Sunday in Perigueux

I'm not sure why, but neither Sarah nor I expected much of Perigueux, the capitol of the Dordogne. Neither of us had even heard of the place, and I guess we just assumed that it would be not much of a city, a small provincial capitol without much attraction. In considering houses near it, our calculus has hinged on proximity to Bordeaux, the nearest full-on city, rather than Perigueux. We didn't think we'd come here much.

But we were wrong. This is a really beautiful city, not too big and not too small, full of charm, and friendliness, and age. And some pretty goofy buildings too.

The old center is largely pedestrian, which in itself is great, and today surprised us with a very nice Sunday market. The whole works: meat, poultry, veg, cheese, flowers. But amid the bustle of commerce, an extremely laid-back Sunday vibe permeated the event. Everyone had time to chat. People sipped coffee at sidewalk cafes, and their kids, and ours, played in the sunlight. It felt very comfortably homey. Nice market. Nice town.

Sarah pointed out a sensed similarity between Perigueux and St. Louis. And I have to agree. Provincial capitols, of course, but also a friendliness, a laid-back feeling, a glow of prosperity and a strong family focus. Kids everywhere. And surprisingly, dog-shit almost nowhere. Perigueux is remarkably clean.

And it has great buildings. Old stone, lots of different historical styles, cool roofs. And the odd folly here and there.

Then in the afternoon, we went to one of the local parks. A very unique space, as it turns out, landscaped as it is into the ruins of the roman arena. Amid the crumbling foundations and arches lay a gem of a park, brilliant green and full of different trees, fountains, and a playground. And crawling with families. Playing in the beautiful sunlight in the same place where, no doubt, Christians had been shredded by tigers. You gotta love that. Kepler sure did.

So why do I go on so much about Perigueux? Because it's a nice surprise. But also because we're about to look at a whole bunch of properties which count this as their nearest city. Of course there's always Bordeaux an hour or two away, but it's nice to know that for most things, Perigueux is more than adequate, and a pleasure to visit and walk around. Just checking out the new neighborhood. And finding it very livable.