As we left the gare we could hear shouts and drums. Looking up one street which leads from the Comédie to the gare, we could see several hundred marching demonstrators. As we proceeded away from the gare (along a different street) we encountered another parade of marchers, this one pouring over a bridge and coming to merge with the first file of marchers. I would say that there were well over 1,000 marchers in this stream. We didn’t stay to see what was going to happen nor to see how many marchers there were, but I am sure the total was well over 2,000. We were happy to scoot home and be out of the way.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Nimes
Thursday, October 28, 2010 Day 120
This morning we got moving quickly as we wanted to catch a 9:25 train to Nimes. We were not certain the train would run, as this is a scheduled strike day. We arrived at the station about 9:15 and bought our tickets. There was already a TGV train sitting in the station which was scheduled to depart at 9:20. It was going to Nimes, but the tickets we bought could not be used on this train. We went to our platform and our train came in about 7-8 minutes late. We boarded and chose our seats – the train was not particularly full. The TGV finally pulled out, and our train followed about five minutes later, around 9:40. We arrived in Nimes half an hour later without incident.
We walked to the arena, which is an old Roman ruin constructed about 100 C.E. Our entry to the arena got us audioguides in English which took us through the entire arena. The audioguides were outstanding, giving an interesting but not too-detailed history of the arena, the atmosphere in which it was built and used, a glimpse of Roman times, and other uses for the arena. Near the end there were detailed sketches and descriptions of four types of gladiators. There was also a room with reconstructed gladiator weapons and armory and some videos of Hollywood’s version of gladiators and recreations of gladiator fights. After that, there was a good deal of bullfighting history and costumes as well, but by this time we were museum-ed out so we skipped most of that.
In the midst of our arena visit, Elisabeth called, said it was a nice sunny day and was about to propose an outing. I told her that we were in Nimes sitting in the arena, and not available for an outing. I expressed concern that we might not get back to Montpellier because of the train situation, and she said if we couldn’t get back, to let her know and she would see what she could do. She certainly couldn’t come get us – she has a little 2-seater. Fortunately, we did not have to avail ourselves of her offer.
From the arena we went to lunch. We had bought a multi-pass to enter the arena. This pass would get us in to see a 3-D movie at the Maison Carrée, another Roman building – this one built in 16 BCE, and also into the Tour Magne (great tower) atop more Roman ruins around a thermal springs. Our lunch, however, was the typical French meal where no one is in any hurry, not to take our order, to bring our food, or to bring our bill. We did not get away from the restaurant until after 2:00, which did not leave us time for both the Tour Magne and the film at the Maison Carrée. We opted for the latter for two reasons: first, we were interested in the film and had not been inside the Maison Carrée before, and second, we had been to the top of the gardens in which the Tour Magne sits, even though we hadn’t actually been into the tower itself. It was on our agenda a year ago when we visited the area and we had explored the gardens and the area around the tower at that time.
The 3-D video was well done. Afterward we ambled through the city center a bit, then returned to the train station to catch our train back to Montpellier. All our anxieties about the trains not running were for naught – our trip back was uneventful until we got off the train in Montpellier.
This morning we got moving quickly as we wanted to catch a 9:25 train to Nimes. We were not certain the train would run, as this is a scheduled strike day. We arrived at the station about 9:15 and bought our tickets. There was already a TGV train sitting in the station which was scheduled to depart at 9:20. It was going to Nimes, but the tickets we bought could not be used on this train. We went to our platform and our train came in about 7-8 minutes late. We boarded and chose our seats – the train was not particularly full. The TGV finally pulled out, and our train followed about five minutes later, around 9:40. We arrived in Nimes half an hour later without incident.
We walked to the arena, which is an old Roman ruin constructed about 100 C.E. Our entry to the arena got us audioguides in English which took us through the entire arena. The audioguides were outstanding, giving an interesting but not too-detailed history of the arena, the atmosphere in which it was built and used, a glimpse of Roman times, and other uses for the arena. Near the end there were detailed sketches and descriptions of four types of gladiators. There was also a room with reconstructed gladiator weapons and armory and some videos of Hollywood’s version of gladiators and recreations of gladiator fights. After that, there was a good deal of bullfighting history and costumes as well, but by this time we were museum-ed out so we skipped most of that.
In the midst of our arena visit, Elisabeth called, said it was a nice sunny day and was about to propose an outing. I told her that we were in Nimes sitting in the arena, and not available for an outing. I expressed concern that we might not get back to Montpellier because of the train situation, and she said if we couldn’t get back, to let her know and she would see what she could do. She certainly couldn’t come get us – she has a little 2-seater. Fortunately, we did not have to avail ourselves of her offer.
From the arena we went to lunch. We had bought a multi-pass to enter the arena. This pass would get us in to see a 3-D movie at the Maison Carrée, another Roman building – this one built in 16 BCE, and also into the Tour Magne (great tower) atop more Roman ruins around a thermal springs. Our lunch, however, was the typical French meal where no one is in any hurry, not to take our order, to bring our food, or to bring our bill. We did not get away from the restaurant until after 2:00, which did not leave us time for both the Tour Magne and the film at the Maison Carrée. We opted for the latter for two reasons: first, we were interested in the film and had not been inside the Maison Carrée before, and second, we had been to the top of the gardens in which the Tour Magne sits, even though we hadn’t actually been into the tower itself. It was on our agenda a year ago when we visited the area and we had explored the gardens and the area around the tower at that time.
The 3-D video was well done. Afterward we ambled through the city center a bit, then returned to the train station to catch our train back to Montpellier. All our anxieties about the trains not running were for naught – our trip back was uneventful until we got off the train in Montpellier.
Photography exhibits and chess
Wednesday, October 27, 2010 Day 119
It was quite cool this morning - 7º – which is very nearly the limit for our walking. So we lazed about and cleaned the apartment this morning, then had lunch before heading off to the Peyrou. To our surprise, there were about a dozen cars parked in the Peyrou – something we have never seen before. There were also two or three suits walking around, also an unusual sight. The Peyrou is near the court house, but we seldom see lawyers in suits around it. Later we realized that there was a large funeral scheduled for today – a regional governmental head died Sunday of a heart attack at age 72. His was Georges Frêche, who served as President of the Languedoc-Roussillon Region (probably the equivalent of a governor of a state) from 2004 until his death: prior to that, he had been mayor of Montpellier for 27 years, and was also a former member (député) of the National Assembly; hence the suits and the extended parking in order to allow access to the cathedral, which is located near the Peyrou.
From the Peyrou, we walked to the Maison de Relations Internationales to see a photography exhibit by Daryl Mesa from Boston. The photos were interesting, but were displayed too high for me to see well (they were fine for Roger), and were displayed in large mats hung on hangers suspended from a picture rail above. This method of exhibition did not flatter the photos especially.
From there we went to another photography exhibit – this one MUCH better done. There were three sets of photos. The first, around the outside wall, were photos by Alex Harris taken in March, 2006, of the New Orleans area which showed some of the destruction of Katrina. They were large photos, displayed to great advantage. The second and third sets we did not visit today. First, I had forgotten my glasses, and these photos were smaller and black-and-white, and I was not able to appreciate them fully. Second, I was beginning to suffer museum legs again, and third, the chess games going on just outside the museum were calling Roger. We determined that we would return another day to enjoy the rest of the exhibits. When we got to the chess games, there was only one actually going on, and about six “rubberneckers” standing around watching one ongoing game. This is because only one guy has shown up with a chess set. The others have to wait either for their turns to come up or for another player or two to appear with a chess set.
On my way back to the apartment, I dropped into a game and toy shop on a whim, with half an eye toward finding Roger a chess set. The shop is deep and keeps winding back further and further. In one section there are chess sets, some in boxes that open up to form chess boards. There are small and large wooden chess boards. There are sets of chess men, ranging from very small to standard size. But the prices on the sets are more than I think Roger wants to pay, and he doesn’t want a really small one. I have made inquiries through the AWG looking for a used set, to no avail.
It was quite cool this morning - 7º – which is very nearly the limit for our walking. So we lazed about and cleaned the apartment this morning, then had lunch before heading off to the Peyrou. To our surprise, there were about a dozen cars parked in the Peyrou – something we have never seen before. There were also two or three suits walking around, also an unusual sight. The Peyrou is near the court house, but we seldom see lawyers in suits around it. Later we realized that there was a large funeral scheduled for today – a regional governmental head died Sunday of a heart attack at age 72. His was Georges Frêche, who served as President of the Languedoc-Roussillon Region (probably the equivalent of a governor of a state) from 2004 until his death: prior to that, he had been mayor of Montpellier for 27 years, and was also a former member (député) of the National Assembly; hence the suits and the extended parking in order to allow access to the cathedral, which is located near the Peyrou.
From the Peyrou, we walked to the Maison de Relations Internationales to see a photography exhibit by Daryl Mesa from Boston. The photos were interesting, but were displayed too high for me to see well (they were fine for Roger), and were displayed in large mats hung on hangers suspended from a picture rail above. This method of exhibition did not flatter the photos especially.
From there we went to another photography exhibit – this one MUCH better done. There were three sets of photos. The first, around the outside wall, were photos by Alex Harris taken in March, 2006, of the New Orleans area which showed some of the destruction of Katrina. They were large photos, displayed to great advantage. The second and third sets we did not visit today. First, I had forgotten my glasses, and these photos were smaller and black-and-white, and I was not able to appreciate them fully. Second, I was beginning to suffer museum legs again, and third, the chess games going on just outside the museum were calling Roger. We determined that we would return another day to enjoy the rest of the exhibits. When we got to the chess games, there was only one actually going on, and about six “rubberneckers” standing around watching one ongoing game. This is because only one guy has shown up with a chess set. The others have to wait either for their turns to come up or for another player or two to appear with a chess set.
