My friend, Joy, is visiting us from Sarasota this week. We picked her up at the airport in Toulouse on Monday. We had a late lunch at home, then walked about the village, went to the Summer Lundi Marche in Lectoure, where we bought all the ingredients for a fresh, simple dinner. On Tuesday, we went to the Fleurance Tuesday Market. Late in the afternoon, we walked to the Brocante Village in Lectoure, where I found two things, a framed 11x14” painting of the Notre Dame (before the fire), and a large tapestry for the salon wall. Joy made a delicious chicken dinner for us and we opened gifts she had brought for us. It was a fun party!
Today, we went to Francoise’s house to look at furniture. She is the woman I bought the coffee table from on Saturday. Her home was beautiful, in the countryside with amazing views. I bought a pair of night stands and a bombe chest with marble top. All are covered in marquetry. Papa and I are happy to get nightstands for our bedroom!
We went on to La Romieu, known for its Collegiale St. Pierre, a 14th century church with a cloister. It is labeled a Plus Beaux Village in France (the Most Beautiful Villages of France), and is a stop on the Way to Saint Jacques de Compostelle, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We particularly enjoyed seeing the mural paintings in the sacristy of the church. We had lunch in La Romieu before taking winding one lane roads, with blooming sunflowers on either side, through tiny villages, including the castle at Lagarde Femarcon, back to Lectoure.
