Renovation project - Huelgoat market, Brittany
We have a weekly market in Huelgoat, every Thursday,
it is not the biggest market but there are some very nice stalls and as the
summer arrives you can see the market growing until it expands along the lake.
The market consists mainly of vegetable stalls, clothes, Breton goods (such as
ornaments, beer and food) we even have an oriental food stall, for those Chinese
dishes you may really miss
The stall that always gets my attention is the porc
roti stall, now you can buy roast pork on many markets, but here there is a full
pig laid out on the counter top and the meat is sliced freshly for you, I have
not bought any yet, as I can feel the eyes looking at me and just feel too
guilty, I am not a vegetarian, but I have never been able to eat food that is
looking at me!
The market is always at its best during April/May
as this is when the blossom is in full bloom, and if the sun is shining it
really is a pleasant way to spend an hour.
The bars and cafes have started to put their seating areas outside and the town takes on a really lively feeling.
It is also interesting to hear just how many English
speakers are in the area, as there must be as many English speakers as French on
market day; I have no idea where all these people are on the other days of the
week!
But today I have a special reason to visit the
market, I am going to buy some plants for the garden (that is a very loose
term, as our outdoor space is still a very large pile of rubble) but if I buy
the plants now, at least there will be a possibility of having them in bloom
for summer when hopefully we will have a garden.
I buy so many, and just pray they will survive until
summer, as I am not the best gardener, but luckily Sheila came with me and the
stall holder speaks both English and French and helped me choose plants that require
little maintenance and are difficult to kill.
I am still not sure about the wisteria that I
bought, and John doesn’t help when he accuses me spending 20 Euros on a dead
twig! but on a positive note, the old cauldron in the garden will look amazing when the camellia tree grows .
The wisteria is the twig behind the camellia
But time will tell and now all we have to do is make a garden.
I have not had luck with camelia. Maybe our summers in the south are too hot and dry. There is one next to the chateau (I put up pictures on my blog some time ago) but perhaps it gets babied more than I am willing.
ReplyDeleteI was at a dinner on lundi de Pentecôte with 20 French people (it's interesting to be the sole foreigner--I can't even count on my husband) and we discussed food, of course, and I said I couldn't bear to eat anything that looked at me. Like a whole fish. Or langoustine. Or a pig with the head still on. Everyone found that fascinating.
Luckily here in Brittany if you trow something on the floor it will grow without too much tendering, which is good for me as I am not a gardener.
DeleteI'm glad I am not the only one who doesn't eat anything that is looking at me
What a brilliant sight these markets are ...the lake and the sunny skies. In the middle of my working day its a nice break to remember what is out there waiting!
ReplyDeleteyes it is, the market is such a nice place to visit when the sun is shining and there are plenty of little cafes with outdoor seating areas now the summer is on the way :)
DeleteThe market looks terrific and I'm dreaming about the paella, but not the pig. I'm also enamored of wisteria and it better be in my garden when I move to France. Good luck with the plants.
ReplyDeleteha ha there is lots of wisteria in France, so I am sure you will have some
DeleteWe are looking forward to visiting the market when we come on holiday next year.
ReplyDeleteit is a market that is on every week all year so it will be here waiting for you next year
DeleteI just found your blog by looking at another UK blog of someone living in France. Your pictures are pretty but couscous for 6.50 Euro per person is a bit expensive I think. What surprised me no end was when you said you heard as much English as French spoken at the market. Things have changed. My parents had a summer home in Mers-les-Bains when I was growing up and I never heard English spoken. Also I went to school one year in England (in the 50s) and remember that the French were not well liked then. So it is very nice that they came around and buy houses in France (although I read that they want to get out of Europe?). I think it helps that our British neighbors come to renovate and live in these houses. But it is not an easy job – I hope everything will turn out for you. Bonne chance! By the way camellias are grown here in Georgia, but they bloom in winter. As for wisteria I showed some in a past post – they grow wild around here but people don’t like them, they think it is a pest. I love them though – so romantic.
ReplyDeleteWe are hoping to be in Brittany next April.We have to plan ahead as we have a large garden here which needs us to be here from May to the end of September.
ReplyDeleteWe have booked a gite at Loqueffert in April, which I understand is not far from where you are. We would love to catch up with you 'in person' and see the work that you have done on your new house. Having read you blog from the earliest days if would be great to meet you at last.
This is my first time i visit here. I found so many interesting stuff in your blog especially its discussion. From the tons of comments on your articles, I guess I am not the only one having all the enjoyment here! keep up the good work
ReplyDeletetukang bangunan
tukang bangunan
thank you
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