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Saturday 10th June
Today was 'tour the vineyards day': well sort of. We left this delightful rural retreat alongside the Dordogne River, and head into Sainte Foy la Grande, about 4 miles away. It has a Saturday street market. More importantly, it also has a Poste and Tourism Office. Stamps and maps maybe.
It ws obviously busy when we got to Sainte Foy; parking was hard as was the ban on vehicles above 3.5 tons. However, we parked, as the French do, on a pavement, were thanked b some locals for leaving space for them to pass, and then walked into the town.
The main streets were full of tables, people, vegetable, clothes, shows, cheese, people talking. It was a shock to hear so much English flowing from the lips of buyers. It si true hat they say: The Dordogne I the next English county! Finding the Poste, then the Tourist bureau was a bonus but a newspaper shop was nowhere to be seen: all closed we were told.
Thus, we left and headed towards Duras and its wine. What a drive. Through the vast fields of growing vines, beautifully maintained, along undulating roads is a lesson in the importance of this industry to France and its people. A good if challenging cycling route as well. The man in the tourist office said it was hilly, but it seems more gentle than that
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