Market Day and Tour Castelnaud

Today is a rest day which is essential to both our physical and mental health. Most exercise pundits recommend a day off now and then and at our advancing age the break is increasingly important. The substitute is a trip to the grocery store as our supplies dwindle, especially wine and gin. Our first stop is the market in Cenac to see what goodies are in the offing before duplicating items from the Leclerc. 

Prepared foods in France are "par excellence" and one of our favorites is Paella. It is a biggie here even though it is a traditional Spanish dish. Sharing a border with Spain accounts for the mixing of foods across the Pyrenees. 

Other concoctions are tempting but with a limited number of dinners here in the Dordogne we have to settle for one. 

Maybe on our next trip we will opt for a terrine of something instead. 

After stashing the groceries and getting past lunch we decided that it was time to head up the road by our house and explore Castelnaud. Although a short distance it is quite a climb up cobble stone streets and byways. The surrounding town is quaint but very tourist ridden. We know this from the continuous flow of walkers passing our patio on the way up the hill. There are a few restaurants that would be enticing if not for the walk up and then down in the dark after dinner. 

There is a cemetery and church up there too and 

shops peddling all kinds of stuff we don't need. After all this is the stuff reduction phase of our lives. 

Catching my breath under a sign depicting a scribe or monk writing in a book. Not sure what it signifies nor the building it adorns. 

Looking up at the impenetrable walls although the castle fell upon a siege back in the 15th century. 

Every self respecting castle should have a turret in which any damsel can be locked away. 

Another view 

And another view 

In its totality as viewed by the attacking army. 

Grapes and vineyards were once the order of the day until wiped out by a blight. 

Castle receding into the distance as we descend the rocky path to the village below. 

Guess what Kim is doing? Did not think you could. Dinner is pan seared pork chops in a flour and Panko bread crumb breading. Unfortunately no Panko bread crumbs, or break crumbs of any kind could be found at Leclerc super market. Not to be deterred we purchased thinly sliced sandwich bread, toasted to a crisp, then hand crushed into home made crumbs. Add some spices and voila our dinner will be complete. 

Unlike the bread crumbs these pastries are the genuine article. Unfortunately our dinner guest, Shaun Smith, tested positive for Covid and had to cancel. Lunch on another day once his test is negative, but in the interim we went ahead with the menu as planned. As they say in South Africa when a problem arises "we will make a plan", and so we did.