How I Met the Mayor, and a fling through Bergerac

YOUGUYS we did so much today.

1. We met the mayor. This is one of those social obligations that we were told we should do when we moved here: go the Mairie, introduce ourselves, and make friends. So of course we waited a polite three years to do so - our lack of French made the prospect intimidating, and we wanted to make a good first impression since this is the person who can make or break any planning applications we ever want to submit. We knocked politely with a handwritten card of introduction and a gift he immediately rejected. (A+ for not accepting bribes, Mayor!) I cannot say he was overly thrilled by the interaction - he had to be extracted with effort from his office by the charming receptionist - and hemmed and hawed as awkwardly as a classic introvert would when confronted with a social situation involving no shared language. We eventually got a pained smile out of him, though, so are considering the whole meeting a success. The women in the office were a different matter entirely: the receptionist was warm and welcoming, and her colleague - previously hidden behind a partition - suddenly found urgent filing to do that involved checking us out and making notes to share with her neighbours. I beamed at her and received a beam in return, so I like to think we'll all be invited round for a dinner party soon.

The Mairie is literally right across the street from us. So we can only hope to awkwardly run into them as often as possible. 

CAN HE SEE OUR HOUSE FROM HIS OFFICE?

1a: Another fun thing about having a house on the town square: THE TERRIFYING TABLEAUS they set up outside our front window.

OUR ACTUAL WINDOW SO YOU CAN SEE HOW CLOSE IT IS:

Is this our punishment for taking so long to visit?

Want to see how creepy it looks from the inside? 

YEAH THAT'S COOL AND NORMAL I'M SLEEPING GREAT.

2. We also went to the Bergerac market!

   

They have it right outside the church, a traditional location for buying and selling.

It's a lovely one, full of local delights - duck ten ways, foie gras, truffles, walnuts, prunes. This is your region for a well-balanced meal!

Also there is a bakery selling willy-wonka-crazy eclairs. We didn't get any - on the premise that icing shouldn't shimmer like a pre-teen's nail polish - but I'll admit curiousity. I mean, COTTON CANDY FLAVOUR?

Tonight we're off to a local marche gourmand. We have no idea what this is, but there's only one way to find out.

Big hugs and lots of love,

Esss

p.s. In hindsight it looks like we only did two things today, but we ALSO went to the garden shop AND the supermarket for some exciting cleaning supplies and household items, so it has been a minute-by-minute thriller every step of the way.