Paradise in the backyard

Many people believe that travel means you have to be non-stop busy, going from site to site, visiting statues, museums and tat shops. Many Americans still subscribe to the notion of 15 countries in 10 days..... Just crazy!
I do alot, anyone who has traveled with me knows that I have a lot of energy and like to see new places, walk all over town for hours and soak in all the experiences I can.
That being said, it's not unusual to find me Enjoying a day sitting at home in another country, where the furthest I venture is to the local supermarket. I know I am not the typical traveler, I spend time with friends overseas and venture off the beaten path. Today was a day in which most of what I did would not be in a guidebook, but many tourists would be jealous of.
The day starts out eRly, visiting the open air farmers market of Muret. This market operates every Saturday regardless of weather. There is a wide range of products, I saw everything from food to mattresses available to buy. The food is fresh, in season and grown locally. To know more, you will have to read my post about French Foods.
There was no doubt about it, on a Saturday morning in Muret, this was THE place to be.


After the market we returned home and cooked amazing stuffed zucchini with produce bought at the market. The opportunity to cook and eat this food is a privilege. Again see the blog about food.

Then we went for a hike in the woods nearby. This stretch of woods had a trail that was well marked, but not heavily frequented. In fact during the entire hike we saw no one else. It was a beautiful green forest with all sorts of trees, brush and flowers. At one point there was so much pollen on the ground that it looked like snow.



Eventually the path opened up to a small beach on the Garbonne river. This was like our own private beach. No one was there, no sounds of the modern city interrupted. It was tranquil and the water felt great on my feet. My only regret was that I didn't have my swimsuit!









After returning from the beach / hike, we went for a swim in the pool in the backyard. Again, this was such a lovely place to be. The pool is surrounded by lavender plants, the atmosphere is peaceful and tranquil.



The last adventure of the day was to visit the supermarket. I love to visit supermarkets in foreign countries. It's always fun to see what is sold - what's recognize or not.

The rest of the evening was spent at home enjoying good food, wine and company.

There are some tourists who might say today was a waste because I didn't check off some box on a list of places to visit, buti say today was one of the best sort of days, that only the luckiest of tourists get to experience.

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Location:Chemin du Pontil,Muret,France