Settling In ---- Again!

Dear Friends and Family, Settling in! How many times have you, poor readers, heard that phrase. Unfortunately, it is a part of every move. The same routine. Often, it seems, the same products are purchased as you occupy a place for a period of time: paper towels, mayonnaise, coffee, eggs, wine, a little local hard liquor, wine . . . Yesterday, after my first walk down to the village and, of course, then back up, Polley and I headed for the Carrefour Super Marché in Praysac. It is a very modern market with, as you might suspect, a wonderful selection of cheeses, pates and regional wines. Actually, I must admit that one of my favorite activities while traveling is to negotiate a foreign grocery store. I love trying to translate labels and to discover substitutes for ingredients that might not be exactly what you find at home. We picked up some delicious Forestiere paté, and even bought some foie gras de canard (duck paté) that was on a special. We then made our way to the Hotel La Truffiere. This is a little local hotel that we discovered two years ago because it was the only place with WiFi, and while Ann had WiFi, should couldn’t remember the password. So everyday, it was down to La Truffiere. They were great to us then (even giving Polley a Mother’s Day flower), and Madame remember us this time with a very jaunty “Ca va!” That is the informal “how goes it?” It is a very fun place because draws all the locals, from bankers to ditch diggers. Madame even remembered our order, which is probably not too surprising as we must have had a half litre of wine nearly everyday for a month! Then, it was home to enjoy the fruits of our shopping. A baguette, cheese, the paté and a bit of saucisson (homemade salami). What else might one need! It is truly a wonder that we ever go out. We got a bit of a nap in and then, with the sun shining and the temperature near 80, we enjoyed the pool, just lying about with our books, soaking up the sun, cooling in the pool and spoiling the two cats, Pepper and Pumpkin, who have been with Ann as long as we have been coming here. That evening it was down to the wine bar, which has recently changed hands and is now called Astrolabe, and is billed as a “Cambuse and Pub.” When I looked up “Cambuse,” I saw that it was a “dump” as in a poorly kept room in a house. In talking to the new proprietors, we learned that it was also the name for the dining area for the staff on a barge. The place has one of the best locations in Puy L’Eveque, sitting right on the river.

The young, married couple who purchased the place were delightful, especially the wife. Young, pretty, in a punkish, tattoish way, they have taken a real chance with the place, which has never really thrived. However, they are featuring an incredible list of beers and doing a select number of entrées and some amazing sounding salads. With our large lunch, we passed on dinner, but have made a reservation for Wednesday evening. More on that later. It was a quiet evening, mostly reading and some light dinner before turning in. My first walk, on a very steep, hilly terrain had done me in. This morning, unfortunately was, at least temporarily, the end of the nice weather. In fact, as I write this at about 6 pm our time (9 am for you on the West Coast), the rain is coming down. Fortunately, they really need it as the summer has been very hot, but very dry. This morning I did my second walk into the village. It is marché day, the day of the village outdoor market. I went as the advanced scout. I took the came along to give you some sense of the village. I walk about 2 miles before coming to the outskirts of Puy L’Eveque

Along the way you see some spectacular views of the valley and fields of grapes that make up the “Cahor” wines. It was misty and cloudy this morning so you are not seeing the valley at its best.

From the sign, it is about another half mile into town. As you pass the post office, you get a nice view of the church in the distance.

As I got to the main highway and the town square, the marché was just setting up.

I made a trip past the various stalls and then continued down the “Grande Rue,” the main street of the town heading down to the river, The Lot.

It is a quaint little village and, despite the economic situation, most of the shops are occupied. This morning I got to the river and was feeling quite spry so I crossed over the bridge which allows you to get a good view of the town itself

At that point, I had walked about 3 ¼ miles. It is only now that the real fun begins! Back up to Ann’s. I start by making my way up the Grande Rue

and then once more past the marché and back up the hill. While it is a pretty steep climb, it seems gradual enough that I don’t seem to feel too winded. It is, however, very different then the walks I have been making in Crete and the Peloponnese. After the shower and another coffee, Polley and I went down to the marché. Our eyes are always bigger than our stomachs, but we dove in anyway. We got some beautiful vegetables, a wide variety of olives, some crème fraiche and Roquefort cheese (a great combination with endive), some eggs and a portion of Paella that was cooking away on a big griddle. That will be dinner tonight. One funny incident, which is the kind of thing that leads to meeting people occurred at the vegetable stand. I was saying to Polley, “There don’t seem to be any onions.” A very cute little old English fellow standing next to me, pointed out a while basket of onions and we shared a laugh over my temporary blindness. Later, when we went over the have some wine with Madame at La Truffiere, the English fellow and his wife were there, drinking some beer. I passed him and referred to him as “Monsieur Oignon.” We had a laugh and struck up an extended conversation. They are from the north of England (Lancastershire), but own a home here. Delightful people and given the size of the town, I am sure we will see them again. Then it was home with our bounty and we were ready to commence to enjoy the fruits of our sojourn. More on that tomorrow.