Sundays in France. The Sabbath. Supposedly its “interdit” or forbidden to make too much noise – no mowing your lawn or cutting wood. Its funny really, i’ve heard stories of people having arguments regarding this very matter. The only noise you will hear on a Sunday is when these very small villages come to life, most of the locals really enjoy their “Vide Grenier” or as we call them, flea markets. The literal translation is “empty attic” but it doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.
This past Sunday, we headed over to a small village called Lamothe-Fénelon, a 15 minute drive from Perigord Retreats. I’ve been to this Vide Grenier before and found some lovely little quirky things. There is a nice old church in the centre of the village with a small stream running next to it – very picturesque. On the other side of the village are two connected buildings, they used to serve as a separate boys and girls school but are now used as a “salle de fête” or town hall. The small stalls of the Vide Grenier are lined up around the village, wherever there is enough space for people to lay out the items they have to sell.
As usual, we found something to buy. 2 half barrels. With a little bit of love given to them, they’ll make great plant pots for the garden – maybe for some Whysteria or another vining plant. i’ll have to repaint the wood and give the metal bands a coat with protective paint to prevent any rusting.
By the time we had finished our little morning stroll, we made our way back towards the car. Of course, we had to stop off first to take some pictures of the beautiful lake. The water is crystal clear and personally is my favourite lake to swim in during the summer. There is a nice beach there complete with a bar and restaurant, which of course we had to stop by and have a coffee after our morning of “hard work”. You’ll be sure to make a visit when you head over for a painting holiday with Perigord Retreats.
Photos
We managed to snap a couple of quick photos whilst we were there. In the photo of the lake you can see the beach on the far side. It’s beautiful clean water with a stream running into and out of the lake to keep the water fresh.
If you want to read more about the different markets and Vide Greniers; we have a page about one of our favourite places to visit https://perigord-retreats.com/sarlat-la-caneda/