Warming Up!

Posted on April 26, 2015 by Chris

The weather is warming up, skies are blue and the meadows and our neighbour’s pots are full of flowers, making the month of May a lovely time of the year to visit the Perigord. But do not forget to take into account the public holidays. France has several public holidays in May – Friday 1 May is Labour Day, Friday 8th May is WWII Victory Day, Thursday 14th May is Ascension Day and Monday 25th May is Whit Monday (note also that Sunday 31st May is Mothers Day). A popular tradition in France is to ‘faire le pont’ when a national holiday falls on a Tuesday of Thursday people often take the Monday or Friday off as well to make a nice long weekend. So that shops, restaurants and other amenities may close on these occasions.

Looking down Rue de la République, the artist and the jewellers are on the right

Daglan in bloom.

Outside Fabrice Le Chef

One of our neighbours many flowers

Local Events in May

Sarlat-16th May – Flea Market

Bergerac – 22nd to the 24th May – Jazz Festival with further Jazz Festivals in July and August.

Markets
Sarlat every Wednesday for fresh vegetables, fruit, cheese, meats, flowers etc and every Saturday for the main market, which sells just about everything, clothes, shoes, and fresh produce.

Daglan market-every Sunday

Domme and Monpazier markets every Thursday morning.

Monpazier-revisited

Posted on April 11, 2015 by Chris

For a change no market and very few visitors which gave us the chance to enjoy the gorgeous building of the 13th century that surround the square.

A typical bastides town set out in straight lines is more than 700 years old.
It is also the birthplace of Jean Galmot, journalist, writer and Member of Parliament who was disgraced and then assassinated by his political rivals at the beginning of the 20th century. I do not think that our political parties would go that far in eliminating the opposition on the run up to the General Election on the 7th May!

O.K a few visitors

These measures were used for the sale of grain

I could not resist at least one picture of market day which brings Monpazier to life every Thursday morning. These two buskers were really good.

Reserve Zoologique de Calviac

Posted on April 2, 2015 by Chris

Rare and Endangered Species

We found the Zoological Reserve by chance on our way home from visiting one of the many Chateaus in the Perigord Noir. About 10Km from Sarlat on the road to Souillac, it is home to about 200 animals and birds from all over the world.

The site is a meandering path through the woodland areas to observe a variety of animals and birds from Europe, Madagascar, the Americas and Oceania that I have never seen before. For example squirrel monkeys, elegant maned wolfs, tapir, lemurs, wallabies, ibis etc. It is a none- profit organisation dedicated to the conservation of endangered species and is well worth a visit or two.

You can enter most of the aviaries and walk through or past the many animal compounds.

Adorable, to get up close to a Lemur is a real treat.

Female red bellied Lemur, who runs up to you and then sits and stares at you for food, but you are not allowed to feed them, so of she ran after a few minutes.