Summer night markets
I’ve mentioned the Eymet summer marchés nocturnes before. They are events that have really grown on me since we moved to France, and the first of the season last week didn’t disappoint. When we arrived in July 2021, I didn’t really ‘get it’. That month was a rather rainy one, the tourist season was in full swing, we were still coming out of COVID restrictions, so the stalls were limited and the queues were long. Now, however, we really look forward to them.
Sometimes we find a table for two where we can sit with a bottle of wine and ‘people watch’. Sometimes we join some friends and spend the evening catching up. We have a few favourite food stalls that we frequent. I love the fresh grilled demi-magret de canard and saucisse de foie gras served with potatoes cooked in duck fat and delicious garlicy herby tomatoes. The falafel or onion bhaji wraps from the excellent vegetarian stall are another favourite and sometimes a simple barquette de moules frites is perfect. The local producers sell their wines and there is a mixture of stalls selling crafty stuff plus the ubiquitous touristy tat of course.
The atmosphere of these evenings changes through the summer. The first ones of the year are largely dominated by local families coming from all around to enjoy the evening. During late July and August, it gets very busy with tourists as well as locals. We now know where and when to make sure we secure a good shady spot for the evening, and how to avoid the longer queues for food.
We’ve kept up our weekly ‘date-lunch’ during June to get us away from the B&B for a while and to enjoy some of the great restaurant options around us. A couple of the highlights this month were En Toute Simplicité in Loubès Bernac for a 17,50 € fixed menu du jour of 4 courses + wine and coffee, and Château de Fayolle in Saussingac for their amazing charcuterie planche on the terrace overlooking the Dordogne valley.
During June we have had the 2nd and 3rd heatwaves of the year so far, so the newly installed air conditioning in our west facing guest rooms came into its own, and the pool has certainly had plenty of use. Apart from a couple of stormy days, we were able to serve breakfast outside throughout the month.
We were really pleased to have 4 repeat-reservations during June (22 nights in total) and both rooms that checked out yesterday have already reserved to stay again. For me, a returning guest is the best review that we can hope for. It has certainly been a very busy and positive start to the summer season but, learning from previous years, we have blocked off some days in July and August to give us a break and have family to stay. We have a full house again tonight, but we’ll be off to enjoy tonight’s night market of course!

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