A LOT of Firsts for us: Market Day and Night Market

Welcome to the 29th post of our Baby Boomers Move to France blog.

Not all of our boxes showed up on time and mail issues that popped up caused us some heart burn this week. More scouting trips to surrounding cities will occupy some of our time this week too. Visa validation, a search for French language classes, “Orange” phone system updates and Rosie’s passport are on the list as well. MARKET DAY is the big event for the week. We will fill in the details below.

If this is your first visit to our blog, we will try to keep the story of our move to France interesting enough to bring you back each week. We publish each Sunday. Long story short, we are a couple of “Baby Boomers” moving from Venice, Florida and starting a new chapter in our life in the French countryside as American retired expats from Venice, Forida. If you like the blog, subscribe. It is free to subscribe and there are no advertisements. I mean, I might put a plug if for companies that we like, but no paid ads.

As we shared our plans with friends and family, we were asked questions about who, what, why, when and where, so we figured that there is enough interest to share the experience. So, we started this blog. Our plan is to publish a brief update on our life in France every Sunday. Hopefully we answer some of those questions and keep answering more as we work our way to our new life.

After a little over a year of planning and fretting we moved to France on 1 August 2025. We are into our 2nd week now so are still finding our footing. Not too concerned as we will be finding our footing for a long time (if others are correct, possibly years).

My Baggage / DHL Came Through, sort of

On Monday we had to stay close to the house in order be available when the DHL delivery truck showed up to deliver the 5 boxes that we shipped from Florida. 4 boxes arrived. The driver said the last one is coming on Thursday. Not happy about that. That means, on Thursday, we have to stick around until the box arrives. Of the 4 that did arrive 1 was unsealed. As best as we can tell nothing was missing though. EB figured out how we will store the boxes for now. The next logistics issue will be getting the boxes sealed and deliver them to our next stop unless we can put them in the (new) car that we purchase.

Market Day Monday

Monday was Market Day. Since we had to stay at the house waiting for the DHL delivery, we had to take turns going to the Street Market. We had really been looking forward to Market Day. The street market in Duras is great. Sorry I will get pictures next week. EB bought fresh veggies and sausages for our dinner. I bought a 1/2 of a kilo of a variety of olives mixed in olive oil and seasoning. You can see some in the salad pictured below. Elizabeth put raspberries on her salad. The salads taste as good as they look. Terrific! If you like olives, this is like Nirvana.

Also, on Monday I went over to the post office to see about a post office box. Luckily it is just around the corner about 2 blocks. No joy. PO boxes are for professional businesses only. The post office is pretty small. So, I tried for general delivery. After I came back to the house to get EB’s passport I went back to the post office, and I stood in line again and after struggling with the language the lady was very nice and typed her information on a translator app on her computer. She was able to turn her monitor towards me. Long story short, I didn’t get an approval for general delivery. She tried to explain why, I couldn’t understand what the issue is and there was a long line of people waiting so I left after she apologized. She said, “Je suis desole” (I’m sorry). Cindy is sending me a test letter for general delivery to see if I can force the issue. then we heard that mail from the states takes months. We are testing this too.

I spent part of the day emailing our contacts at French Connections HCB to get the phone issues worked out, Rosie’s vet appointment scheduled and our visa validation appointment.

Exploration on Tuesday

We decided to check out some towns that were on our short list on Tuesday. EB set up a list of the towns that we would see in order. Her plan would have us go in a loop and end up back in Duras in the afternoon (apres midi). The plan was to visit the following towns:

• Miramont de Guyenne (population 3123)
• Castillonnes (population 1394)
• Montflaquin (population 2358)
• Villeneuve sur Lot (population 2169)
• Clairac (population 2578)

I included the population as we are basically closing out anything less than a 1000 population. By the way, the area that we are researching is mostly farmland. It is the countryside. (la campagne)

Miramont just did not give us a warm and fuzzy feeling. It is all about the feeling. Nice enough town but we just weren’t feeling it. Maybe on another day we will find it more comfortable.

