November 2007

This time I include a link to some pictures, mostly taken this morning, to give a feel for Bergerac in a wintry setting. Every Wednesday and Saturday, from early morning, there is a steady stream of "oul wans" walking towards the centre, wheeling their empty trollies. They all converge on the market stalls, grouped mostly around the giant Notre Dame church which dominates the Bergerac streetscape. You can buy almost anything there, especially fruit and vegetables, much of which is exhibited by the actual growers. I spotted at least three vegetables this morning which I did not recognise; I wrote down the name of one of them for later dictionary perusal. Topinambour, that's what it's called! ( Helianthus tuberosus for the classicists!). Looks like ginger root on a bad day. I think it's known as the Jerusalem Artichoke, and makes great soup when mixed with potatoes. But, I never saw it before. Another one looked like a bunch of dandelion roots (known as pis-en-lits) and maybe that's what they were.

This area is full of fortified towns or "bastides", which were built in the 1300s mostly for easy defence. Part of the technique la in joining all the buildings together, so the enemy couldn't sneak up on you using a short-cut.  We visited one recently, about 20k from here, called Issigeac. You can look at the website (http://www.issigeac.fr/) where you will see that it's built in a circle. The strange contradiction is that, despite its shape, it doesn't have a centre! Anyhow, we had lunch there, and survived. It has two big buildings; one that used to house the bishop of Sarlat (was he that big?!). The other is the church of St. Felicen, and is the coldest building that I have ever set foot in.

I'm not sure if the bastides played a part in the wars between the Catholics and Protestants, which were big stuff in this area, at one time. Bergerac was a predominantly Protestant town. It is still the only French town that I have ever seen that has a sign for Protestant service at the speed limit "Ballybofey go mall slow" warning. All others have the Mass times, but here it says "Culte Protestant, Service Dimanche 10:30 Place Le Cayla". I'm not sure my friends in Donegal would like to be referred to as a "cult". Could be worse, of course. I understand that we live on the Protestant side of the river. At the other side of the old bridge (there is also a "new bridge") there is still the foundation of a fortification that was capable of being closed, to prevent the Protestants crossing the bridge and wiping out the Catholics!

Anyway, Christmas is coming. They have been erecting lights and trees for the past two months, but none of them have been turned on yet. I think Saturday is the day for the switch-on. There are daily announcements on radio (insofar as I can understand them!) of planned appearances by Pere Noel at various shopping centre venues. Already, some shops are offering all toys at half-price.

Yesterday, a chicken came into the garden. She clucked and scraped for a while, ate some of my grass seed, then flew up on to a wall, considered her options, and disappeared. I don't think any of the seven neighbours with whom I share a boundary keeps chickens. She must have come a distance, - "chicken on tour".

I have another French class tomorrow. The topic is OVNIs (UFOs to you and me!). She will read a story, a sentence at a time. We're expected to write it down, make sense of it, translate it, and repeat it back.