On my way back to the apartment, I dropped into a game and toy shop on a whim, with half an eye toward finding Roger a chess set. The shop is deep and keeps winding back further and further. In one section there are chess sets, some in boxes that open up to form chess boards. There are small and large wooden chess boards. There are sets of chess men, ranging from very small to standard size. But the prices on the sets are more than I think Roger wants to pay, and he doesn’t want a really small one. I have made inquiries through the AWG looking for a used set, to no avail.
Market day
Tuesday, October 26, 2010 Day 118
I awoke this morning to a general feeling of malaise and had difficulty making myself get out of bed. We skipped the Peyrou and went to the market where we bought a good deal of fruit and some cheese. On our way back from the market, we passed this shop in the north African area we often walk through. I love the mosaic and the exotic look of it.
Anne emailed us to say that the spam filter Roger had reset for her was working wonderfully. It is nice to know that we earned last night’s delicious dinner! I got a thank-you email off to her. I did a little research on the internet and also sent her a link to a website with instructions for how to force a Christmas cactus to bloom.
For lunch, I made broccoli cheese soup using the broccoli I bought last week and the Colombian spices from the north African shop and the cheese we bought this morning. It was quite delicious and there is enough for about four more lunches for me. Roger does not indulge in broccoli soup.
As is becoming his habit, Roger played chess in the afternoon, leaving me to the computer. I spent the afternoon trying to catch up on my blog details.
I awoke this morning to a general feeling of malaise and had difficulty making myself get out of bed. We skipped the Peyrou and went to the market where we bought a good deal of fruit and some cheese. On our way back from the market, we passed this shop in the north African area we often walk through. I love the mosaic and the exotic look of it.
Anne emailed us to say that the spam filter Roger had reset for her was working wonderfully. It is nice to know that we earned last night’s delicious dinner! I got a thank-you email off to her. I did a little research on the internet and also sent her a link to a website with instructions for how to force a Christmas cactus to bloom.
For lunch, I made broccoli cheese soup using the broccoli I bought last week and the Colombian spices from the north African shop and the cheese we bought this morning. It was quite delicious and there is enough for about four more lunches for me. Roger does not indulge in broccoli soup.
As is becoming his habit, Roger played chess in the afternoon, leaving me to the computer. I spent the afternoon trying to catch up on my blog details.
Dinner at Anne's - yum!
Monday, October 25, 2010 Day 117
Today I finally potted up several of my plants. I have had planter boxes and plants for several weeks, and I got potting soil last week, so I finally broke down and potted the plants. I fixed a window box of geraniums for each of the front windows, a window box of pansies for our bedroom window and a window box of miniature cyclamen for the kitchen window. They look splendid!
Roger came home from chess this evening quite elated. He had started at the top board, won the game, and successfully defended it several times before having o give it up. He later regained it but was again defeated, thoroughly romped on by one of the strongest players in the group. Unfortunately he had to leave a bit early – 5:00 instead of the usual 6:00, but overall he was quite satisfied with his performance.
At 5:40 we left for Anne’s. We just missed the bus at the stop on our street, but the bus route makes something of a loop to go by the train station. We were able to walk about four blocks and catch the same bus we had just missed after it left the train station. Indeed, the traffic was so bad that we had a six- or seven-minute wait once we arrived at the next stop. We got off near Anne’s apartment building and walked to her apartment. In France it is the custom to bring one’s host a bottle of wine. However, since our knowledge of wine is so sparse, we chose to bring a small potted Christmas cactus instead. Anne will be hosting the Christmas book club meeting, and it may be blooming at that time, although it could be that the blooming will be finished by then since there are already buds on this one. She showed us another large Christmas cactus which she has had for a while, and she told us that it hasn’t bloomed after the initial blossoms dropped more than two years ago.
We spent the first half hour or so working with her computer. Roger first adjusted the settings on her spam filter to send a great deal of spam to the spam box instead of allowing all into her inbox – a major frustration of hers. Then I showed her how to upload pictures from her camera and clear them from her camera. I also took her through attaching a photo to a message and sending it to someone.
After we finished with the computer, Anne served us a lovely dinner. We started in the living area with kir and finger foods – some spicy corn crisps, olives and pistachio nuts. Then we moved to the table and had a first course of peppers and a shrimp and crab salad with flavored mayonnaise. For the next course we had chicken thighs and mashed potatoes made with olive oil. We ended the meal with four different cheeses, grapes and sweet clementines. Delicious!
The buses stop running at 8:00 or so, and at 10:30, Anne brought us back to our apartment. There was very little traffic, and she said it is because very few people have gas, and those who do are conserving it for necessary trips only.
Today I finally potted up several of my plants. I have had planter boxes and plants for several weeks, and I got potting soil last week, so I finally broke down and potted the plants. I fixed a window box of geraniums for each of the front windows, a window box of pansies for our bedroom window and a window box of miniature cyclamen for the kitchen window. They look splendid!
Roger came home from chess this evening quite elated. He had started at the top board, won the game, and successfully defended it several times before having o give it up. He later regained it but was again defeated, thoroughly romped on by one of the strongest players in the group. Unfortunately he had to leave a bit early – 5:00 instead of the usual 6:00, but overall he was quite satisfied with his performance.
At 5:40 we left for Anne’s. We just missed the bus at the stop on our street, but the bus route makes something of a loop to go by the train station. We were able to walk about four blocks and catch the same bus we had just missed after it left the train station. Indeed, the traffic was so bad that we had a six- or seven-minute wait once we arrived at the next stop. We got off near Anne’s apartment building and walked to her apartment. In France it is the custom to bring one’s host a bottle of wine. However, since our knowledge of wine is so sparse, we chose to bring a small potted Christmas cactus instead. Anne will be hosting the Christmas book club meeting, and it may be blooming at that time, although it could be that the blooming will be finished by then since there are already buds on this one. She showed us another large Christmas cactus which she has had for a while, and she told us that it hasn’t bloomed after the initial blossoms dropped more than two years ago.
We spent the first half hour or so working with her computer. Roger first adjusted the settings on her spam filter to send a great deal of spam to the spam box instead of allowing all into her inbox – a major frustration of hers. Then I showed her how to upload pictures from her camera and clear them from her camera. I also took her through attaching a photo to a message and sending it to someone.
After we finished with the computer, Anne served us a lovely dinner. We started in the living area with kir and finger foods – some spicy corn crisps, olives and pistachio nuts. Then we moved to the table and had a first course of peppers and a shrimp and crab salad with flavored mayonnaise. For the next course we had chicken thighs and mashed potatoes made with olive oil. We ended the meal with four different cheeses, grapes and sweet clementines. Delicious!
The buses stop running at 8:00 or so, and at 10:30, Anne brought us back to our apartment. There was very little traffic, and she said it is because very few people have gas, and those who do are conserving it for necessary trips only.
Opera singer
Opera singer
Originally uploaded by cspatrick
Sunday walk
Sunday, October 24, 2010 Day 116
This morning, we walked to the river where we saw a flea market about a month ago and where we looked for one last week. We spent more than an hour on the walk, getting ourselves lost in the stroll down to the Lez. We saw quite a bit of new territory, including parts of the new tram line. We will not get to see the new tram line completed, as that is not scheduled until 2012l. Alas, there was still no flea market, so we rode the tram back home.
On our walk, we passed this field with a couple of goats in the foreground. I actually took the picture more for the colorful vineyard in the background.
Roger fixed beans and cornbread for dinner this evening. The cornbread was rather a trial for a couple of reasons. First, the only cornmeal here is called polenta, and what we bought was demi-cuir, or half-cooked, so we were not sure exactly how this would substitute for cornmeal. Then we didn’t have any eggs, so Roger located a recipe on the internet for vegan cornbread. He didn’t put in enough liquid, and it was rather dry. The taste wasn’t too bad, but it was best eaten crumbled into the beans. The beans themselves took a long time to cook. Roger finally declared them done after about an hour and a half, but after one bite, I took mine and put them back in the pan where I let them cook for almost another hour before I was happy with them. I’m not sure what happened with the beans – perhaps they were old. He bought them out of a bin in the north African shop, and I would have expected them to be fairly fresh, but – who knows?!
After Roger finished dinner, he located the Saints game on the computer and followed the written play-by-play. He read me the plays as I ate my dinner later. We were very disappointed in the whole game. I don't think the Saints played like Superbowl champs.
This morning, we walked to the river where we saw a flea market about a month ago and where we looked for one last week. We spent more than an hour on the walk, getting ourselves lost in the stroll down to the Lez. We saw quite a bit of new territory, including parts of the new tram line. We will not get to see the new tram line completed, as that is not scheduled until 2012l. Alas, there was still no flea market, so we rode the tram back home.
On our walk, we passed this field with a couple of goats in the foreground. I actually took the picture more for the colorful vineyard in the background.
Roger fixed beans and cornbread for dinner this evening. The cornbread was rather a trial for a couple of reasons. First, the only cornmeal here is called polenta, and what we bought was demi-cuir, or half-cooked, so we were not sure exactly how this would substitute for cornmeal. Then we didn’t have any eggs, so Roger located a recipe on the internet for vegan cornbread. He didn’t put in enough liquid, and it was rather dry. The taste wasn’t too bad, but it was best eaten crumbled into the beans. The beans themselves took a long time to cook. Roger finally declared them done after about an hour and a half, but after one bite, I took mine and put them back in the pan where I let them cook for almost another hour before I was happy with them. I’m not sure what happened with the beans – perhaps they were old. He bought them out of a bin in the north African shop, and I would have expected them to be fairly fresh, but – who knows?!
After Roger finished dinner, he located the Saints game on the computer and followed the written play-by-play. He read me the plays as I ate my dinner later. We were very disappointed in the whole game. I don't think the Saints played like Superbowl champs.
Falafel at the market - yum!
