Sunday Morning

The perfect start to a Sunday

There’s not much of a routine to life at Fontalbe, which is one of the reasons it is so peaceful and relaxing. But Sundays are different.

Most days after getting up, I usually potter around the gardens while the coffee machine does its thing. But Sundays are different.

Bonnie, our gorgeous black lab, knows she’ll get a long walk sometime in the day, but even she knows Sundays are different.

There’s a pattern to Sunday, an action plan, an anticipation that belongs only to Sunday. There’s no coffee in the pot, no breakfast to be made, and Bonnie has her lead on as soon as we are up – Sunday is Issigeac market day.

Issigeac Market

It’s an early start to get there early, not that you need to get there early but because breakfast is waiting at the market – an almond croissant perhaps, a fruit tart, or a fresh baguette filled with something seasonal – who knows. It might be Sunday morning, but we still need an element of the unexpected! But you can be sure it will be fresh from the oven that day and you’ll be lured towards the stall by that delicious fresh, just out of the oven smell.

And it can’t be something too delicate because there needs to be enough to share; after all, what other reason would Bonnie have for being so keen to come to a market? And a coffee of course – a latte, an Americano, a Cappuccino ? What’s yours? Mine’s a flat white, in case you are asking!

That’s the decisions made for the day, and the hard part of the morning is over.

So much to see and do

Issigeac market is not to be missed. It has lots of local art stalls – pottery, jewellery, leather goods; clothes stalls – anything you can think of – belts, shoes, handbags; and it has food stalls – patisseries, butcheries, spices, fruit and vegetables and of course the fromageries. I love to mooch around and just take in the atmosphere. It’s a great place if you are looking for gifts from your stay, and I always take any friends we have staying to wander around with me. It’s usually the locally produced, seasonal goods that tempt me.

I usually arrive home with some bags of goodies to make into a Sunday lunch or dinner – whatever takes my fancy as I wander around. There’s no plan – which can be costly when you get home and realise you have bought way more than you need to, and local, seasonal goods at markets are not always cheap! Our favourite shops have moules fresh from the fishmonger, some fresh herbs and a fresh baguette. Moules Mariniere for dinner. A selection of local cheeses- a goat, soft blue and whatever else looks good (although it can be hard to choose as there are so many); some figs (unless there are some ripe in the garden of course), a fruit paste (this is a stall to try from but take care you only need a small piece!) and a baguette.

Cheese board and fruit for lunch. A roasted chicken from the rotisserie, some potatoes cooked below the chicken on the spit and some seasonal veggies. Sunday roast dinner without the mess!

A beautiful village

Issigeac is a beautiful village. Situated only 20 minutes’ drive from Fontalbe, it is a special place to visit whether it’s a Sunday or not. There is a magnificent church which is worth popping into, and it has wonderful, unique, and arty shops – clothes, interiors and antiques. There are a number of quaint cafés dotted around the town (these are pretty busy on Sunday, so it’s not easy to eat there unless you book a restaurant in advance). It has stunning architecture and is very much a traditional French town. To cap it all, parking is easy, just follow the signs around the outskirts of the town, veering right until you see the large car park on the right.

But this is Sunday, and I’m not quite done….I can’t go home without a dessert … I’ll have been looking for the chosen patisserie at every stall I’ve passed since I arrived, and just before I leave, I will select my prize before heading home to see what the rest of the day has in store. Oh, and one last thing… before I head home, I’ll make sure I’ve lingered a while to listen to the local musician playing his accordion!