Next, Castilonnes. It is considered one of France’s “beautiful” towns. We got there on their Market Day. On the town square there is a house for sale that we really want to see. We were able to look around but were not able to go inside the house. We will have to get an appointment with an Immoblier (real estate agent). We did stop into a restaurant on the square for a beer and tapas. Delicious! This town sits on top of a hill and is an old bastide town. That is, a medieval fortified town built around the year 1250. It is roughly 30 minutes from Bergerac and about 20 minutes from Duras. We walked around the center of town a bit and decided this will stay on our short list for now.

On to Montflaquin. Again, we didn’t get the feeling. We crossed this on off of our list. Way too hilly for us “older” folks!

The next stop was Villeneuve Sur Lot. this town sits on the Lot River. We found a parking spot and walked down to the river. We are always drawn by the water. There is a nice restaurant on the riverside, and Rosie needed a drink, and we figured we might get a feel for the town if we had a seat by the water. We had a glass of wine and got Rosie some water. This town has kayak rentals and a tour boat that goes up the river and back. Not sure how far it goes. It looked like fun. This one stays on the short list for now.

We were getting tired by now but pressed on to Clairac. I was ready to head back so we drove through town and headed for home. We didn’t get out of the car in Clairac. Will try again another time. We planned on getting home and relaxing a bit and then figure out what to do about dinner. Clairac will stay on our short list for now.

We got to the Airbnb and were tired so settled for taking it easy the rest of the day. We had a long day ahead of us on Wednesday.

Toulouse on Wednesday

We got up early Wednesday morning (7:30) got our showers and coffee and got ready for our drive to Toulouse. BTW, the French do not eat or drink coffee or sodas in their cars (maybe that is why their highways are so clean with NO trash alongside the road!) It is about 120 miles away and roughly 2 hour drive. We left about 8:30 and arrived at just after 11:00 not too bad. Except we had to find a parking spot. Then find the bank.

A couple of things got in the way of our plans as follows: First we were on a toll road and when we got to the pay station it wasn’t clear which pay lane to get in. So, I followed a big truck into a lane that didn’t look too backed up. EB had the ticket and credit card all set for me to pay the toll. We are totally toll booth pros by now.

Unfortunately, this lane was for people with some special transponder called a “telepass”. Who knew? Of course, a big semi-truck pulled in behind me. There is no backing up. Now is the time that one needs more than “bonjour” and “Merci” and “S’il vous plait” language skills. There was no place to insert the toll ticket and no place for the credit card. There was a button. I tried the button and was connected to a toll person who didn’t speak English. So, I spoke English, the lady spoke French, and we weren’t getting anywhere except to get her MORE frustrated. Luckily the driver of the truck behind us got impatient and came up to me and wanted to know what was going on. He spoke only French too. I showed him our toll ticket and credit card. I think he wanted to know what I was doing in the lane if I didn’t have a code. I don’t know (Je ne sais pas). He pushed the button, and the French lady started talking again, I finally realized that she wanted to know where I came from, I thought it odd, but I said, Florida. LOL!

I didn’t mean to make a joke. I’m sure the lady wasn’t laughing. What she wanted to know is where we entered the toll road. I didn’t have a clue, so I said Duras. The truck driver repeated it, and the lady gave up and asked for my card number. It took me a few seconds for me to realize what she wanted, then I started reading the credit card number to her. I guess my French pronunciation was a “little off”. The truck driver read off the number, the expiration date and 3-digit security code to her and voila, the gate opened. I didn’t have time to thank the truck driver as he was already running back to his truck. As we drove away, EB said, I bet the lady charged our card 100 euros just for the aggravation factor. My apologies to all Americans, I just made us look like idiots. By the way, we were charged only 6.25 euros.

We made it into Toulouse city center. It is a pretty city with mature trees lining the road along the Garonne River and the Canal du Midi. The canal was built in the 17th century and connects the Mediterranean Sea (about 93 miles away) with the Garonne River and is navigable. The city has a population of over 500,000 and was founded by the Romans in the 5th century and is one of the fastest growing cities in France. It is not far from the Spanish boarder and the Pyrenees mountains.

