Puisseguin

Above: Puisseguin is one of the very quite towns that are often just a glance out the window on drives through France.

 

Puisseguin is a commune, a township in the Aquitaine Region of France. In 2013 we rented a very nice house in this area, picked primarily because it was very close to the town of Saint-Émilion. In renting the house, reference to become close to the town center of Puisseguin were frequent.

I was set. This is going to just what I really enjoy. To rent a house in the country that is a relatively short walk to the local town. Photo shoots in the morning light, then picking up fresh croissants and return to the house for our petit déjeuner and then the day would begin. Our friends Mike and Margot Arbogast would be joining us so I visualized walks or short drives with Mike for photos and the mandatory morning croissant.

The owner of the house had assembled a very helpful reference book, the house book, that outlined the location of local stores, market days etc., all the information one wants to quickly get to know their area. There were numerous references to a boulangerie, butcher shop and a pharmcy in Puisseguin.

Mike and I headed into the town to find scope out the boulangerie as although he and Margot had been in the house for two days before we arrived, he could not find it. I asked in the Pharmacy. My French was work somewhat and the Pharmacist responded and I was able to catch every-other-word and determined it was just outside to the right.

Well that was simple. What was the problem? A merci here and there and we walked out of the Pharmacy to find the bakery.

The bakery in Puisseguin. Very closed when we went by.

We walked by numerous buildings, but no bakery. In fact, we walked so far down the road that it was just homes and at one point we just knew we walked too far.

We would not discover the bakery until the next morning.

The bakery is an interesting story for us, but is reflects the town, and is just one of the things that travelers can find in renting houses in the country. Just because a town is on the map does not mean it is a town with an stores and supplies.

Of course in the morning all is different. As it is different for many other small towns in France. We drove up to the bakery, the door was open and when we walked in the owner came out from the back and in response to my request for croissants, pointed to the tray telling us, this is what she had for today.

Today it was Pain au Chocolate, but on the following day, when we arrived, she proudly pointed to four croissants. We just knew she made them for us.

This is what small towns in France are like. Make a little effort. Mike and I carried on our french-english conversation with the baker, we never asked her if she spoke English. Be friendly and the towns people will be most friendly to you.

If our experience with the bakery was not enough, when in the Pharmacy on the second day, one of the staff asked if we had seen the moulin. Saying no, she said follow-me, and we jumped in our car and followed her to the Moulins de Calon near Montagne.