Montcaret, the Dordogne. Bastille Day.

---

It's another beautiful summer's day again in the Dordogne. What better way to start our stay in the area than going to a market. We set off for Libourne which is about a half hour drive from here and is reputed to have a great market which it does. It was very busy and filled the square plus some side streets as well as an inside cool market. The street scene had heaps of fruits and vegetables with some meats, breads, cheeses and apparel. The place I liked the most was the inside cool market which had meat, fish and cheeses. Not just some, but a huge choice with products that we don't have at home. Karilyn, of course, was in her element - food, food and more food of which we bought a lovely selection of meats, cheeses, bread and fruit.

The area around Moncaret is a sea of grape vines and wine cellars. The wine is also very cheap to buy and so far seems very good especially the rose and white. I have not tried the reds to comment. The region seems to be typically French if you know what that means in your head.

Back at the gite and after lunch was totally relaxing. We sat at the outside table, ate good food, swam, washed clothes and read books. It was so good after all the biking and going places. Anita and Duncan arrived mid afternoon and soon settled in then it was time for a BBQ and dinner.

It is Bastille Day for the French - the day they celebrate becoming a Republic. At 8.30pm we drove to Saint Foy le Grande to see the fireworks for the celebration. We thought it was going to be a small town but in fact is quite sizeable with a very old cathedral and houses as we now see often in medieval towns. We had a wander through the streets where there were several bands playing and then found good seats at the side of the Dordogne River to watch the fireworks. There weren't too many people about at 9.30 and we wondered what was going to happen and when since there didn't seem to be any indication that a show was going to happen. I asked a family whether they spoke English (in French of course) and between us and some pointing at the place and time on our watch we found that the fireworks was to begin at 10.30pm up the river. We settled down to wait and wait and eventually at 11pm, BOOM!, it all began to happen. What a show! What a noise. Fantastic. It was worth waiting for.

We were back at La Vigne at midnight, ready for a day in Bordeaux tomorrow.

---

Photos

Oh, all those lovely cheeses!
Karilyn and Cherie indulging in eye food

Bastille Day fireworks
At Saint Foy Le Grande on the Dordogne River