Saturday, October 23, 2010 Day 115
I got up a bit late, then stalled as long as I could this morning hoping that rain would save me from walking the Peyrou, but no such luck; so finally at 11:00, we left for our exercise. From there we went to the Saturday Arceaux market. It was larger by half than it has been recently. There were mussel and oyster vendors, a second nut and spice vendor, and more produce than usual. It was lunchtime and there were several vendors selling prepared meals. For the first time, we saw a falafel stall, so we bought some snacked on them. Before we came to France, we didn’t even know what falafel were and now we are beginning to discover that they are quite delicious. I like these so much better than our first experience with them in Paris at a famous falafel house in the Marais section of Paris, where they were in a pita sandwich, as I recall, along with cabbage salad, cucumbers, fried eggplant and harissa – too much of a good thing, I think. The falafel got lost in all the other stuff. Here we just bought a dozen falafel and shared them. They were gone before we exited the market area! We bought some sausage for beans and a Christmas cactus for Anne, who is preparing us dinner on Monday.
We returned to the north African shop on Gambetta which sold dried beans, and Roger bought 500 grams of pinto beans. He paid less than 1.50€, which is about half what the grocery store wanted for them. We plan to cook them with the sausage for dinner tomorrow. I also picked up a package of Colombian mixed spices to experiment with, and a package of dried soup. It is getting to be soup weather around here.
The second time he played the high board, he won, so got the privilege of defending it, and he did so successfully a couple of times. Then he lost, so had to give it up. Later he played again, won again, then lost. He is getting the hang of this 5-minute chess stuff.
I got up a bit late, then stalled as long as I could this morning hoping that rain would save me from walking the Peyrou, but no such luck; so finally at 11:00, we left for our exercise. From there we went to the Saturday Arceaux market. It was larger by half than it has been recently. There were mussel and oyster vendors, a second nut and spice vendor, and more produce than usual. It was lunchtime and there were several vendors selling prepared meals. For the first time, we saw a falafel stall, so we bought some snacked on them. Before we came to France, we didn’t even know what falafel were and now we are beginning to discover that they are quite delicious. I like these so much better than our first experience with them in Paris at a famous falafel house in the Marais section of Paris, where they were in a pita sandwich, as I recall, along with cabbage salad, cucumbers, fried eggplant and harissa – too much of a good thing, I think. The falafel got lost in all the other stuff. Here we just bought a dozen falafel and shared them. They were gone before we exited the market area! We bought some sausage for beans and a Christmas cactus for Anne, who is preparing us dinner on Monday.
We returned to the north African shop on Gambetta which sold dried beans, and Roger bought 500 grams of pinto beans. He paid less than 1.50€, which is about half what the grocery store wanted for them. We plan to cook them with the sausage for dinner tomorrow. I also picked up a package of Colombian mixed spices to experiment with, and a package of dried soup. It is getting to be soup weather around here.
The second time he played the high board, he won, so got the privilege of defending it, and he did so successfully a couple of times. Then he lost, so had to give it up. Later he played again, won again, then lost. He is getting the hang of this 5-minute chess stuff.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Of scarves and chess and food
Friday, October 22, 2010 Day 114
We slept late and I spent the morning getting a package and a letter ready to mail. After lunch we went shopping. We stopped at one of the open market stalls in the Comédie and I decided it was time to buy a scarf – gray – to go with my black coat. It is made of wool and silk and the washing instructions only use those little universal symbols, and they provide for no washing whatsoever – no machine wash, no bleaching, no tumble dry, no ironing, no dry cleaning. I suppose that leaves hand-washing and drying flat, but the instructions don’t say that. Hm . . . .
Anne called this morning to invite us to dinner at her place on Monday. She was speaking yesterday about her frustrations with her computer, and much of what she described sounded like the computer simply needs to be reconfigured. I volunteered Roger to help her reconfigure it, so she called to offer the inducement of dinner in exchange for the help. Roger agreed so we signed on.
Yesterday evening I got a message from Christian that my computer is in. We are meeting him in Milan in a couple of weeks and he is bringing it with him. I can’t wait to get it. Roger has been looking into flights and trains to Milan but hasn’t found any good deals yet. Train is cheap, but it has a couple of drawbacks. First, the trip is seven hours – ugh! But more importantly, right now the trains are erratic because of the strikes. We might end up stuck somewhere with no way to go onward or back. Not an ideal situation.
Roger had his best day yet playing chess. He played at the top table and beat his opponent. This was a particularly sweet victory, as he beat the guy who is normally defending the table. He lost to the next opponent he played, but he said he almost had it won when he ran out of time. His opponent had only three seconds left – a moral victory even though it was a loss. Then he played another game at the top table against the strongest guy, and they drew the game. Under the “house” rules, a draw means that the guy defending the table keeps the spot. Another moral victory, maybe not quite as big. I guess he scared off the good players – he called me around 5:00 and said he was on his way home, as the only players left did not provide enough challenge to him.
I fixed a sausage skillet mélange for dinner, and Roger suggested that I post the recipe because it was really quite nice. I had about a pound of chorizo, which I browned in a bit of oil, then set aside. Next I tossed three toes of minced garlic, a coarsely-chopped onion, one each of red pepper and green pepper, coarsely chopped, 5 small potatoes, cut into chunks, about a teaspoon of curry powder, and a teaspoon of Mexican spices. I sautéed these, and when they began to stick (no Teflon pan here), I stirred in the sausages and half a cup of water, covered, and let simmer for about 15 minutes. When the potatoes were done, I took the lid off and cooked until the water evaporated, then added the surprise ingredient – a chopped mango, cooking and stirring just until the mango was warmed. It turned out to be very delicious, with the mango serving as a wonderful counterpoint to the spices and the sausage. Since arriving in France, I have been putting fruit in unexpected places, first salads, now main dishes. We ate it with the ubiquitous baguette and wine and were quite sated.
The photo has nothing to do with today's adventures. I just like the door! It is the door to Vivien's and Alain's house in Séte, which I thought I would share since we didn't get a photo done today and further since there were too many other photos I wanted to share from that day.
We slept late and I spent the morning getting a package and a letter ready to mail. After lunch we went shopping. We stopped at one of the open market stalls in the Comédie and I decided it was time to buy a scarf – gray – to go with my black coat. It is made of wool and silk and the washing instructions only use those little universal symbols, and they provide for no washing whatsoever – no machine wash, no bleaching, no tumble dry, no ironing, no dry cleaning. I suppose that leaves hand-washing and drying flat, but the instructions don’t say that. Hm . . . .
Anne called this morning to invite us to dinner at her place on Monday. She was speaking yesterday about her frustrations with her computer, and much of what she described sounded like the computer simply needs to be reconfigured. I volunteered Roger to help her reconfigure it, so she called to offer the inducement of dinner in exchange for the help. Roger agreed so we signed on.
Yesterday evening I got a message from Christian that my computer is in. We are meeting him in Milan in a couple of weeks and he is bringing it with him. I can’t wait to get it. Roger has been looking into flights and trains to Milan but hasn’t found any good deals yet. Train is cheap, but it has a couple of drawbacks. First, the trip is seven hours – ugh! But more importantly, right now the trains are erratic because of the strikes. We might end up stuck somewhere with no way to go onward or back. Not an ideal situation.
Roger had his best day yet playing chess. He played at the top table and beat his opponent. This was a particularly sweet victory, as he beat the guy who is normally defending the table. He lost to the next opponent he played, but he said he almost had it won when he ran out of time. His opponent had only three seconds left – a moral victory even though it was a loss. Then he played another game at the top table against the strongest guy, and they drew the game. Under the “house” rules, a draw means that the guy defending the table keeps the spot. Another moral victory, maybe not quite as big. I guess he scared off the good players – he called me around 5:00 and said he was on his way home, as the only players left did not provide enough challenge to him.
I fixed a sausage skillet mélange for dinner, and Roger suggested that I post the recipe because it was really quite nice. I had about a pound of chorizo, which I browned in a bit of oil, then set aside. Next I tossed three toes of minced garlic, a coarsely-chopped onion, one each of red pepper and green pepper, coarsely chopped, 5 small potatoes, cut into chunks, about a teaspoon of curry powder, and a teaspoon of Mexican spices. I sautéed these, and when they began to stick (no Teflon pan here), I stirred in the sausages and half a cup of water, covered, and let simmer for about 15 minutes. When the potatoes were done, I took the lid off and cooked until the water evaporated, then added the surprise ingredient – a chopped mango, cooking and stirring just until the mango was warmed. It turned out to be very delicious, with the mango serving as a wonderful counterpoint to the spices and the sausage. Since arriving in France, I have been putting fruit in unexpected places, first salads, now main dishes. We ate it with the ubiquitous baguette and wine and were quite sated.
The photo has nothing to do with today's adventures. I just like the door! It is the door to Vivien's and Alain's house in Séte, which I thought I would share since we didn't get a photo done today and further since there were too many other photos I wanted to share from that day.
Oh, deer!
From the dolmen, we walked up to a stone semicircular wall with a bench inside where we enjoyed a splendid vista across several valleys and we could see our friend, Séte in the far distance. Oddly enough, there were fires near Séte which made the mountain island appear to be an erupting volcano. We returned to the priory, and on the way in the same field where we saw the doe and fawn, we now spotted a large buck. If possible, zoom in on this picture to get a good idea of the size of his antlers. Splendid!
On our return trip to Montpellier, Anne stopped for petrol at a large new grocery store alongside the new highway. She had no problem getting fuel – the gas shortage does not appear to extend to the countryside.
It was after 6:00 before we got back to Montpellier. From Elisabeth’s street, I walked back to the apartment, stopping twice along the way – first at the English Corner Shop to see if the owner got my email from the other day, and second at the bakery, to inquire as to whether Roger had been in, and to buy bread if he had not. When I inquired about “mon marie” (my husband), she replied that he had been in and had bought “une baguette,” so I thanked her and left.
While I was gone Roger played chess, losing almost all his games again. He said he left a bit earyl as he was beginning to get cold – he usually stays until about 6:00. He hadn’t realized just how cold until he got back to the warm apartment, but the games are played on stone tables with the players seated on stone benches. The sun disappears behind surrounding buildings and leaves the players in cool shade around 5:00. He will soon have to start wearing his spiffy new jacket!
