Celebrating in style

Wednesday  3rd May

Boring talk here about doing the laundry. We have a washing machine in our gite, so last night decided to wash jeans and jumpers. I chose the eco wash. Big mistake. 4 hours later and it was still washing. We went to the owners to see if we had a problem. No, it seems that this is normal - the machine weighs the clothes, and works out how long, and just does it. So, tell me, how is it that washing for 4 hours is more economical than the 45 minute wash I do at home?

A sort of quiet day planned for today with a visit to the nearby medieval town of Sarlat le Caneda where it was market day. We arrived there just before 10 and after a full loop around the town we found our way into the parking area (which we missed the first time around). We were nice and early so plenty of parking - figuring out just how it worked though was tricky with our limited French, but we were not alone. The barrier scanned our number plate on the way in, then you had to enter your rego number in the parking meter machine before you left and it told you how much to pay. Paid up and then the barrier scans again on the way out and won't lift unless you've paid. 

We enjoyed a relaxed wander around the market and the crowds built up as the time passed. Bus loads of tourists, lots of different accents. We'd been here before but this time we ventured out into the next circle of streets. Most of these medieval towns tend to have streets that circle around the town square and spreading out into bigger circles. It was quieter in the outer circles and different shops - some lovely art studios. 

A few photos around the town of Sarlat le Caneda.

This was the ceiling inside one shop - 11th century.

We're not sure what breed this is -
maybe a cross between keeshond and chou?

We just stocked up on the usual cheese, strawberries,  pate, and before it got too late, paella. Then lovely chicken curry for lunch before heading home. Tonight's dinner was the paella which was lovely,  and cake and chocolate for dessert.