The Spicy Colours of Market Day

#MarketDay#Olonzac

A day at the Market is a pleasure for all your senses ...

Visually there are many colours,  plenty of sounds of the market vendors and shoppers  interacting, the wonderful aromas of the fresh baked goods, fresh fruits and vegetables and the spices plus the fragrance from the soaps and lavender.

Many of the stall vendors offer free samples of their products ... cured sausages, fresh apricots, wines, tapenades, cheeses and olives are just a few examples of today's offers ... which will satisfy your tastes.

Don't forget the sense of touch ... there are luxurious fabrics used in the many items from aprons to bedding to tablecloths. 

                    

Normally by this time in our adventure ... we are "Marketed" out! 

In other words we have been to too many ... but this year's adventure did not provide much time or opportunity to do the "Market" circuit.

Today, I got my "Market" fix ...

Today's market was a large one with many vendors ... farmers, traders and artisans and the village's population swelled as many visitors come from neighbouring towns and villages.

We came home with a basket full of fresh vegetables, sweet & juicy melons, bread, sausages and a sweet dessert treat ... plus I found a deal on an amazing jacquard woven tablecloth.

(Made in France).

Happy! Happy!

Catching up with Caunes Minervois

#CaunesMinervois#Minerve#Marble#MontagneNoir

This morning found us at loose ends ... it had rained heavily overnight and today was overcast and a bit drizzly early on in the day.

We went in search of the larger surpermarket for a quick pickup and then just followed one of the roads leading out of town ...

We travelled through many tiny villages and soon we were approaching Minerve (I call this place the French Grand Canyon) ... there's my fear of heights kicking in again.

As the mountains were shrouded in mist we opted to not visit this site today and continued on ... eventually ending up in Caunes Minervois for a memory walk ... in 2005 we spent a wonderful week here in a rented house that is built into the "Remparts" with our friends, Shari and Doug.

Caunes Minervois is a medieval village set at the foot of the Montagne Noir in the Aude Dept. of the Languedouc Region.

The village has many steep and narrow streets that twist and turn.

The 8th Century Abbey ... currently under restoration.

                              

Red / pink marble is quarried here and is said to have been since Roman times ...

Somethings were very familiar and then others we couldn't remember at all...

The lavoir, Maison des Remparts, giant plane trees ...

The Grand Prix in Olonzac ...

#LeCorre#MamGoz#Olonzac

Oh my ... this is the first time we slept in late since we have been on this adventure.

Monsieur Honey awoke and silently closed the bedroom doors or so he thought. 

               

I heard him and I crawled out of bed at 9:45AM (I haven't slept in that late in ages) and Monsieur only got up fifteen minutes earlier.

Some coffee and Monsieur was out the door.

There was a vide grenier in Olonzac today.

It might not have been a good idea to let "Monsieur" go on his own.

He returned today telling me he had bought a house ... I asked where and he said "I'm not sure".

Actually it was a deed to a property ... seriously!

He also purchased a couple other little treasures in his eyes ...

A tin box ... After some internet research it appears to be vintage "Le Corre"  Mam Goz character ... stamped Massilly, France on the bottom.

Later in the day ... he visited one of the local cafés to watch the Formula 1 race.

Today was one of those hot, humid and hazy days of Summer, a day like when I was a young child we would run through the lawn sprinkler to cool off  ... I decided to seek out a shady, cool place in the local park ... a beautiful place complete with tennis courts, children's playground, plenty of benches in shady areas, Rose covered trellis pathways leading from one area to another and a water pond.

Here all the wildlife played happily together...