Roque de Val Thursday

When we last visited Jill, she took us to a local town that Nicky wants to see again. After some research we found it was Domme. The local market is the attraction and they usually end at noon in France, so an early start was due. It is a good market with all sorts of stalls from vegetable to artisan and artistic. Full of colour and very busy.



Nicky was suffering from her feet and didn't want to walk too far, so I drove as near to the town centre as possible. We ended up in the middle of the market, completely surrounded by confused Frenchmen and women. I suggested to Nicky that getting to the market was simply getting out of the car and I would find somewhere to park, hopefully, not at the bottom of the hill. Oh! I

Didn't tell you Domme is a fortress town perched on top of a steep hill. It has fabulous views of the Dordogne valley and the hills beyond. Well the only way out for me was down a one way street the wrong way, through an old folks home. I turned a very tight corner to find the road blocked. I reversed into the entrance to a cemetery and then headed back for the centre. After 200 yards there was a car park with one place left AND in some shade!! AND only 100 yards from the Market! We padded round the market for a time and then rescued Sophie from the car. It was still in the shade, just.

We walked round the ramparts admiring the views.

In the afternoon we went to Chateau Miland the one time home of Josephine Baker the great star of the Follies Begere in the 20's & 30's first black film star worked in the French resistance and loads more check out Wikipedia.

We headed back to Roque de Val, Sophie was hot and so were we so we drove through to the beach on the river. Nicky thinks she lost a ring there yesterday so while Sophie was swimming for her ball we were scouring the stones on the riverbed. Pretty daft really, but I did see something metallic just behind a stone, too far to reach; so out had to come the swim suit. The water was fantastic, sadly I didn't find the ring.

Then a rush back to shower and change for a Mexican evening at a local pub. Very well attended and the group were marvellous. We danced til they gave up before midnight :-( We could tell this was not Spain! (would have been 5am!) Any way thoroughly enjoyable and a great way to spend our last night with Jill and Dave.