Dordogne Pèrigod

Before I talk about our weekend trip, I want to say that I went to the most awesome fireside in Paris with Sister Dalton today.  It was directed for the Young Women but it was so amazing and I am a young women still in heart so while some of the stuff for the high schoolers didn't apply to me, so much else did.  I'm making huge decisions, even if they aren't deciding what college i'm going to or what I want to study.  I'm going on a mission and she talked a lot about that too.  I got a picture with her with my group of girls: (the thumbs up thing is from her talk saying that we're taking her challenge and we're 100% doing it.  She said that whenever we see her we have to do this.)

 I also started crying right before she gave me a hug and she told me "us blonds have to stick together because we get emotional." It was so sweet.  My group of 8 was standing behind her while others were getting pictures and shaking her hand and when she turned around she said "I could feel your spirit from behind me.  You all have such a strong spirit about you!"

My study abroad is close to being over.  I'm already feeling sad about coming back home.  It will be a bittersweet parting.  I am excited to see my parents though and show them around a little bit!

Dordogne was beautiful.  It was picture perfect like a postcard or a pinterest picture.  It was the charming, quaint "provincial life" from Beauty and the Beast.  We went to a cave where it was illegal to take pictures (so I secretly snapped a few which all turned out dark and blurry).  It looked just like Indiana Jones so I felt like i'd seen it before.  We then stopped by some castles, a historical pilgrimage sight and then the "most beautiful village in france."  It is literally considered the most beautiful.  Here are some pictures:

We spent two nights in a hotel in Sarlat but we only visite the town one day.  We ate fois gras.. well everyone ate it but I cut mine up in cute shapes and made towers of foie gras and bread and salad for the waiter.  I think he probably appreciated that.  I had a hard time eating the duck too because the meat is SOO dark.  Like practically black.  The people here are crazy about their walnuts too.  Walnut wine (no joke), walnut jam, cakes, chocolates, nougats, ice cream and just about any walnut thing you can think of.  They have laws to verify the validity of the walnuts origin.  If your not a Pèrigod walnut, you have no chance.  Sarlat has a outrageously huge market on Saturdays which is a major reason for our visit there.  The market is preserved as a historical monument and is protected under the law.  Its huge! And so french looking in every way. 

those are the tents from the fair. Every little side street and ally way has more tents.  So big, I could never capture it in one photo. 

those are more pictures of the market with cliché French ideas that hold true.  Lots of cheese, wine and flowers.