On our return trip to Montpellier, Anne stopped for petrol at a large new grocery store alongside the new highway. She had no problem getting fuel – the gas shortage does not appear to extend to the countryside.
It was after 6:00 before we got back to Montpellier. From Elisabeth’s street, I walked back to the apartment, stopping twice along the way – first at the English Corner Shop to see if the owner got my email from the other day, and second at the bakery, to inquire as to whether Roger had been in, and to buy bread if he had not. When I inquired about “mon marie” (my husband), she replied that he had been in and had bought “une baguette,” so I thanked her and left.
While I was gone Roger played chess, losing almost all his games again. He said he left a bit earyl as he was beginning to get cold – he usually stays until about 6:00. He hadn’t realized just how cold until he got back to the warm apartment, but the games are played on stone tables with the players seated on stone benches. The sun disappears behind surrounding buildings and leaves the players in cool shade around 5:00. He will soon have to start wearing his spiffy new jacket!
Lodéve - art and Roman architecture
Thursday, October 21, 2010 Day 113
Up early this morning, as I had to be near the Comédie by 9:20 to get a ride with Elisabeth. She and I were going together up to Anne’s, where we would change to Anne’s car, and she would drive us to Lodéve. There is a shortage of gasoline in Montpellier, as the strikes have closed some of the refineries and held up deliveries on the road, so there was an effort to consolidate rides as much as possible.
There is much construction in Montpellier, in great part because the city is putting in a third tram line. When Elisabeth picked me up, we took off in her little Toyota IQ heading for Anne’s. We got to a particular spot, however, and her path was blocked. She turned and went a different way, but this was blocked as well. As she was pondering what to do, a gentleman got into a small van and drove the wrong way down a one-way street, so she did likewise! She didn’t even slow down at the intersections! Then she turned right on a right-turn street, but that made the street two lanes in the same direction, much to the surprise of the oncoming traffic. She hastily beat a left turn on a red light so she was out of their way. Anne called about this time and gave her directions for getting out of the area, and we arrived almost on time with no heart attacks.
Our drive to Lodéve was much easier. The road is a new one, quite nice – two lanes in each direction and almost nobody on it. We reached Lodéve in about 30 minutes and met with Sue and Peggy, who had come together in Sue’s car, Peggy’s having no gas. We were there to see an art exhibit entitled “De Gauguin aux Nabis” or “From Gauguin to Nabis.” The Nabis were a group of earnest young men who broke away from the Impressionists in the early 20th century. The exhibit was good. I don’t think I enjoyed it quite as much as the Paul Dufy exhibit last month, but the paintings were quite interesting nevertheless. From there we went to lunch at Le Soleil Bleu, a local cafe.
After lunch, we drove up into the hills to the Prieuré St. Michel de Grandmont, a twelfth-century Roman chapel and priory above Lodéve. We briefly toured the chapel, which was small, and the cloister, then walked a kilometer or so to view a dolmen on the property. On the way we saw a pair of deer – apparently a fawn and its mother, and we saw a blue heron land beside a pond on the property. The dolmen dates from 2000 BCE.
Up early this morning, as I had to be near the Comédie by 9:20 to get a ride with Elisabeth. She and I were going together up to Anne’s, where we would change to Anne’s car, and she would drive us to Lodéve. There is a shortage of gasoline in Montpellier, as the strikes have closed some of the refineries and held up deliveries on the road, so there was an effort to consolidate rides as much as possible.
There is much construction in Montpellier, in great part because the city is putting in a third tram line. When Elisabeth picked me up, we took off in her little Toyota IQ heading for Anne’s. We got to a particular spot, however, and her path was blocked. She turned and went a different way, but this was blocked as well. As she was pondering what to do, a gentleman got into a small van and drove the wrong way down a one-way street, so she did likewise! She didn’t even slow down at the intersections! Then she turned right on a right-turn street, but that made the street two lanes in the same direction, much to the surprise of the oncoming traffic. She hastily beat a left turn on a red light so she was out of their way. Anne called about this time and gave her directions for getting out of the area, and we arrived almost on time with no heart attacks.
Our drive to Lodéve was much easier. The road is a new one, quite nice – two lanes in each direction and almost nobody on it. We reached Lodéve in about 30 minutes and met with Sue and Peggy, who had come together in Sue’s car, Peggy’s having no gas. We were there to see an art exhibit entitled “De Gauguin aux Nabis” or “From Gauguin to Nabis.” The Nabis were a group of earnest young men who broke away from the Impressionists in the early 20th century. The exhibit was good. I don’t think I enjoyed it quite as much as the Paul Dufy exhibit last month, but the paintings were quite interesting nevertheless. From there we went to lunch at Le Soleil Bleu, a local cafe.
After lunch, we drove up into the hills to the Prieuré St. Michel de Grandmont, a twelfth-century Roman chapel and priory above Lodéve. We briefly toured the chapel, which was small, and the cloister, then walked a kilometer or so to view a dolmen on the property. On the way we saw a pair of deer – apparently a fawn and its mother, and we saw a blue heron land beside a pond on the property. The dolmen dates from 2000 BCE.
Friday, October 29, 2010
20-10-2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010 Day 112
Today is 20-10-2010, for those of you who like patterns. After the Peyrou this morning we headed over again to rue Gambetta, where we bought a robe for me. It is slightly longer than I like, but otherwise it fits well. We wandered along the street looking into some of the other exotic shops before returning home.
We received notice from our Realtor that our 6-month listing agreement has expired with no nibbles and lousy real estate sales in LaPlace. She sent us the specifics of the dismal market. Bummer! But it is easy not to think much about that here. We are reminded occasionally when we get a note from our neighbor who is mowing our lawn, but otherwise LaPlace might as well be four thousand miles away! Sigh.
Today is 20-10-2010, for those of you who like patterns. After the Peyrou this morning we headed over again to rue Gambetta, where we bought a robe for me. It is slightly longer than I like, but otherwise it fits well. We wandered along the street looking into some of the other exotic shops before returning home.
We received notice from our Realtor that our 6-month listing agreement has expired with no nibbles and lousy real estate sales in LaPlace. She sent us the specifics of the dismal market. Bummer! But it is easy not to think much about that here. We are reminded occasionally when we get a note from our neighbor who is mowing our lawn, but otherwise LaPlace might as well be four thousand miles away! Sigh.
AWG New Members Tea
Tuesday, October 19, 2010 Day 111
We walked to the Arceaux market this morning, but took a couple of detours first. Roger packed our shopping cart with glass and we went first to the computer repair shop where we collected our hard drive. We then walked down a street called Gambetta, and about half way down it, we found a glass recycle facility where we deposited the contents of the shopping cart. From there we walked along Gambetta, which seems to cater to the north African market a good deal. We entered one store, narrow and deep, with shelves filled with spices, exotic clothing, and open bins of semolina (three grades), wheat flour, powdered sugar, several types of lentils, and three or four types of dried beans. The narrow aisles were crowded with all sorts of kitchen utensils, pots, pans, electric kitchen appliances, and thousands of other products. The variety was amazing, given the size of the store.
We entered the shop because robe hanging outside caught my eye. There was no price on the robe, so I went back to see if I could spot another one with a price on it. I want a full-length robe which zips down the front, not one which ties or buttons. The ones in the shop were rather thin, and I couldn’t find a price on them, so I moved on. A couple of doors away, I entered another shop, this one larger and filled with women’s and children’s clothing on racks. I spotted exactly the robe I wanted, but was confounded by the sizing. I haven’t bothered to discover my size in French terms, so I didn’t know what size I needed. The shirt I bought back in Paris came in small, medium and large, so there was no problem deciding to buy a medium. We left the shop with the intention of returning once I Google a U.S.-French or U.S.-Europe size chart.
We went on to the Arceaux market under the aqueduct and bought a whole cartful of food, about twice what we normally buy; but our stock of fresh food has been getting low, particularly in the fruit area, so we stocked up on apples and oranges and clementines and cheese and honey and broccoli.
This afternoon I returned to the Arceaux area where Anne picked me up and we headed to a small suburb of Montpellier for the AWG New Members Tea. The tea was held at the beautiful French home of Orla Blundell, a charming Irish woman. There were about 30 AWG members in attendance, including four new members. We newbies introduced ourselves around the room, then everybody else in turn introduced themselves to us briefly. The president then introduced each of the activity chairpersons and invited them to speak briefly about their groups, including the book club the children’s activity group, life issues and the Bible, cultural outings, garden club, membership, FAWCO, and the walking group. After all the business was conducted, we went downstairs for wonderful goodies provided by the members, and for tea and coffee. We new members had a chance to chat with established members, and to renew acquaintances with those we already knew. There were books for sale for one Euro each (such a bargain!) and used items left over from the weekend’s Vide Grenier. I bought a brass teapot. Anne and I left the tea and journeyed back to the Arceaux, from which I walked home. Roger was already there, having played chess all afternoon.
We walked to the Arceaux market this morning, but took a couple of detours first. Roger packed our shopping cart with glass and we went first to the computer repair shop where we collected our hard drive. We then walked down a street called Gambetta, and about half way down it, we found a glass recycle facility where we deposited the contents of the shopping cart. From there we walked along Gambetta, which seems to cater to the north African market a good deal. We entered one store, narrow and deep, with shelves filled with spices, exotic clothing, and open bins of semolina (three grades), wheat flour, powdered sugar, several types of lentils, and three or four types of dried beans. The narrow aisles were crowded with all sorts of kitchen utensils, pots, pans, electric kitchen appliances, and thousands of other products. The variety was amazing, given the size of the store.
We entered the shop because robe hanging outside caught my eye. There was no price on the robe, so I went back to see if I could spot another one with a price on it. I want a full-length robe which zips down the front, not one which ties or buttons. The ones in the shop were rather thin, and I couldn’t find a price on them, so I moved on. A couple of doors away, I entered another shop, this one larger and filled with women’s and children’s clothing on racks. I spotted exactly the robe I wanted, but was confounded by the sizing. I haven’t bothered to discover my size in French terms, so I didn’t know what size I needed. The shirt I bought back in Paris came in small, medium and large, so there was no problem deciding to buy a medium. We left the shop with the intention of returning once I Google a U.S.-French or U.S.-Europe size chart.
