The Dordogne

The magical Dordogne region in France, named after its river, is where Tim's Mamie Annick lives - in a teeny tiny village called Baneuil. We have been visiting as much as possible whilst living in Lyon. Time slows down there, immediately I feel a sense of calm. If it's winter, we huddle inside around the fire, keep our bellies full with French deliciousness, and go for frosted walks trying to spot deer. Last week we took two of our closest friends and spent five days in the 30 degree Spring heat. Our days were spent discovering little villages, canoeing down the Dordogne River, eating ridiculous amounts of cheese and wine, and talking with Annick (she speaks only French so we did our best). 

My most favourite villages in the area are very quiet ones, with not much going on. Then, there are some absolutely breathtakingly beautiful, rather famous ones too. Some of my favourites:

Quiet ones
-Urval
-Cause-de-Clérans 
-Baneuil

Famous ones
-Limeuil
-Beynac
-Monpazier
-La Roque-Gageac

Le Marché de la Croix-Rousse

Fruit, veges and herbs stacked up high to the heavens, fresh free range eggs, local chèvre and camembert (actually any cheese you could dream of!), homemade jams, fresh local meat... Right outside our front door!

We are super duper lucky to live on a main boulevard which houses the biggest market in Lyon six days a week! So, very fortunately we are able to buy market produce every day if we please. As it happens, this is what I do (sometimes) as I love wandering and meandering on my way to work...

The local produce stalls are easy to spot amongst the other larger producers. You have to look out for the dirt left behind on the veges, the smaller stall, the older and often dirty looking van and the handwritten sign. I now have my favourites! It's so good to know we're eating local and seasonal produce.

Right now the market is full to the brim with berries, nectarines, artichokes and asparagus! Sometimes at 1pm when the market closes and we've run outta money for the week, we scavenge the leftovers and often there are flowers too! This is a very common thing to do in France. Each stall holder leaves behind a box with all the bruised, overripe produce for the scavengers. Perfect, no waste!

Les Puces

It is now the second weekend in a row that we've trekked out to the Flea Markets (in French 'Les Puces', which literally means 'the fleas'!). This particular one is Lyon is just fantastic! There are the expensive antique indoor stalls, the mid-range deco container shops, and the car-boot-sale style outdoor floor stalls! I love trawling through junk to find bargains, and here the cheapest blanket-floor stalls are super good! It's very hard deciding on what to buy - knowing we can't really take a lot back to New Zealand. There was a ridiculously beautiful wooden detailed car for sale...

The food stalls offer delicacies such as frogs legs and creamy French cheeses. St Felicien cheese is now my absolute favourite and I have a new thimble and broken fifties clock.

So, thank you fleas.

 

The Yogurt Aisles

Each trip to the supermarket brings me so much joy, much more so than in New Zealand. The aisles are stacked with french delights and even the frozen section is quite exciting. But as I wander through the cheese and meat aisles I know that I'm getting closer to the true reason that has brought me here... The yoghurt aisle! A whole aisle dedicated to yoghurt, and sometimes there are even two! My heart leaps and wobbles indecisively as I decide on what to take this time round! They are often packaged in glass jars which make the perfect vessel for flowers or paintbrushes. The best kinds are thick, creamy and taste like the fruit has just been picked from the tree. So, I am eating a lot more yoghurt than before. I wish I could take them all back to New Zealand with me when I return. With such a huge dairy industry back home, I wonder why there aren't options of incredible yoghurts like there is in France! What a pity.