The name of «Bergerac» immediately rings a bell: Cyrano. - A local? - No, way out. He just happens to be a character from the play by Edmond Rostand. So not a local. We found them on our walk across the old town, where we were more interested in the living Bergeracoises than in the gentleman, whose statues stand unmissable in some places, but are far less entertaining than the people we met.
You just have to want to get involved with them.
For this there is in Bergerac on every corner at least one restaurant ... for every taste something.
Alternatively, you start, as we did, at Quai Cyrano, where we kill several birds with one stone :
Here on the first floor is the Tourist Information with very friendly young ladies and gentlemen who suggest tips and individual routes across the old town, and on the second floor you can get to know the regional wine .... and of course buy ... or have a bite to eat, preferably on the terrace with breathtaking views of the river and watch the departing and returning Gabarres.
Then walking across the beautiful old town with its historic half-timbered houses, we reached the weekly market right next to the church of Notre Dame de Bergerac. Here we met Xavier and Michel, two 'institutions' at the market, who sell here their sheep cheese and fois gras, as well as other food produced on their own farm.
Here we really dive into the life of the locals, because weekly farmers' market is not only an institution in itself in the whole of France, but the place where you can get fresh goods from the surrounding area. This is where we live what we like to talk about here: Buying regional, sustainable and fresh.
On the way back to the old town, we can't miss the wine cellar Le Temps du Vin. There's practically nothing here that you can't find - including a really nice gift idea: wine from the year of birth of ... whoever you want to give a present to.
Packed with our treasures, we now head for our parking spot near the Palace of Justice, because there we no longer endanger the rims of our car, which already have a few "battle scars" with the curbs of the exit from a parking lot in Bergerac.
Opposite the Marché couvert we find a bookstore, La colline aux livre, as we remember this type from the past. The owner Caroline told us a little about her store when it was not so busy...
And in Quai Cyrano we heard about an absolute must-see, a concept store two, three corners away, Péninsule, by Krystel Gence.
We've been to some " concept " stores. Krystels Peninsule, however, is the first where the concept is clear even to the uninitiated: it's all about Bergerac, Cyrano and local craftsmanship. This store is small, fine, is run with heart and soul and the prices called are absolutely within reason. This is an address where even a tourist can find more than just a souvenir.
Highly recommended!
Not only the courtyard of the Quai Cyrano, or the Tobacco Museum of Bergerac but also the brand new Dordonha Musée Costi are places that, small and fine, are stunning cultural sites. In the heart of the old town, in a renovated architectural setting, Dordonha opened its doors in July 2022.
The Small Mission is an ashlar building built in the 1680s and its outbuildings of bricou and quarry stone from the 19th century and is a remarkable ensemble of buildings listed as a historic monument.
This new facility, named Dordonha, Occitan for "river Dordogne", documents the essential link between the river and the city. Bergerac was born on the banks of the river and became a thriving city thanks to river trade, which reached its peak in the past centuries. From 2023, more can be learned about it in the permanent exhibition of the CIAP.
© 2022
