I'm still in Aquitaine--
Near the town of Crazannes, located west of the market town Saintes, there are large deposits of very fine limestone, which has been quarried here for centuries.
Stone from this region can be found all around the Western world; in fact the stone base of the American icon, Statue of Liberty was quarried here. Also they say the French sculptor Auguste Rodin favored the stone here for his work too.
One of the played-out quarries has been re-purposed into a museum of sorts, called Lapidiales. Artists from around the world come to carve new work into the limestone walls of the old quarry by invitation. There are many more sculptures here. These are a few I liked a lot.
Wonderful eats too!
We attended a soiree, apéritif dinatoire, or evening buffet at the neighbors for the New Year/ Epiphanie, also a holiday in France.
All sorts of munchies: cut up sausages, cheese, shrimp, wrapped vegetables, champagne, wine, water, chips, dip, sliced dried meats, olives, breads and foie gras, or goose liver, a regional specialty; conversation, laughter, stories, more wine, (beer was a choice also), more laughter! and stories, small sandwiches of lettuce cheese and ham, more wine. All very tasty! It seems to be the way they celebrate here en famille! We were stuffed full.
Glad we're just 100 meters up the road. We walked home!
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| A neighborly feast! |
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| Fresh from the sea Atlantic oysters. A must have for the New Year. |
Also this region is a major place for raising goose and ducks. They love pates, somewhat like meat loaf, of all sorts, terrines and stews. And the sea provides every type of fruits de mer that you can imagine. Oh, not to leave out wines. This is a major wine and spirit producing region here around Bordeaux. They also like fruits stewed in spirits for a treat.
The neighbor had this odd specimen in their foyer. It was the first thing I noticed at their home! It's a kind of nocturnal badger called a Blaireau in French. They dig holes in yards around here and in the fields. People used their hair for manufacturing shaving brushes in the 19th century.
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| A blaireau or badger. |
