i promised you another post about the little trips we took during our stay at CHATEAU ST. PIERRE DE SERJAC in the french languedoc. we have spent three extended weekends there so far, so it’s safe to say we know our way around the property and have taken full advantage of all the comforts their privately catered homes have to offer. so this time we took their advice and ventured out for two lovely expeditions. at 36 weeks pregnant (and carrying around well over 15 additional kilos) i couldn’t exactly plan entire day trips, but the crew at ‘our serjac’ knew exactly where to send us for family-and-pregnant-women-friendly little getaways.

first of all, we were taken on a guided tour of the vineyards that surround the domain. kerry and her dog oscar took us on winding little paths, and while juliet took turns chasing the dog and running away from him screaming like a terrified little diva, we listened to kerry’s fun and completely un-boring explanations about wine making, grape harvesting and vegetable foraging in the wild. we gathered wild leeks and asparagus, admired the beginnings of spring blossoming on trees and bushes, took a walk through the nearby olive grove and safely returned to the property before my back started protesting. (if you’ve seen THE LITTLE VIDEO we made about our trip last fall, you’ll see the vineyards that we filmed from up in the air.) the only thing i regretted was being pregnant at the end of the walk, because that meant no wine tasting for me. it’s a good reason to go back though – and then i also plan on visiting their brand new wine production facilities on site (and tasting everything they make!)

the other trip was my absolute favorite discovery in a long, long time – the restaurant of oyster farm TARBOURIECH. this was a true insider tip from the serjac crew, who organise private boat tours out to the actual tarbouriech oyster farms, ending with an apéritif and lunch or dinner with a view. we didn’t want to commit to more than two hours, so we opted just to have lunch at their restaurant, and that was a completely amazing experience in and of itself. when you drive up to the property, you’d never guess what you’ll find behind its walls. when we walked through the kitchen (well, the area where they keep and clean the oysters anyway), we had no idea what we would find two meters further… you guys – it’s like you walk onto this cool little ibiza-like island! the view is amazing, the vibe is relaxed and spontaneous, the decorations are nonchalant yet on point at the same time, and the food… oh my god the food. there are only maybe four options on the menu, most of which are raw, and obviously i didn’t sample any of the raw oysters. but i had the steamed mussels and heated oyster dish and it totally rocked my world. the husband had the unthankful task of sampling everything else, and it’s safe to say he was in foodie heaven. luckily we brought something for juliet to eat, because adventurous as we try to raise her, she wasn’t having any of it. but she loved the environment, there were plenty of kids looking for oyster shells on the little beach in front of the restaurant, and she had fun looking for fish in the water. it definitely was our favorite part of the entire trip, and it’s going on our ‘return-to-once-baby-two-is-here’ list.

just for your information – there are plenty more things to do around the chateau st. pierre serjac. you can rent a bike and explore on your own, or have the team come up with a good plan for you. we also wanted to visit the noilly prat production facility and museum in marseillan, which comes highly recommended and looked really pretty from the outside, but unfortunately once we got there juliet was super tired and we decided to return to the domain for her nap (ok, i admit i took a nap as well!) but that one, too, is going on our to-do list for next time. to be honest – whenever we go to serjac we think to ourselves for a split second ‘what if we get bored this time?’ but we’ve never actually thought this once we’ve arrived there. there’s something about the environment that is so relaxing and beautiful and peaceful, that makes us perfectly content just sitting in a chair on the patio – glass of wine in hand and something fresh cooking on the bbq. if you haven’t seen my previous post and don’t know what i’m talking about, then BY ALL MEANS CHECK IT OUT.

photos by stephanie duval