We went on to the Arceaux market under the aqueduct and bought a whole cartful of food, about twice what we normally buy; but our stock of fresh food has been getting low, particularly in the fruit area, so we stocked up on apples and oranges and clementines and cheese and honey and broccoli.
This afternoon I returned to the Arceaux area where Anne picked me up and we headed to a small suburb of Montpellier for the AWG New Members Tea. The tea was held at the beautiful French home of Orla Blundell, a charming Irish woman. There were about 30 AWG members in attendance, including four new members. We newbies introduced ourselves around the room, then everybody else in turn introduced themselves to us briefly. The president then introduced each of the activity chairpersons and invited them to speak briefly about their groups, including the book club the children’s activity group, life issues and the Bible, cultural outings, garden club, membership, FAWCO, and the walking group. After all the business was conducted, we went downstairs for wonderful goodies provided by the members, and for tea and coffee. We new members had a chance to chat with established members, and to renew acquaintances with those we already knew. There were books for sale for one Euro each (such a bargain!) and used items left over from the weekend’s Vide Grenier. I bought a brass teapot. Anne and I left the tea and journeyed back to the Arceaux, from which I walked home. Roger was already there, having played chess all afternoon.
Along with my daughters, I spent a good deal of time Sunday, yesterday and today helping Eric get a paper presentable for his English class. Eric seems to take after his father in that English composition does not come easily to him. I do hope that his committee did not help him too much.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Cook and Eat and harpsichords
Monday, October 18, 2010 Day 110
This morning I walked to the house of a woman named Caroline for the AWG’s Cook and Eat. This is a function whereby a few members agree in advance that the group will cook certain foods, then Caroline and Sue purchase the ingredients, and a maximum of 12 ladies combine their cooking efforts for a delicious lunch. Today we had sweetbreads, chanterelles in cream, an oriental salad, potatoes and pineapple upside-down cake, along with the ever-present baguettes and equally-ubiquitous wine. We learned how to prepare sweetbreads, peeled potatoes, julienned carrots, mangoes, and peppers, blanched and removed the membranes from sweetbreads, mixed cake batter, and generally cooperated in producing a delightful meal. The company was even more delightful. We were ten ladies, mostly my age or older, sharing the commonality of living in France and dealing with the French, and it was refreshing. When it was over, I walked Vivienne to the gare. Vivienne lives in Séte, and it was her house that the garden club visited a couple of weeks ago and where we had a lovely meal and a wonderful time. Her husband Alain brought her to Montpellier this morning, and they had at least some difficulty getting to Montpellier because the truckers have engaged in a slow-down action whereby they have blocked all the lanes of the highway except one, and traffic trickles through. Another woman was almost two hours late to the Cook and Eat, but I think Alain took back roads and Vivienne arrived pretty much on time. But they agreed that she would take the train back to Séte rather than have him fight the traffic again. Vivienne was uncertain of the route to the gare, so I was happy to walk her there. Actually, when we got to the apartment, and I pointed out my flowers in the window box, she knew how to get the rest of the way to the gare, but having nothing else to do and knowing that Roger was playing chess, I went ahead and walked her all the way to the front of the gare. She said later she had to wait an hour and a half for a train since the slow-down has affected the train schedules as well. From the gare, I walked up to the Place Charles de Gaulle to see Roger playing chess, as it was 2:30 by this time. When I arrived, there were no chess games in progress, and an oriental-looking gentleman was leaning against one of the tables with a bag over his shoulder, looking as if he were waiting for a chess partner. I glanced around for Roger. No luck, so I headed home.
While I was gone, Roger spent the morning running errands. He went to the computer repair shop to pay for the attempted repair of the computer and to pick up the flash drive upon which we asked the repair guy to transfer my files. Then he went to the local Tabac at the corner to pick up some tax stamps, which we have to have when we go to our immigration appointment on the 29th. The cost is 380€ each. Ouch! While he was out, he drifted over to some bins that a local bookstore always has outside and scanned their wares. He found two beginning French books for .20€ each, so he bought both. He ate lunch at a Turkish Kabab place, then spent the afternoon on his computer until about 2:15, when he left to go play chess. There are many ways to go to the Place Charles de Gaulle from our apartment, and we did not cross paths, but he must have arrived at the chess tables shortly after I left. He stayed until after 5:30, stopping for a baguette on the way home.
In the meantime, I had problems again with the electricity at the apartment - again! I started a log of the occurrences so we can try to determine exactly where the problem lies. We didn’t get much of anywhere today – the power refused to come on and stay on until after Roger came home. He removed a fuse and the power didn’t go off for the rest of the day. The fuse powers a couple of outlets and the washing machine, and we didn’t need them in the evening, so he left the fuse out.
We agreed that we did not need much supper besides the baguette, and after eating, we went out to the computer repair place to ask for our hard drive. The gentleman there said he wasn’t sure which of two it was, and his assistant was already gone for the day and asked us to come back tomorrow. On the way back, we walked past a harpsichord store. There were three harpsichords in the shop. I couldn’t get a good picture of the front ones because of the glare. This one is better, although a bit fuzzy, as I had to turn the flash off, it was late afternoon so the natural lighting was poor.
This morning I walked to the house of a woman named Caroline for the AWG’s Cook and Eat. This is a function whereby a few members agree in advance that the group will cook certain foods, then Caroline and Sue purchase the ingredients, and a maximum of 12 ladies combine their cooking efforts for a delicious lunch. Today we had sweetbreads, chanterelles in cream, an oriental salad, potatoes and pineapple upside-down cake, along with the ever-present baguettes and equally-ubiquitous wine. We learned how to prepare sweetbreads, peeled potatoes, julienned carrots, mangoes, and peppers, blanched and removed the membranes from sweetbreads, mixed cake batter, and generally cooperated in producing a delightful meal. The company was even more delightful. We were ten ladies, mostly my age or older, sharing the commonality of living in France and dealing with the French, and it was refreshing. When it was over, I walked Vivienne to the gare. Vivienne lives in Séte, and it was her house that the garden club visited a couple of weeks ago and where we had a lovely meal and a wonderful time. Her husband Alain brought her to Montpellier this morning, and they had at least some difficulty getting to Montpellier because the truckers have engaged in a slow-down action whereby they have blocked all the lanes of the highway except one, and traffic trickles through. Another woman was almost two hours late to the Cook and Eat, but I think Alain took back roads and Vivienne arrived pretty much on time. But they agreed that she would take the train back to Séte rather than have him fight the traffic again. Vivienne was uncertain of the route to the gare, so I was happy to walk her there. Actually, when we got to the apartment, and I pointed out my flowers in the window box, she knew how to get the rest of the way to the gare, but having nothing else to do and knowing that Roger was playing chess, I went ahead and walked her all the way to the front of the gare. She said later she had to wait an hour and a half for a train since the slow-down has affected the train schedules as well. From the gare, I walked up to the Place Charles de Gaulle to see Roger playing chess, as it was 2:30 by this time. When I arrived, there were no chess games in progress, and an oriental-looking gentleman was leaning against one of the tables with a bag over his shoulder, looking as if he were waiting for a chess partner. I glanced around for Roger. No luck, so I headed home.
While I was gone, Roger spent the morning running errands. He went to the computer repair shop to pay for the attempted repair of the computer and to pick up the flash drive upon which we asked the repair guy to transfer my files. Then he went to the local Tabac at the corner to pick up some tax stamps, which we have to have when we go to our immigration appointment on the 29th. The cost is 380€ each. Ouch! While he was out, he drifted over to some bins that a local bookstore always has outside and scanned their wares. He found two beginning French books for .20€ each, so he bought both. He ate lunch at a Turkish Kabab place, then spent the afternoon on his computer until about 2:15, when he left to go play chess. There are many ways to go to the Place Charles de Gaulle from our apartment, and we did not cross paths, but he must have arrived at the chess tables shortly after I left. He stayed until after 5:30, stopping for a baguette on the way home.
In the meantime, I had problems again with the electricity at the apartment - again! I started a log of the occurrences so we can try to determine exactly where the problem lies. We didn’t get much of anywhere today – the power refused to come on and stay on until after Roger came home. He removed a fuse and the power didn’t go off for the rest of the day. The fuse powers a couple of outlets and the washing machine, and we didn’t need them in the evening, so he left the fuse out.
We agreed that we did not need much supper besides the baguette, and after eating, we went out to the computer repair place to ask for our hard drive. The gentleman there said he wasn’t sure which of two it was, and his assistant was already gone for the day and asked us to come back tomorrow. On the way back, we walked past a harpsichord store. There were three harpsichords in the shop. I couldn’t get a good picture of the front ones because of the glare. This one is better, although a bit fuzzy, as I had to turn the flash off, it was late afternoon so the natural lighting was poor.
Homage to Confucius
Sunday, October 17, 2010 Day 109
Today is Marathon de Montpellier day. The marathoners left the Comedie about nine o’clock. We arrived at the Comedie too late to see them start, so we have no idea how many runners there were. We went in search of a flea market we saw a couple of weeks ago on our way down to Palavas. It was along the west bank of the Lez near a tram stop. It was quite cool as we set out – near 50 degrees. I am sure the runners loved the weather, although it is much cooler than we are used to. We took the tram across the Lez, but there was no market today. We did catch our first glimpse of a marathoner, however. We applauded him, then walked through the park area, back across the Lez and investigated a fountain nearby. We made a decision to take the tram back up to another tram stop in order to see a sculpture called “Homage to Confucious.” That done, we walked back home alongside the tram line. The day had started out pretty sunny, but clouds moved in and the temperature dropped a couple of degrees. We stopped at a small restaurant and had a lunch of quiche, hot tea and half a chocolate pastry each. On our way back, we had to climb a long, slow hill, and as we approached the hill, we saw policemen out patrolling the area, and we watched some of the marathoners heading up the hill. This must be heartbreak hill for them – it comes up in the last mile of the marathon and it is quite a climb. The bottom of the hill is where a marathoner needs a friend to join him and jog or even walk along with him to give him the motivation to keep going, because that hill, coming so late in the marathon, must be a killer. Once the marathoner reaches the top, it is downhill all the way to the finish line. We walked up the hill and down the other side to our apartment. It was good to come in and warm up. The temperature did not get over 65 all day.
