Market Day in Combourg (Monday 9.16.2013)

Monday we got up and on a whim, hitched the oxen to the old Peugeot and headed for the street market in Combourg.

Just a few minutes away, Combourg is a tiny little village of less than 5000 people just to the east of Dinan.  A large Chateau overlooks a pretty little lake with most of the rough stone houses huddled near its feet.

 In the center of town, just under the Cathedral spire we found the street market.  Crappy clothing and swap meet vendors mingled with local farmers, sausage makers, artisans and several folks selling live farm critters.  Lots of repeats from the Dinan market, but still enough difference to make the trip well worth while.

Cute little Cathedral

Rabbits, ducks, quail, chickens.  To go!

Nita and I finally found a French bedspread to take home, something we have been looking for since our first trip.  Gary picked up roast chickens and potatoes for dinner and we picked up 6 gorgeous artichokes as well.  On the way out, I bought wild boar, duck, smoked and a blue cheese stuffed cured sausages for snackies before dinner.

Please form an orderly line.  Knock off watches on the right, live chickens and ducklings on the left.  No shoving!

 Packing everything back into the car, we headed back into the small downtown to grab lunch.  A tiny bar with a decent menu in an ancient building seemed to fit the bill.  Sitting steps away from a massive granite fireplace carved with an Old Breton name and the date 1617, pretty much anything served under that massively timbered ceiling was probably going to taste good.  Simple food, omelets, salads, galettes, cidre and coffee all made for a near perfectly casual lunch.

Back in the car for the short drive back to Dinan, we fantasized about all the adorable farms we saw for sale.  Visions of myself and Nita chasing sheep out of the apple orchard to the truck on market day is damn hard to get out of my head still...

Returning home we found this at the foot of our street.

This is why we tell people not to try to come directly to the house with a car, dammit!  He actually tore some planters and suck off the second story windows.


A late dinner of huge artichokes, salad, chicken and taters with 5.5 bottles of wine and off to an early bed.  Tomorrow is the first crew's last day in Dinan.  Lots to do!

BTW, Gary caught a cute pic of Mom and Day walking down THE HILL(tm) in the rain yesterday afternoon.  They are so stinking cute.