Brive Markets, Haircut and Pub

Today started early with me biking around the outskirts of the village before heading to my favourite bread and cake shop A and B Boulangerie on the edge of town. I've been eyeing the cakes but haven't bought any till today - well worth the wait..

I also bought pain de campagna which is a big round loaf extremely hard and crispy outside and soft internally.
 Enough about food, I have had complaints there is not enough scenery on this blog.

Today we head to Brive which is big rugby territory with AC Brive the big team. It was also the centre of the French resistance during ww2. An old town dating from 2nd century, it is much bigger and more sophisticated than Souillac. It had a great feel to it and today being market day we head to the markets. Outside was your more normal junk but inside was food of every description including live chickens pigeons and rabbits.

Espaliered trees in a public square soon to be a maze i think

Fat weird tree

Chickens come with everything

coq ou vin ??

One of multiple footy shops

After the markets we had a wander around town. Muz pointed out that here we see the difference between a village (Souillac) and a town (Brive). The people looked different, it was busier and there was an overall feel of greater affluence.

Cafes were all bursting so we booked one for an hour later then on arrival got great seats outside watching the aquare and listening to a Billie Holliday type singer - very nice.

More wandering then back to Souillac.

I went biking alone which is always fun. I enjoy getting lost as you always find something interesting to look at or people to talk to.

I speak enough french to initiate some communication and with a combination of poor french, body language and gestures it all seems to work OK

Typical public garden with veges

I went to the local hairdresser, a husband and wife team for a haircut. No english on their part but good haircut.

A bit more biking including a trip to the Atrium which looks like a bottle shop but seems to be more a showcase for local, mainly Cahors wines. Wines of good quality are easily found and cheap.  That reminds me, if it is noticed that one day is missing from this blog it is when we went to Cahors which was a great town but I am too lazy to update that part of he blog.

Finally, Muz wanted to show off his favourite pub. On the main street, it was a cool place - we had Belgium beers and watched a soccer game Hungary vs Israel and whiled away the afternoon.

The days are long so the action keeps coming and we then headed to Martel, a small village for dinner.
This was Muz and Debs favorite village and it really was nice. Dinner was pizza (mine was duck and ducks gizzards) in a square next to des halles (the walled but roofed area that each village has). Live typically french old style music played and a few people started to dance. Last day in Souillac tomorrow and off to Toulouse for a night.