Carousel in Toulouse

This is the scene of our next instance of language issues. The address that I have for the bank is 4-6 Boulevard de Strasbourg. I plugged that into the GPS and we found a parking place not too far from the destination. We locked up the car and brought Rosie with us for the short walk. We got to the spot and saw no indication of BNP Paribas bank. It was a big, impressive building, but not BNP Paribas. We walked up the street a little and still no bank. EB plugged the address into her phone and said we are a 6-minute walk away. For some reason my GPS saw 46 not 4-6. We got to number 4 Boulevard de Strasbourg and found a BNP Paribas ATM. That’s it? An ATM? What the heck? We stepped back and took a breath. I noticed that there is another door with number 6 above it. That’s it! We had to figure out how to get into the building. You can tell we aren’t used to the big city. Eventually we got into the building and grabbed the elevator to the second floor and finally arrived at the office about 30 minutes late. We were meeting Nisrine Mourad el Mouetamid, our English-speaking account manager. I told the receptionist we were to meet Nisrine. I didn’t know how to say Nisrine’s last name and didn’t want to butcher it. The receptionist called Nisrine and we were finally able to meet. She had reserved a conference room for our meeting, and we had just enough time to go over our questions. Everything is resolved now, and we should hear from a local branch where we will finally pick up our bank cards. The saga of the bank cards is better left to another post.

We left the bank and decided to walk around Toulouse a little and found it to be bustling big city with wide pedestrian only walks and the weather was warm. We stopped at a large sidewalk restaurant and had lunch. A waiter brought Rosie a bowl of water and all was good. EB shared some of the chicken Cesar salad with Rosie and we shared a calzone and ended up taking half of it home with us for Thursday’s lunch. At the time we thought that we would be staying home most of the day on Thursday waiting for the 5th box to arrive from Florida via DHL.

We drove home without any drama, even passed through the toll booth, and arrived after 3:00. Just as we started settling in, our final package arrived. DHL came through a day earlier than we expected. That frees up Thursday now.

Thursday is Night Market in Duras

Part of the Night Market scene in Duras, food, drinks music, and lots of people.

Thursday morning, we met with a local real estate agent Jim Green. I had contacted Jim a couple of months ago via phone. We want to start getting a feel for properties in this part of France. Duras is a really nice town, and it is definitely growing on us.

We set up an appointment with Jim to meet next week and EB wanted to ask a little about the Night Market. We had heard that you bring your dishes and utensils and find a seat at these long trestle tables and meet people and eat and drink and listen to music. Jim explained that you don’t have to bring your own plates and utensils in Duras. The rest is correct.

EB also asked about where we can buy some household items. Jim said the best prices are at a store called Action in Marmande. We had a little trouble finding the store, but they had everything that we had on our list. The store was across the street from a little shopping plaza and we walked over to check it out. It was mostly clothing stores, but EB thought that one of them had some clothes that would work for her.

Finally, a proper Boulangerie was in this plaza. So, we went in for a coffee and a pastry. Duras has a bakery in walking distance, and they have a variety of baguettes, but it isn’t a coffee shop. I have walked over for a baguette and checked. I’m missing the coffee part though.

The night market is scheduled every other Thursday during the summer in Duras and it is great. Of course, there are vendor stalls with food and other merchandise all around the town square. It is almost kind of a carnival feeling. We bought a bottle of wine from one of the many vendors offering wine from various local wineries. We found a seat in the shade at the end of one of the many tables and just watched everything that was going on. In a few minutes this British lady and her grown sons sat down next to us, and we had a really nice chat. Her name is Carrie and her son is Charlie. I didn’t get her other son’s name, I think Benjamin. Benjamin’s wife was with him, and they were running about the market, so we didn’t see them much. Carry and her husband have a holiday home near Castilonnes. They like to visit night markets throughout the area. I got the impression that Duras is one of their favorites. It turns out that they are also interested in the house on the square in Castilonnes for a family member, but not really as they have a LARGE dog and there is NO outside space, and the kitchen area is a bit wonky for her sister-in-laws love of cooking.

We got to the festivities a little after 6:00, stayed until after dark and ended up drinking 2 bottles of Rose and ate some meatballs and some pasta. Luckily, we have a short walk home.

