Work life balance?

I think my work/life balance has become a bit unbalanced lately, my idea of a day off is stopping for a restaurant meal between visits to antique dealers and brocantes. It is very very rare for me to come home without a car full of linens and other treasures. I enjoy what I do so much that it doesn't feel like work, but when my emails deteriorated into gibberish I realised I needed a proper day off.
A trip to Le Puy en Velay in sparkling sunshine hit the spot.

It is the most beautiful medieval town and everytime I go I find something new. The colours of the buildings are delicious and it has quite an Italian feel. I spent most of my time looking upwards;

And yes the sky really was that blue!

There are just endless lovely little details.

Little hearts in the chalky blue shutters

Delicate wrought iron.

Another heart

 And tall medieval houses.........

There are small details too, lots of madonnas in niches

Ancient carved stone

The devil is always in the detail!

Le Puy is famous for grander buildings and is part of the pilgimage trail to Santiago del Compostella in Northern Spain. It is also renowned Worldwide for its handmade lace. I could happily spend a week there. Every corner reveals a new delight.

It is also a very 'foodie' place with lots of fine foodshops bringing in top quality produce from the Auvergne and the Ardeche. 

"Don't leave Le Puy without taking a Jésus"

A Jésus is a very large local sausage!

Lunch was in one of my favourite restaurants 'Le Medicis'

Run by Maman and her daughters, the lunch is a set menu, freshly cooked every day at a bargain price. This is how French restaurants used to be.

Maman is a skilled cook, she cooks traditional food with a twist and everything is beautifully presented. She is also an enthusiastic bricoleur and decorated the interior herself. AND I discovered that she is a skilled needlewoman who used to teach couture. She is passionate about 'le Style Anglais' and knows all the best places to buy textiles. We have planned a textile trip together soon.

I hope I have managed to share a bit of the joy of a visit to Le Puy. If you want to know more have a look at the official site http://www.ot-lepuyenvelay.fr/histoire-et-patrimoine/soyez-les-bienvenus.html