9-11-2010 Brive-La-Gaillard



View from our breakfast table

 After the brilliant ride we had yesterday, none of us is in a hurry to leave Brive. We have a leisurely breakfast in the square across from the church that marks the center of the town, and discuss our options for the day.

If you are curious, breakfast is fresh pastries and chocolate croissants from the bakery nearby, still warm from the oven, and a caffe latte to go with it. A Latte is not a typical French drink, but this is an Italian style coffee shop.

When we learn that today is market day, it seems inevitable that we will stay another day to browse the market. By the time we arrive, the vendors are already assembled in the biggest farmers market I have ever seen, arranged under a huge covered area and sprawling out all around it in the sunshine. It's not a pale imitation of a farmers market like the ones we have in America; this market is quite a sight to see.

Freshly baked breads and pastries, the ripest, sweetest fruits, gorgeous vegetables, large bouquets of cut flowers as well as honey, fish, meats and locally made cheeses are all found here.

Live animals - for pets or for .. uhm... the table - could be found in one corner of the market while in another area outside you could find freshly baked pizza, roasted chicken, huge pans filled with paella, various potato and sausage dishes and other hot foods. 

At the back of the market there is even a flea market selling clothing, shoes and other household items.

There's a long list of local specialties, which are found at the market depending on the season,  including foie gras and other goose and duck products, milk-fed veal calves, and a special local breed of pig called cul noir known for its thick fat layer. Mushrooms, truffles, apples with their own certificate of origin, walnuts as well as cherries and strawberries are grown locally. Some of them will be incorporated into such products as walnut liqueur walnut oil, cake with walnuts and chestnuts, clafoutis - a custard like tort embedded with cherries.

We were inspired. How about another (short) day ride today, and pick up some picnicking supplies at the market? With that plan settled on, we set about gathering the ingredients to a feast : a fresh baguette (cut into three pieces so it would fit into a motorcycle bag), half of a roast chicken, cheese, fruit and dessert. I bought some of the most amazing strawberries I have ever put in my mouth: small and oddly shaped, like wild strawberries but sweet and with an unusually fragrant, perfumy sweet flavor that was incredible.

A short ride suits us today and the weather is gorgeous, perfect for eating outdoors. Having stowed everything carefully and making sure picnic kits were packed (camping silverware, small plates and cutting board, wine opener), we set of on today's adventure.

I had heard of another village nearby on the most beautiful villages list. Turenne is a small village sitting on the sides of a hill with a 13th century chateau on the hilltop overlooking the surrounding countryside with a faintly patronizing air. We stop under a tree by the church's grassy lawn and spot the perfect place for lunch; a picnic table with a view out over the valley.

  

While Mike stretched out on the grass under a shady tree, the rest of us hiked up the steep hill to the top to see the Chateau and the view from the top.

There isn't much left of the Chateau; it was mostly demolished in the 18th century. In the 15th century and at the height of its power, the chateau was the home of the Viscount of Turenne, who ruled over 1200 villages independantly from the French king. By the early 18th century, Turenne's power would come to an end when the last viscount, who was unfortunately fond of gambling, amassed such an enormous debt that King Louis XV bought the chateau and ordered it dismantled. Today, all that is left to see of the chateau is a 12th century tower, a guard house and a beautiful garden (designed in the 1920's).



Time to go now!