We decided to walk into Bergerac and its old city to visit the morning market. We followed the river bank to the bridge and crossed the River Dordogne. The old city is right next to the river and we were soon walking up its gentle slopes into a maze of ancient lanes and alleys. It was stunning, centuries old buildings with timber frames, some at wonky angles. It was so lovely. We wandered around until we came across the Eglise Notre Dame de Bergerac, a towering edifice with the market surrounding its perimeter. The market was busy with people perusing and buying – it was more a food market with fruit, vegetables and other consumables – with local farmers and producers selling their wares. We strolled around for a while taking in the atmosphere – there was a real buzz with lots of people shopping – then headed to a recommended cafe for brunch ordering muffins (well, brioche buns) filled with egg, avocado and bacon followed by coffee. We went back into the market to buy some veggies and then wandered around the streets again – we came across a wine shop and bought a couple of bottles of wine. We then headed to the Quai Cyrano wine shop, above the tourist information office and overlooking the river, where in quite elegant surroundings, you could have a wine taste. We sampled a couple and then bought a glass, together with crackers and pate (butternut and coconut for me and the Hubby, canard (duck). The walls were lined with bottles of wine, set in wood panelling, with low tables and comfy chairs to relax in. It was all very nice. We got chatting to an English couple from Oxfordshire who had a dog like Pup and then we swapped holiday tips. They were on a walking holiday with an organised group and were spending the day wine tasting. Sounded perfect to us.
We spotted a statue of Cyrano de Bergerac outside a church – the fictional character with his large nose. The real Cyrano de Bergerac was a writer and a soldier and was born in Paris rather than Bergerac. Apparently the only connection is through family estates.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrano_de_Bergerac
We spent a good hour if not more at Quai Cyrano and after buying some more wine, we wandered back to the van – it had started to rain too, that drizzly rain that manages to gently soak you. We retraced our steps along the riverbank, watching where we put our feet and looking out for dog poo. The streets are usually free of it, but you take your chances going off road – the French are happy to leave it to nature. We still picked Pup’s up, but then find ourselves carrying it around, trying to find an elusive bin to dispose of it. Saying that, we haven’t really seen any rubbish on the streets at all – whether they take their rubbish home with them or the council have an army of street cleaners (we were chased around Brantome’s pretty square by one of those road sweeping machines), we’re not sure, but it’s nice to see such cleaniness.
Pup had a good morning sniffing Bergerac’s streets and meeting its dogs – it seems that the French have two sorts of dog, big hairy ones usually of German Shepherd descent or little Yorkshire Terriers/Shih Tzus and nothing much in the middle.
We had bought some postcards yesterday and wrote them up while it drizzled outside, listening to rowers and their coxswains shouting on the river – we were opposite the rowing club. When the rain eased off, Pup and I went for a walk back towards the bridge to post them. We came across a little roundabout with a fountain in the middle of it, with cars coming at all directions and an imposing “town hall” overlooking the scene. The post box that Apple Maps had identified was nowhere to found. We circled the fountain and spotted a La Poste box under a tree, by parked cars sitting on a cobbled island – well it looked like a postbox and had the La Poste logo on it, so I shoved the cards in the slot and hoped for the best. It was just in such a weird place. On the way back we met a dog off lead (we had seen him and his owner on the way to the postbox) who now came bounding over to us and wanted to play – Pup was itching to chase him too, but not on a residential street in Bergerac. I kept her on her lead. The lady, who explained it was her daughter’s dog, was elegant dressed in heels and struggled to catch the dog, so after a minute or so of the dogs bouncing around each other, I got Pup to sit so the lady could finally grab his collar. It was a brief encounter – the Pup is desperate for a big run instead of being walked everywhere on a lead, but we’re not sure of the regulations about dogs being off lead in parks or footpaths. Rather play it safe.
We got back to base and chilled for a while, then Hubby made tea. Afterwards I went to wash up and came back, putting the cutlery and crockery away while Hubby and the Pup played ball (dogs are suppose to be on a lead in campsites, but we’ve seen so many just wandering around – it is off season and quiet – that we’ve let Pup off too as she sticks close to the Van). Suddenly I heard Hubby shout at the Pup- the next moment, two dogs shot past the door at full pelt and it was the start of an hour or so of the dogs chasing each other (Pup’s wish had come true) while we chatted to the owner, a young guy who lived by the campsite. He was a lovely chap and we shared our wine with him, as we talked about various subjects and basically sorted the world out. He spoke English well and dropped in a few expletives which was funny to hear from a Frenchman. The dogs hung out together, intermittently chasing each other around the campervans and motorhomes -it was fun to watch and lovely to see Pup enjoying herself so much.
The night was drawing in as we finally said goodbye to each other and patted each other’s dogs. They had both visited the river and were a tad wet. Pup jumped into the Van and immediately crashed on her mat, exhausted. We had a cuppa and relaxed a while. Tomorrow we’re heading to Rocamadour that the Australians recommended yesterday to check that out! Looking forward to it.