Around 3:00 this afternoon, Roger thought he heard the chess boards calling him, so he put on his jacket and cap and headed for the Place Charles de Gaulle. About 20 minutes later he called to say he was on his way home, as there were no games in progress and no chess players in sight.
Today is Marathon de Montpellier day. The marathoners left the Comedie about nine o’clock. We arrived at the Comedie too late to see them start, so we have no idea how many runners there were. We went in search of a flea market we saw a couple of weeks ago on our way down to Palavas. It was along the west bank of the Lez near a tram stop. It was quite cool as we set out – near 50 degrees. I am sure the runners loved the weather, although it is much cooler than we are used to. We took the tram across the Lez, but there was no market today. We did catch our first glimpse of a marathoner, however. We applauded him, then walked through the park area, back across the Lez and investigated a fountain nearby. We made a decision to take the tram back up to another tram stop in order to see a sculpture called “Homage to Confucious.” That done, we walked back home alongside the tram line. The day had started out pretty sunny, but clouds moved in and the temperature dropped a couple of degrees. We stopped at a small restaurant and had a lunch of quiche, hot tea and half a chocolate pastry each. On our way back, we had to climb a long, slow hill, and as we approached the hill, we saw policemen out patrolling the area, and we watched some of the marathoners heading up the hill. This must be heartbreak hill for them – it comes up in the last mile of the marathon and it is quite a climb. The bottom of the hill is where a marathoner needs a friend to join him and jog or even walk along with him to give him the motivation to keep going, because that hill, coming so late in the marathon, must be a killer. Once the marathoner reaches the top, it is downhill all the way to the finish line. We walked up the hill and down the other side to our apartment. It was good to come in and warm up. The temperature did not get over 65 all day.
Around 3:00 this afternoon, Roger thought he heard the chess boards calling him, so he put on his jacket and cap and headed for the Place Charles de Gaulle. About 20 minutes later he called to say he was on his way home, as there were no games in progress and no chess players in sight.
Computer decisions - UGH!
Saturday, October 16, 2010 Day 108
We started our morning by going to the computer shop. We discussed our options last night and have just about decided that the best thing for us to do will be to buy the cheapest netbook we can find and have Christian bring it along when he comes to Italy. We plan to meet him there, so we will pick it up from him. Dell has one for $299. The guy at the computer shop here showed us a laptop and a netbook. The laptop is 799€, and the notebook 599€. Too rich for our blood! Besides that, I don’t want a French laptop. We already have a French phone which we cannot use fully. I don’t want a French computer I can’t understand as well. I think that if I buy a computer from Dell and have them ship it here, I may have to pay an import duty of some sort. I could probably have it a bit sooner if I did that, but I don’t want to have to pay import duties, so we hope to avoid that by using Christian as our courier. I’d rather pay him.
I was in a blue funk the rest of the day. We went to the shopping center and while standing in line to purchase a pedometer, I was almost in tears. We went from there to see about buying me a robe but I didn’t find anything I wanted. I want a floor-length robe with a zipper. I would settle for buttons, but the buttons must go all the way to the floor. The two shops we hit up didn’t have any such robe. We went from there to the grocery store, then home. I spent most of the afternoon reading and trying not to be too dejected about the whole thing. Roger played chess and suffered mostly defeats again. He can’t quite master the clock.
We started our morning by going to the computer shop. We discussed our options last night and have just about decided that the best thing for us to do will be to buy the cheapest netbook we can find and have Christian bring it along when he comes to Italy. We plan to meet him there, so we will pick it up from him. Dell has one for $299. The guy at the computer shop here showed us a laptop and a netbook. The laptop is 799€, and the notebook 599€. Too rich for our blood! Besides that, I don’t want a French laptop. We already have a French phone which we cannot use fully. I don’t want a French computer I can’t understand as well. I think that if I buy a computer from Dell and have them ship it here, I may have to pay an import duty of some sort. I could probably have it a bit sooner if I did that, but I don’t want to have to pay import duties, so we hope to avoid that by using Christian as our courier. I’d rather pay him.
I was in a blue funk the rest of the day. We went to the shopping center and while standing in line to purchase a pedometer, I was almost in tears. We went from there to see about buying me a robe but I didn’t find anything I wanted. I want a floor-length robe with a zipper. I would settle for buttons, but the buttons must go all the way to the floor. The two shops we hit up didn’t have any such robe. We went from there to the grocery store, then home. I spent most of the afternoon reading and trying not to be too dejected about the whole thing. Roger played chess and suffered mostly defeats again. He can’t quite master the clock.
Lunch with Elisabeth
Friday, October 15, 2010 Day 107
We walked the Peyrou, again, this time adding some running up some of the steps. Good workout. Our house has been on the market for six months now, and our Realtor needed us to sign an addendum to the listing agreement extending it for six months, so we got that printed and mailed it back to her. Unfortunately, the prospects look pretty grim – not much is selling and those house which are selling are greatly reduced. Sigh.
At noon we had lunch with Elisabeth, who gave us lots of ideas about what to see within one day’s driving distance from Montpellier. Elisabeth is a French lady who used to work in Paris, then in Montpellier in advertising and marketing. The lunch ran on until about 4:45, at which time we were booted out by the staff, who were closing up shop for a break before the evening meal. The time was very instructive and very enlightening, although I don’t think we expected it to take all afternoon.
The mail brought us our letters from the OFII – French immigration service. We have been assigned a doctor’s appointment at 2:00 and an interview at 3:00 on Friday, October 29, and are to bring our passports and 340€ each. Assuming we pass the exam and interview, I think our carte de séjour will be issued. It is the document which makes our stay here in France totally legitimate. We have a little anxiety about it as we did not arrive in France with one of the documents that the consulate issued us in Houston. We know exactly where it is – in storage in LaPlace, presumably in a particular drawer, but we are not certain. Its absence does not seem to be an issue with the OFII here, or at least they did not so indicate in the letter they sent us. We will feel much better about things when we leave the OFII in two weeks.
While lunching with Elisabeth, we received a phone call from the computer guys. Sigh. They have not determined that the motherboard will have to be replaced, and they suggest that this is more expensive than buying a new computer. I don’t know whether they are just trying to get us to buy a new computer or what is going on, but when we were in there authorizing the ordering of the second part – the circuit board to which the defective switch attaches – we were told that the motherboard is fine. Sigh. We told them we would be in later this evening to discuss.
The photo is from September - a wonderful close-up of a bumblebee working over flowers at a folie.
We walked the Peyrou, again, this time adding some running up some of the steps. Good workout. Our house has been on the market for six months now, and our Realtor needed us to sign an addendum to the listing agreement extending it for six months, so we got that printed and mailed it back to her. Unfortunately, the prospects look pretty grim – not much is selling and those house which are selling are greatly reduced. Sigh.
At noon we had lunch with Elisabeth, who gave us lots of ideas about what to see within one day’s driving distance from Montpellier. Elisabeth is a French lady who used to work in Paris, then in Montpellier in advertising and marketing. The lunch ran on until about 4:45, at which time we were booted out by the staff, who were closing up shop for a break before the evening meal. The time was very instructive and very enlightening, although I don’t think we expected it to take all afternoon.
The mail brought us our letters from the OFII – French immigration service. We have been assigned a doctor’s appointment at 2:00 and an interview at 3:00 on Friday, October 29, and are to bring our passports and 340€ each. Assuming we pass the exam and interview, I think our carte de séjour will be issued. It is the document which makes our stay here in France totally legitimate. We have a little anxiety about it as we did not arrive in France with one of the documents that the consulate issued us in Houston. We know exactly where it is – in storage in LaPlace, presumably in a particular drawer, but we are not certain. Its absence does not seem to be an issue with the OFII here, or at least they did not so indicate in the letter they sent us. We will feel much better about things when we leave the OFII in two weeks.
While lunching with Elisabeth, we received a phone call from the computer guys. Sigh. They have not determined that the motherboard will have to be replaced, and they suggest that this is more expensive than buying a new computer. I don’t know whether they are just trying to get us to buy a new computer or what is going on, but when we were in there authorizing the ordering of the second part – the circuit board to which the defective switch attaches – we were told that the motherboard is fine. Sigh. We told them we would be in later this evening to discuss.
The photo is from September - a wonderful close-up of a bumblebee working over flowers at a folie.
No hike for us today.
Thursday, October 14, 2010 Day 106
Today we had planned to go on an AWG hike. A couple of days ago, Jan, who picked us up at the tram station last month, emailed us and asked if we needed a ride again. We replied that we did, and asked if 9:25 was okay with her. We got no reply. Last night, before we went to bed, Roger asked me if I had checked with Jan. I said no, and pulled up the AWG newsletter to check the date. I noted there that those interested in the hike were requested to contact the leader, Mariannick, which I had not done. I figured it was kind of late at this point, and besides, we had a ride. SO . . .
Before boarding the tram, we stopped at a boulangerie and bought a sandwich for Roger and a wrap for me for our picnic lunch on the hike. We then hopped the tram and rode up to the Occitanie stop, arriving at 9:15. It was quite cool – probably 50 degrees or so. We stood and waited until 9:45, which was the meeting time for carpoolers at the designated location. We finally realized that no one was going to meet us, so we boarded the tram again and headed back to the Comedie. On the way I gave up my seat on the tram to an older guy with a cane. I felt vindicated for having taken the young man’s seat yesterday.
