Friday 17th August

The day I arrived, Wednesday, was the annual Oyster and Wine Festival in Eymet.  It had already been going on all day and we got there at seven in the evening.  It was just an excuse to eat loads of food really; there were of course plenty of oysters; plus moules et frites; char-grilled salmon and prawns; roast chickens; duck risotto; kebabs of duck and apple; kebabs of duck hearts; rillettes of duck; cold lobster; melons filled with fruit; crepes sold by the half-dozen; and lots of wine at two euro a glass.  The whole square was filled with table and benches or little stools and you sat anywhere.  The place was packed with people eating and drinking and everyone was so relaxed and friendly that you found yourself chatting to your neighbours; a family from Austria; English like us or traditional French, smoking at the table.  As night fell the food stalls slowly packed up and the music started – euro disco dance music and it was simply wonderful to just walk around and see so many people having a good time.  What a welcome back to France.  You just couldn’t imagine this happening in England, and even if it did the food would be cheap and the wine out of wine boxes from Tesco.  The whole French attitude starts with food, which has to be good, and the wine always is.  And everyone joins in.  simple.