16. Quillan Market, Bike at Random, Cats and Dinner - Saturday

Our time in Quillan is getting short, so we’ve started photo’ing our favorite spots and memories so we can always remember this place and these wonderful folks. For instance, today’s special memory is the Quillan Saturday Market, which basically takes over the main street through the center of town every Saturday. It becomes filled with vendors’ booths, stalls, tents, and tables full of every product or food imaginable. The whole town turns out to buy fresh fruit, vegetables, bread, meat, cheese, and everything in between. Everyone brings their own bag or rolling shopping cart to carry their purchases home. The beauty of it is that you see and hear people who meet each other at this market every week, either as neighbors, customers, friends, or maybe lovers. The air is full of conversation and joy, plus the sound of commerce. Love the Markets! 

We bought some croissants, and headed to our favorite outdoor cafe for hot chocolate and to watch the “people theater”. No drama, just pleasant time spent with each other and the folks within sight and earshot! 

The rest of the day I spent doing some planning (ughhh) and bike riding (yes), using my incredibly detailed local biking map. Drove out of town with the bike inside the car, parked in Esperaza, then took off to further explore a route I rode a week or so ago. Once I biked into the tiny town of Le Serpent, I stopped to see what was the point of this place. Turns out it has a crumbling old church and some ruins of fortifications, and the remains of a public wash house where ladies used to hand wash clothes in long stone tubs, abandoned many, many years ago. BUT, the part I most liked was the sign posted at the end of the wash house, with a super-detailed map of the roads surrounding the area…apparently unknown to any of the maps I’d been using for weeks! So, I took a photo of their map and used that to navigate the rest of the day.

Panoramic 180 degree view, vineyards near Le Serpent

Look at the distant hill: see the WINDMILL FARM there? France gets most of its electricity from renewable resources. Impressive!

This area is all agricultural, mostly grape vineyards from what I could see. The “secret” roads were perfect for me: no cars or tractors, nice pavement, windy and hilly, but not too severe, just perfect.Lots of wide vistas of the vineyards and mountains in the distance. I eventually biked back into Esperaza, and explored the Centre Ville, which I’d never seen before. Well, it actually was the same place where we’ve attended the Esperaza Market on the past two Sundays. I never realized that their Sunday Market takes up the entire paved part of Esperaza’s Centre Ville. Fun to see it “naked” without almost every inch being covered by Market vendors and merchandise! Once the ride was over, I located the place where the CIRCUS is being held in Esperaza this weekend, got myself a croissant snack and Coke at a bar near where I parked, and headed back to Quillan. 

There was still some time for relaxing left in the afternoon, so we staked out a table by the stone bridge over the River Aude, at La Palace, the cafe just next door to our house. We ordered a "Beer and a Kir", and sat there to enjoy the fountain, river view and sounds, and the perfect temperature and breeze. 

Photo of cats and me after trying to have a FaceTime call with my buddies. Lynn took it from the 3rd floor window of our home. 

Jack Cook and Rich Oftedal showed up on a FaceTime phone call today, so I participated via our home patio, by the River. Fun to see and hear the guys after many weeks away. HOWEVER, the call became a cat-fest...the two "outside" cats we feed every morning for the landlords of this house insisted on climbing all over me seeking attention (or food). Not being a cat guy, I wasn't sure what to do with them, but they didn't create a fuss. Lynn came down and took over cat duties. She's the best! 

Lynn and I eventually made it to dinner at the first restaurant we ever tried in Quillan: Auberge de Demi-Sel. Nice folks, good food, pleasant patio seating, and we could walk to/from it without touching a car. NICE way to live!