Ruins of Commarque Castle, Les Eysies and a Brocante

Commarque Castle

We had to walk through what can only be described as an enchanted forest with tall, tall trees and emerald colored moss to get to the valley of the River LaBuene, where the 12th century castle, though in ruins, stood proudly.

At the bottom, we crossed a clear rocky stream then looked up and gasped at the magnitude of the site. We entered through a cave in the rock where there were several carved-out rooms, including a stable. We were able to reach the top by stopping to rest at several levels along the very steep climb. We tried to imagine the lives that were lived there. The kitchen had a huge stone fireplace with a bread oven and stone sink basin, similar to the ones in our little maison. There was even a chapel in the castle. At the top, we took a moment to look at the views all around, including a neighboring castle in ruins. It was an easy walk down before the long incline up through the forest. By the time we reached our car, our legs felt like noodles.

Details

Hey, Mom. Say "Cheese"

The first picture was taken from the top. If you look closely, you can see a man in a red sweater inside the remains of the chapel.

Les Eysies

Les Eysies is one of the many daily markets in the towns surrounding our village. There was at least one market every single day of the week.

Each market had a variety of fruits and vegetables, clothing, jewelry, hats and so much more.

What did we buy? Wine and cheese, of course!

Our First Brocante

I've always loved old things. I've always loved France. To be able to shop for French antiques was a dream come true. It was the first item on my list of things to do during my stay. When we pulled into the parking lot, I could hardly contain my enthusiasm. We were greeted by a very tall Frenchman, who of course, welcomed us with his gravelly voice in his native language. We greeted back in French, "Bonjour."

"Parlez-vous Anglais?" I asked.

"Non!", came his gruff response followed by a mouthful of French "blah, blah, blah."

My face must have shown my feelings because he started laughing, then said very plainly, "Just kidding. Whatcha looking for?"

My first purchase. The second lid is what they all looked like "before"

Relief and laughter followed. I appreciated his sense of humor. He turned out to be very helpful. He stayed back from us but was actively listening and when we would wonder aloud about some item, he would chime in and tell us all about it. If we seemed particularly interested in something, he would show us similar items around the brocante. We shopped until we had seen almost everything...twice. This exact experience was more than I could have imagined.