We exited the tram and started across the plaza toward a main corridor. As we arrived at the corridor, we could hear chanting and saw a group of marchers coming our way. We scooted in the direction of our apartment so that we would not be cut off by the crowd, then stood to watch. There were probably 2,000 students marching and chanting. A few marchers carried signs, but most just chanted or skipped along. There was one sign indicating that the marchers were from the Lycée Joffrey, a local high school. They were followed by some of their teachers.
The march and the general strike which started on Tuesday are against the retirement reforms which the government is reportedly forcing through. One newspaper I saw said that 71% of the French population favors the strike. I think these kids favor it because it gives them time off from their classes, not because of any deep conviction that the retirement age should not be raised. One wonders if they realized that, if the retirement age is not raised, there will be no money to fund their retirement.
Peggy told us last night about a nearby open-air market of which we were not aware, so we walked over and checked it out. It had a larger array of fruits and vegetables than many of the markets we attend, but there was very little in the way of meats or fish. We bought nothing. We returned to the house to eat our “picnic” lunch. We contemplated eating it in a park, but it was rather cool and we still had not recovered completely from our 30 minutes of standing in the cool morning wind waiting for a ride, so we took the warm route and ate at home.
Roger played chess again in the afternoon. This time he came home triumphant, having won almost all his games. He said he played at the lower table and was able to beat the lesser players.
Today we had planned to go on an AWG hike. A couple of days ago, Jan, who picked us up at the tram station last month, emailed us and asked if we needed a ride again. We replied that we did, and asked if 9:25 was okay with her. We got no reply. Last night, before we went to bed, Roger asked me if I had checked with Jan. I said no, and pulled up the AWG newsletter to check the date. I noted there that those interested in the hike were requested to contact the leader, Mariannick, which I had not done. I figured it was kind of late at this point, and besides, we had a ride. SO . . .
Before boarding the tram, we stopped at a boulangerie and bought a sandwich for Roger and a wrap for me for our picnic lunch on the hike. We then hopped the tram and rode up to the Occitanie stop, arriving at 9:15. It was quite cool – probably 50 degrees or so. We stood and waited until 9:45, which was the meeting time for carpoolers at the designated location. We finally realized that no one was going to meet us, so we boarded the tram again and headed back to the Comedie. On the way I gave up my seat on the tram to an older guy with a cane. I felt vindicated for having taken the young man’s seat yesterday.
We exited the tram and started across the plaza toward a main corridor. As we arrived at the corridor, we could hear chanting and saw a group of marchers coming our way. We scooted in the direction of our apartment so that we would not be cut off by the crowd, then stood to watch. There were probably 2,000 students marching and chanting. A few marchers carried signs, but most just chanted or skipped along. There was one sign indicating that the marchers were from the Lycée Joffrey, a local high school. They were followed by some of their teachers.
The march and the general strike which started on Tuesday are against the retirement reforms which the government is reportedly forcing through. One newspaper I saw said that 71% of the French population favors the strike. I think these kids favor it because it gives them time off from their classes, not because of any deep conviction that the retirement age should not be raised. One wonders if they realized that, if the retirement age is not raised, there will be no money to fund their retirement.
Peggy told us last night about a nearby open-air market of which we were not aware, so we walked over and checked it out. It had a larger array of fruits and vegetables than many of the markets we attend, but there was very little in the way of meats or fish. We bought nothing. We returned to the house to eat our “picnic” lunch. We contemplated eating it in a park, but it was rather cool and we still had not recovered completely from our 30 minutes of standing in the cool morning wind waiting for a ride, so we took the warm route and ate at home.
Roger played chess again in the afternoon. This time he came home triumphant, having won almost all his games. He said he played at the lower table and was able to beat the lesser players.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
An ordinary day, if there is such a thing in France
Wednesday, October 13, 2010 Day 105
Wednesday is apartment-cleaning day, so we walked the Peyrou, then cleaned house and put laundry in the washer. Just before noon we were at the indoor market (halle) near our house buying a pork roast when we heard chanting and stood to watch demonstrators marching in the street. There were about 200 of them in groups of 50 or so each. They were almost exclusively young – probably 14-18 years old, and we later learned that they were from one of the local high schools.
After lunch, Roger took laundry down to laverie and went to play chess. I read, tended the laundry and ran some errands including picking up November’s book club read from the local English language bookshop. I also rubbed the pork roast with oil and Big Daddy’s rub and put it in a slow oven to cook, promising myself that I would not overcook this roast.
Peggy and I had been emailing back and forth and she said her husband is in Paris for a couple of days, so we invited her here for dinner, sans Egan. There is not room for a dog of her energy in this apartment. We served the pork roast with homemade barbeque sauce, creole squash with a bit of eggplant thrown in, rice and warm baguettes along with the ubiquitous iced tea, flavored with peach and mango. Peggy stayed and talked until close to 10:00. Roger shared with her some of his e-reader information and we showed her pictures of Alicia on the Boston Herald website in her Seed & Feed Abominable red wig and red eyelashes. We looked through the Seed & Feed photo albums to give her a feel for the band.
Wednesday is apartment-cleaning day, so we walked the Peyrou, then cleaned house and put laundry in the washer. Just before noon we were at the indoor market (halle) near our house buying a pork roast when we heard chanting and stood to watch demonstrators marching in the street. There were about 200 of them in groups of 50 or so each. They were almost exclusively young – probably 14-18 years old, and we later learned that they were from one of the local high schools.
After lunch, Roger took laundry down to laverie and went to play chess. I read, tended the laundry and ran some errands including picking up November’s book club read from the local English language bookshop. I also rubbed the pork roast with oil and Big Daddy’s rub and put it in a slow oven to cook, promising myself that I would not overcook this roast.
Peggy and I had been emailing back and forth and she said her husband is in Paris for a couple of days, so we invited her here for dinner, sans Egan. There is not room for a dog of her energy in this apartment. We served the pork roast with homemade barbeque sauce, creole squash with a bit of eggplant thrown in, rice and warm baguettes along with the ubiquitous iced tea, flavored with peach and mango. Peggy stayed and talked until close to 10:00. Roger shared with her some of his e-reader information and we showed her pictures of Alicia on the Boston Herald website in her Seed & Feed Abominable red wig and red eyelashes. We looked through the Seed & Feed photo albums to give her a feel for the band.
Plant market
Tuesday, October 12, 2010 Day 104
Today is the beginning of a general strike in France to protest the latest round of increases in the retirement age for the French. We were not sure the tram would be running, but we set out anyway to go to the plant market at the west end of the blue line. We caught a tram with no problem. After we boarded, a young man gave up his seat for me. Sigh. I didn’t think I looked that old or that tired, but I took the proffered seat. On the way out, there were signs in the tram stating that demonstrations were expected in the afternoon and that riders should expect “perturbations” of the tram schedule. About halfway out to the plant market, we saw a group of about 50 protesters carrying cardboard signs. They walked into a lane of traffic and sat down on the pavement with their signs, blocking traffic. I don’t know how long they stayed there – I suspect that they were headed for something larger and this was just a temporary stoppage. When the tram was within shouting distance of its terminus, it stopped for three to four minutes. We were unable to see why it stopped. When it finally approached the last station, there were four or five other trams already there (we had not seen this before), and the driver opened the door and deposited us a several feet from the platform so that we had to step down when exiting the train.
We got to the plant market with our rolling shopping bag in tow – we still hadn’t bought potting soil, so that was a part of the plan. I picked out two hanging baskets of petunias, a dragon wing begonia and two African violets. While we were there, we ran into Susan, who was at the garden club meeting yesterday. She said she was expecting to meet Peggy out here, and sure enough, a short time later, Peggy and Egan showed up. Roger took over Egan while we shopped. We got the potting soil into the cart and were able to carry the plants. Peggy kindly offered us a ride home. Our apartment is located on a very heavily traveled street which is always clogged because of construction. It should be two lanes, both traveling in the same direction, but is generally reduced to one. We always walk or take a bus to somewhere else for a driver to give us a ride, as picking us up would cost an extra 15-20 minutes. So Peggy got us most of the way home and we took our plants and hopped out, leaving the potting soil to be picked up another time.
Roger felt the call of the chessboards again this afternoon. He was gone until after 6:00, and came home triumphant. He said he had played several games and, although he lost all but one, he demonstrated his strengths as a chess player as he had superior positions in almost all of the games when his time ran out. He acknowledged that he has to learn better time clock management.
While Roger played chess, I went with Peggy to walk Egan along the Lez. Afterward we detoured to Botanic, which sells plants and pots. I got some window boxes which were not available at the plant market this morning. When she brought me back, I called Roger and he walked over to meet us to help me transport the potting soil and the pots back home. Now I have to get everything planted.
Today is the beginning of a general strike in France to protest the latest round of increases in the retirement age for the French. We were not sure the tram would be running, but we set out anyway to go to the plant market at the west end of the blue line. We caught a tram with no problem. After we boarded, a young man gave up his seat for me. Sigh. I didn’t think I looked that old or that tired, but I took the proffered seat. On the way out, there were signs in the tram stating that demonstrations were expected in the afternoon and that riders should expect “perturbations” of the tram schedule. About halfway out to the plant market, we saw a group of about 50 protesters carrying cardboard signs. They walked into a lane of traffic and sat down on the pavement with their signs, blocking traffic. I don’t know how long they stayed there – I suspect that they were headed for something larger and this was just a temporary stoppage. When the tram was within shouting distance of its terminus, it stopped for three to four minutes. We were unable to see why it stopped. When it finally approached the last station, there were four or five other trams already there (we had not seen this before), and the driver opened the door and deposited us a several feet from the platform so that we had to step down when exiting the train.
We got to the plant market with our rolling shopping bag in tow – we still hadn’t bought potting soil, so that was a part of the plan. I picked out two hanging baskets of petunias, a dragon wing begonia and two African violets. While we were there, we ran into Susan, who was at the garden club meeting yesterday. She said she was expecting to meet Peggy out here, and sure enough, a short time later, Peggy and Egan showed up. Roger took over Egan while we shopped. We got the potting soil into the cart and were able to carry the plants. Peggy kindly offered us a ride home. Our apartment is located on a very heavily traveled street which is always clogged because of construction. It should be two lanes, both traveling in the same direction, but is generally reduced to one. We always walk or take a bus to somewhere else for a driver to give us a ride, as picking us up would cost an extra 15-20 minutes. So Peggy got us most of the way home and we took our plants and hopped out, leaving the potting soil to be picked up another time.
