Christmas in the Dordogne

Christmas and New Year were very different down here in Dordogne.  I have always enjoyed the build up to Christmas; the mounting excitement at work, the ever-growing list of parties and the spectacular light displays throughout London.  But as the lead-up to Christmas started so early, it was easy to become tired of the commercialism before the actual day had arrived.   We usually flew out to Canada mid December to spend the festive season in the Rockies, playing in the snow, ice skating on the lakes and avoiding the crowds.

I expected Christmas in rural France to be quieter and more traditional, but I was not anticipating how beautiful it could be.  We visited Sarlat, a mediaeval town less than an hour from us, and the cobbled old town was stunning...

The Christmas lights were subtle, and the place was almost deserted, with most people heading for the Christmas market at the lower end of the old town - a warren of small wooden cabins selling crafts, mulled wine and local gourmet food.   We preferred to wander round the empty streets soaking in the atmosphere, and imagining Christmases of years gone by...

We spent Christmas Eve in Bergerac, which is as beautiful as Sarlat in our opinion.  The old town was buzzing, shops were all open, the traditional red carpet had been laid between the shops and the Marché de Noël was in full swing.  Although there were more people, the focus seemed to be on socialising - enjoying mulled wine in the streets, chatting with friends and enjoying the music.  There was little evidence of the mad crush to buy last minute presents in the pre-Christmas frenzy we had seen so often in London, and the reason we used to seek the peace of the mountains in Canada.

In the stone farmhouse, that we are using temporarily as a home before renovating it - temperatures had started to drop dramatically, and the metre thick stone walls, and uninsulated roof and floors were devouring any heat from two small radiators.  So a lucky find on Lebancoin (the online market the french use in preference to Ebay) meant that we became the proud owners of an old Godin woodburner - a large double door version which can be used with the doors open  to really enjoy the heat and flames.

Christmas Day was spent in front of the logburner and a huge stack of oak logs, enjoying the warmth with plenty of good food and wine..... perfect.