Laundry Day

Friday was recharge day and also laundry day. We had tried doing laundry in the little washing machine in the Airbnb. It would work in a pinch but setting up the drying racks in this little space is a pain. It is a lot easier to go to the laundromat a short distance away.

Figuring out how to use the machines at the laundromat is a treat. I started by loading laundry into what I thought was a nice big washing machine that turned out to be a dryer. There was an older French couple there that got a laugh and then helped us out. They didn’t speak French. Now we are laundromat experts though.

Saturday Wine Tasting Event

Every year the town sets up a wine tasting event so that local wineries bring their wines for a tasting. It seems the event also helps raise money for the local rugby team. There is wine and food and music. It is another street party. No wonder that we like this town. You pay 3 euros for a glass and then go about tasting wine. We found at least 4 wines that we like and ended up buying 3 bottles. Average price per bottle, 7 euros for REALLY GOOD WINE. I took the below picture before the party started getting pretty lively.

Don would love it; you get a bucket of mussels for something like 5 euros and a beer for 4. The mussels are very popular in Duras. Sorry Don, I didn’t get a picture.

Sunday was grocery day

Sunday was super-hot, I think into the 30s. Actually 35 degrees C which is about 95 Fahrenheit. Monday forecast is 105F and low humidity. Geez, I thought we were escaping the Florida heat.

We got up early and went to the grocery store for basics and will wait for Monday, Market Day, to get vegies, cheese, and sausage. Definitely don’t need any more wine. Our local market is about 1/2 mile away. It is part of a chain known as Carrefour.

French Lifestyle and Culture

You might have noticed that most French homes have shutters on windows and even over the doors. We found out that they are really for regulating the temperature inside the house. Not all houses have AC, most don’t in fact. Probably more in Paris and Nice and some other big touristy places have AC retrofitted. I guess most big offices too. It seems that AC is making inroads in renovations though. With the huge emphasis on the environment and energy conservation in France, AC units have to be more efficient.

The use of the shutters is surprisingly effective. Of course, the very thick walls of the old buildings in France act as great insulators too. What you do is close the shutters during the heat of the day, then open them in the cooler evenings and open the windows as well. Then close the windows overnight unless your windows are fitted with screens which most are not. Then if you closed the shutters overnight, open them again in the morning then shut them again as needed. You leave the shutters open enough to get light in the rooms as needed. The house stays relatively cool during the day and cools down in the evening. A small oscillating fan does the trick. We saw this on a You Tube channel, and it really works. Of course, the Europeans have been doing this for centuries. One nod to technology is the increasing use of double paned window glass. I think double paned windows in remodels is a requirement now as the government has been pushing energy conservation for years.

We did see portable AC units offered at the Action store on Thursday. We might want to investigate this more when we buy our own house.

Next Week (la Semaine Prochaine)

On Monday we will drop off Rosie’s paperwork at the vet. We already sent the 11-euro payment to the government to certify Rosie’s chip with the French government and get her able to have her own pet passport.

I sent HCB a request to help us find a car. I will need to follow up. I have been researching the Renault Duster SUV. The Clio that we have rented for the month is nice, but it won’t serve our needs for the long term. EB noticed that the Duster is popular around here. Maybe the locals know something that we don’t. My research found that the Duster is a very reliable SUV built by a Romanian company now owned by Renault. It comes in a 4×4 version and a front wheel drive version. Most models are manual shift. I don’t think our budget will stretch enough for a new one, but a late model used one is definitely possible. Maybe if we don’t buy a house right away a new one is possible. Elizabeth and I have been thinking that we might want to rent for a longer term. The issue with the dollar vs the euro right now, as we mentioned before just might make waiting to buy a house worth it. We need to really think about this. And, if the right house is calling, we just might crumble!

Tuesday morning, we will meet with Jim to visit a couple of houses that are for sale.

Then Rosie’s vet appointment in the afternoon.

Follow up our Visa validation.

I requested info on local French lessons and will need to follow up

Signing off for the week

As always, we sign off wishing you all a good week and remind you to take care of yourselves and your family.

Keep in touch and leave questions, suggestions and comments below.

A bientot (see you soon)

Mark and Elizabeth Beiley

Babyboomersmovetofrance.com