Bastides were towns built in the 13th and 14th centuries, and there are quite a few of them around where we are staying. They are very popular tourist attractions in the south west of France, in the region known as the Périgord Noir. They were built by the English (mainly) and in their time were advanced in terms of town planning, with a grid layout and a central market square surrounded by a covered arcade.

Beaumont is 8 km from here, and Melinda drove us there for the markets, which take place on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

The market was only small but we did purchase some of the local fare, followed by a coffee which we now know you order as a Grande Crème thanks to Melinda.

I bought a 125g jar of pâté de foie gras for €21 that should serve the two of us. This is a speciality of the region and I’ll reserve my decision about whether I have been taken for a ride as this delicacy cost equates to about $250AU/kg.

Michael bought some oysters in their shells and he is keen to try them with a local cider.

The small streets in Beaumont were full of surprises as there were some exquisite shops selling very expensive jewellery and perfumes. Melinda knew many of the people and introduced us to the perfume maker who was an Australian. She also knew one of the local artists who had a shop there.

The fortified Eglise St-Front (St Front ? Church) is gothic in style and has four large towers. It is much younger than the rest of the village. By the way, can’t say I remember Saint Front. Do you?

I am sure we will be back to this village during our stay as it is very close.

PRONUNCIATION TIP 5

Caves are shops where you can sample and buy wines. You may have noticed me standing in front of one in Bergerac.

CAVE —–> CAV
CAVES—-> CAVS

Now that is an easy one for us!