So Many Dishes

Our river cruise in France was wonderful. We had wonderful excursions, but also plenty of time to relax. I’m planning two more posts about our experience after this one, but today I want to share one of my favorite parts of the tour: market visits.

Two of our excursions coincided with the weekly local outdoor markets. In Libourne, the market filled the town square. My interest was piqued by the beauty and variety of produce, and I so wanted to taste some of it, especially the gorgeous tomatoes. Since I couldn’t bring fruit and veggies home, I consoled myself with a purchase at a booth selling table linens.

The Saturday market in Cadillac is as much a social event as a shopping opportunity. The market spills out of the square, down the streets, and into a parking lot. We saw a woman selling escargot, and a refrigerated mobile butcher shop. You could buy a live chicken. Pretty much anything you could want was available: clothing, leather goods, jewelry (I indulged 😊), cookware and kitchen utensils, and I know I’m forgetting things. The market was crowded, both with shoppers and people enjoying the numerous cafes in and near the square. It was quite a crowd.

As much fun as the local markets were, one of the highlights of the entire trip was a visit to Marché des Capucins, the covered market in Bordeaux, with a group led by our ship’s chef. This is foodie heaven! If it’s fresh and edible, it’s probably available at this market. We were warned not to eat a big breakfast, because we tasted so much.

In addition to cherries, strawberries, and fresh dates, we tasted three types of cheese, two kinds of olives, pickled garlic, Serrano ham, spanakopita, bacalao fritters, mini croque monsieur sandwiches, some sort of decadent pastry, and ended with a glass of wine.

A light lunch was all I needed after that sort of morning. I decided to skip a main course, and just have an appetizer and a dish of ice cream. Here’s the result:

Happy eating!