Appears that only the people living here can drive in as we had to park in a parking lot, but I’ve seen some people drive in. And a lot of vines growing on the walls and homes.
At the opposite side of the village is the church and cemetery. The cemetery is so old but yet they keep the flowers fresh and some are potted. It’s very pretty. After we met back up with Mia & Thierry I mentioned the wonderful choir that was singing in the church. I assumed they must be in a loft or something practicing. Not the case though, it was apparently a recording. Sure sounded nice.
After we left Talmont we drove to Matata Grotto. This was a hideaway
for the people that were persecuted for their religious practices. They found caves that are in the sides of the cliffs facing the ocean and this is where they lived and worshiped for many years. There is a whole network and one large section has been opened to the public. They have photos of the people who had lived there and recreated their households. 
They are up high enough that the waves wouldn't be a danger but it must have been cold and wet most of the time.
All around this public area are other homes that people are still living in that are built into the cliffs. 
There are many fishing platforms with the dip nets that the people use daily. I’m sure most of these have a more protected living space than what their ancestors had originally.
We had dinner that night at home. When we got there we found the staircase up to the 2nd story on the stone shed is being transformed daily by Thierry’s dad along with the rest of the back yard. He is really into gardening so there are flowers everywhere that he is planting, besides the perennials that are already here. There are many calla lilies and roses besides many other flowers. Those are the only ones I know the names of the others I don’t. I only know that it’s gorgeous. Even the back of the shed is cool with vines covering it completely that will green up soon.
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