Villeneuve Christmas Market

I had been told about the Saturday market at Villeneuve by numerous people and so thought that I should check it out, especially seeing as all the Christmassy stuff was out this weekend. The pedestrian zone around the main square in Villeneuve is idyllic, cafes and boutiques a plenty. The theme of the day for us was obviously dégustation, something that I’m developing a penchant for, so we meandered through the various stalls trying each and every local delicacy that was available; Foie gras, terrine, saucisson and finally Eau de Vie. NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED. Is what each bottle should clearly state. The stall vendor had a wry smile on his face as he handed me a shot of the clear liquid. Just a sniff is enough to make yours eyes water, but being in the presence of a few female friends I knew this was somewhat of a man challenge, so I knocked it back and waited for the result. I tried to describe it to my friends and what I came up with was a flavoured vodka/absinthe mixture, with a lasting taste and buzz. So obviously I bought a bottle. Midnight Mass may be interesting this year after I introduce this as a family tradition chez moi. I was told it’s usually taken after dessert and cheese, before coffee. Or, if you’re having a particularly large meal with numerous courses, at the halfway stage as a bit of a pick me up. Being in the Lot et Garonne, I opted for the Eau de Vie des Pruneaux, rather than the bog standard 45% stuff.  As we wandered the market somewhat aimlessly after that pit-stop, we entered the clothes market, prompting a sweeping declaration from myself that I could never buy clothes from a market like this, off the rail. Of course what I did next was buy a tweed jacket at a steal of €10. Our next goal was to buy ingredients for our extremely French lunch/dinner: Bœuf bourguignon, preceded by a selection of typical French hors d’oeuvres. We opted for a saucisson du canard (duck sausage), terrine campagnarde (a sort of paté spread), olives, cheese and of course bread. Thoughts?

Hors-d'oeuvre

The meal of course was accompanied by a Bordeaux wine that we picked up for next to nothing and that turned out to be not too bad.  After an extremely enjoyable and productive but rather expensive two days, I returned to Fumel for some much needed rest before my long awaited “professional” football debut the next day, providing I ever hear from the captain. Seeing as I decided to go to the Agen match on Friday night, I missed practice, but seeing as they have 4 suspended players (three red cards last weekend, don’t ask) I thought they’d probably need me, especially because even without suspensions the squad is thin, to say the least. To quote every sportsman that’s ever been on a tour, “It was a nightmare couple of days waiting for the phone to ring.” For me will the rest of the interview read, “But when I eventually got the call, I was over the moon.” Or, “When the call didn’t come, it was heart-breaking, but I’ll pick myself up, get back in training and hope to impress the coaches with my performances.” I’d make a great professional sportsman.