Interspersed with leisurely days of swanning around and in the pool, we also went to market days at Prayssac (no, not Prozac), a small town ten minutes’ drive away. The markets there were bigger than the one at our nearby town of Puy L’Eveque, and had all the usual fabulous kinds of food and other bits and pieces.
There were also some quirky sculptures in the town roundabouts and banners began to appear in the street… apparently for the upcoming evening fête.
The favoured meal this night was moules et frites – mussels and chips. There were huge woks with hundreds of mussels broiling away. Like the usual market, the fête meandered through various streets and squares. When we drove in we were thinking nothing much was happening, but as we neared the square it was just warming up. With the long balmy evenings it didn’t really get started ’til well after 9 o’clock!
Bands and musicians played a variety of music in different spots throughout the town, and people danced in the street if the mood struck. The street banners made this a huge picture exhibition. There were the really professional-looking ones as well as those done by school children. Art is part of everything that happens. Everyone can ‘do’ it in some way. Artists were also selling their wares in the street and a more upmarket gallery was holding an opening night for its new exhibition.
Other stalls sold all kinds of things, including wild west gear(?). And of course there were the ‘funpark’ carousels and jumping castle type things for kids. Even the church was all lit up for the occasion. It was a very festive evening and gave us yet another wonderful peek into the community life of ‘country-town’ France.
Tina and Heather
That dog on the chair next to the man with the moustache is very cute! I think I need one….