Dolmen Discovery

This is a "dolmen," ancient stone structures originally built as shrines respecting a religious order, but are now handy climbing opportunities for passing American tourists. This is Kelly testing the resiliance of this particular dolmen's roof. A couple thousand years of standing didn't impress her and she had to test its durability herself. 


There are swarms of these things in the hills around Les Slaces.

Here is a picture of Robert in front of one of the many hundreds of vinyards both secretly and openly ripening in the Lazarc valley. We went on a walk down a long dirt road to stumble upon yet again, another vinyard. In France the wine is subsidized and there is no one grape on the label (except when you buy chardonney or something specific). Otherwise you have no idea what you're drinking and are simply satisfied with how it tastes rather than what it's made of. 

Here is a picture of St. Privat, the village just down the road from Les Salces. It has been held over the centuries by the strongest retaining wall EVER.  It's extremely charming and exquisitly bucolic with a quiet babble stream, coo-cooing pigeons fluttering above the bell tower, wild roses bursting red and the smell of fresh thyme and rosemary wafting in the occasional breeze. Only when you walk up it's impossibly steap and narrow streets do you hear the pulsing of a French teenager's boom box eminating Amerian rap from an open window. Suddenly you realize you've not been warped into another time when donkies were still the go-to mode of transport and the road outside your cobblestone house also doubles as your sewer.  However the latter concept does still hold true for the dogs. 


We sit now with empty wine glasses and bellies full of another greatly executed meal and look forward to tomorrow, another market and another opportunity to buy a fresh supply of crispy bread, chewy meats and a full bottle of olive oil. And thus the procession begins all over again--search, purchase, cook, eat, savor, drink copiously. 


Bon soir!