Roger felt the call of the chessboards again this afternoon. He was gone until after 6:00, and came home triumphant. He said he had played several games and, although he lost all but one, he demonstrated his strengths as a chess player as he had superior positions in almost all of the games when his time ran out. He acknowledged that he has to learn better time clock management.
While Roger played chess, I went with Peggy to walk Egan along the Lez. Afterward we detoured to Botanic, which sells plants and pots. I got some window boxes which were not available at the plant market this morning. When she brought me back, I called Roger and he walked over to meet us to help me transport the potting soil and the pots back home. Now I have to get everything planted.
Peachy-keen dessert
We had an artistic peach dessert for dinner which Roger picked up at our boulangerie. Each half was filled with a custard. Nice!
Séte again
Monday, October 11, 2010 Day 103
It was raining when we got up; actually, I think it had rained all night. This is Garden Club day. Last night when we got home I sent an email to Anne, who offered me a ride, just to make sure she was going even in the rain. This morning there was a positive response from her, so I caught a bus to a stop near her house and she met me there. We headed out toward Séte for the third time in a month.
Our hosts for the garden club were Vivian and her husband, Alain, who live on Mont St. Clare in Séte. They were delightful hosts. The meeting started with a short talk by Vivian about the challenges of her garden, which are many. Probably the greatest challenge is the slope of the garden. Mont St. Clare rises rather abruptly out of the Mediterranean Sea (Roger suggests that it may be a salt dome) so that the roads are very steep and the properties on it are not flat, but drop rather precipitously down the slope. The house occupies the largest section of flat land, and the rest of the property, both to one side and behind, slopes down sharply. Her garden is terraced from the top to the bottom, but the terraces are rather narrow, probably no more than a meter or two at most. A portion of each terrace is taken up by a path zig-zagging down from one terrace to the next, all the way to the bottom, similar to hairpin curve roads down the side of a mountain. This does not leave a lot of room for gardening. Then there are numerous trees on the property which block out a great deal of the sun. Séte has a dry Mediterranean climate, so the emphasis is on low-water plants. Vivian is an English woman who likes flower gardens, so it is particularly a challenge for her to find flowering plants. They have a watering system installed, but one winter while they were away, it sprang a leak and their water bill for the winter was in excess of 4,000 Euros. Another challenge is that, when the house was built 20 years ago, the workman threw the debris to the bottom of the property. The two of them (Vivian and Alain) spend time every week hauling bags up from the bottom (by wheelbarrow, I think) to their car and driving them to the dump. There are numerous dead branches which need to be removed from the trees. But it is an expensive proposition because any equipment must be brought in by hand and the dead branches carried up and out, also by hand or in a small wheelbarrow or push cart. While Vivian spoke, the rain kindly stopped for about an hour, so once her talk was ended, we were able to take a tour of the garden. Note how the far end of the pool drops over the edge - the water flows down into a catch basin below and is recirculated.
After the garden tour our hosts served us a delicious lunch. It started with an aperitif brought by Benedict, one of the guests whose family owns a large winery in the area. There was a sweet wine cocktail – a muscat mixed with Schwepps – and a dry white wine as well. This was served with bowls of olives and some cheese straws and other munchies while we stood around eating and drinking. Then we sat down to lunch, which was a salad of sliced tomatoes, hearts of palm, artichoke hearts and avocados with a black-walnut oil dressing. With wine, of course. Then there was a chicken stew with tomatoes, garlic, onions and I can’t recall what else. This was accompanied by white rice. And more wine. Finally, dessert plates were passed around, along with three desserts: a tart tatin (an apple tart), a chocolate brownie-like dessert, and a third item which I seem to have forgotten. Maybe it was the wine fog. We had our choice of coffee or tea, and large bowls of pistachio ice cream and mango ice cream. Heaven!! We stayed until almost 4:00, which was a good thing, because it allowed the wine to wear off a bit so that nobody would fall off the mountain on their way home.
Anne and I left, and we followed Benedict, whose family owns the winery. She led us to an art studio and reception room, as Anne wanted to check out the latter. From there we drove to Benedict’s family’s winery. We sampled some wine (just one small glass), bought a bit of wine, and headed home. I didn’t get home until after 7:00. When I got in the door, I discovered that Roger had chicken stew, a baguette and dessert waiting. Two chicken stews in one day! But I didn’t complain at all – Roger’s stew was quite good, and the chocolate éclair was a perfect end to the day.
It was raining when we got up; actually, I think it had rained all night. This is Garden Club day. Last night when we got home I sent an email to Anne, who offered me a ride, just to make sure she was going even in the rain. This morning there was a positive response from her, so I caught a bus to a stop near her house and she met me there. We headed out toward Séte for the third time in a month.
Our hosts for the garden club were Vivian and her husband, Alain, who live on Mont St. Clare in Séte. They were delightful hosts. The meeting started with a short talk by Vivian about the challenges of her garden, which are many. Probably the greatest challenge is the slope of the garden. Mont St. Clare rises rather abruptly out of the Mediterranean Sea (Roger suggests that it may be a salt dome) so that the roads are very steep and the properties on it are not flat, but drop rather precipitously down the slope. The house occupies the largest section of flat land, and the rest of the property, both to one side and behind, slopes down sharply. Her garden is terraced from the top to the bottom, but the terraces are rather narrow, probably no more than a meter or two at most. A portion of each terrace is taken up by a path zig-zagging down from one terrace to the next, all the way to the bottom, similar to hairpin curve roads down the side of a mountain. This does not leave a lot of room for gardening. Then there are numerous trees on the property which block out a great deal of the sun. Séte has a dry Mediterranean climate, so the emphasis is on low-water plants. Vivian is an English woman who likes flower gardens, so it is particularly a challenge for her to find flowering plants. They have a watering system installed, but one winter while they were away, it sprang a leak and their water bill for the winter was in excess of 4,000 Euros. Another challenge is that, when the house was built 20 years ago, the workman threw the debris to the bottom of the property. The two of them (Vivian and Alain) spend time every week hauling bags up from the bottom (by wheelbarrow, I think) to their car and driving them to the dump. There are numerous dead branches which need to be removed from the trees. But it is an expensive proposition because any equipment must be brought in by hand and the dead branches carried up and out, also by hand or in a small wheelbarrow or push cart. While Vivian spoke, the rain kindly stopped for about an hour, so once her talk was ended, we were able to take a tour of the garden. Note how the far end of the pool drops over the edge - the water flows down into a catch basin below and is recirculated.
After the garden tour our hosts served us a delicious lunch. It started with an aperitif brought by Benedict, one of the guests whose family owns a large winery in the area. There was a sweet wine cocktail – a muscat mixed with Schwepps – and a dry white wine as well. This was served with bowls of olives and some cheese straws and other munchies while we stood around eating and drinking. Then we sat down to lunch, which was a salad of sliced tomatoes, hearts of palm, artichoke hearts and avocados with a black-walnut oil dressing. With wine, of course. Then there was a chicken stew with tomatoes, garlic, onions and I can’t recall what else. This was accompanied by white rice. And more wine. Finally, dessert plates were passed around, along with three desserts: a tart tatin (an apple tart), a chocolate brownie-like dessert, and a third item which I seem to have forgotten. Maybe it was the wine fog. We had our choice of coffee or tea, and large bowls of pistachio ice cream and mango ice cream. Heaven!! We stayed until almost 4:00, which was a good thing, because it allowed the wine to wear off a bit so that nobody would fall off the mountain on their way home.
Anne and I left, and we followed Benedict, whose family owns the winery. She led us to an art studio and reception room, as Anne wanted to check out the latter. From there we drove to Benedict’s family’s winery. We sampled some wine (just one small glass), bought a bit of wine, and headed home. I didn’t get home until after 7:00. When I got in the door, I discovered that Roger had chicken stew, a baguette and dessert waiting. Two chicken stews in one day! But I didn’t complain at all – Roger’s stew was quite good, and the chocolate éclair was a perfect end to the day.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Guitar concert - the Assad Brothers
Sunday, October 10, 2010 Day 102
It rained intermittently much of today, so we spent most of the morning indoors. At 2:30 we packed a bottle of white wine in an ice bag, put that inside another bag, and left to walk over to the Corum, a concert and meeting venue. We had tickets to see the Assad Brothers who are classical guitarists from Brazil. They have won numerous awards, including a Latin Grammy for best contemporary composition in 2008. We arrived early because there was no reserved seating and because we wanted to see if we could meet up with Patricia. She was having an Apero after the concert and invited us to come. We arrived around 3:00 for a 4:00 concert, but the doors did not open until 30 minutes before the concert, so we sat around and people-watched for a while. When the doors opened, we went in and sat down, bringing along our cooling bottle of wine in its bag.
The concert was great. The guitarists did not play anything that was familiar to us, but we enjoyed it tremendously nevertheless. They played two encores. Afterward we connected with Patricia and walked to her apartment where we had wine and interesting food and lots of French conversation. I found that I could follow about half the conversation, but if there was ever a joke, I never caught it. There were two other couples there besides ourselves, and a single guy (a special friend of Patricia’s, I think) and a single woman. One of the women is Moroccan but she speaks very good English and is married to a Frenchman, so I assume she speaks very good French as well. She often translated for us, as did Patricia at times. It made for a delightful evening. I believe that if I could sit and listen to them every day for an hour or so, I could learn a lot more French. Perhaps I should start watching more French television.
It rained intermittently much of today, so we spent most of the morning indoors. At 2:30 we packed a bottle of white wine in an ice bag, put that inside another bag, and left to walk over to the Corum, a concert and meeting venue. We had tickets to see the Assad Brothers who are classical guitarists from Brazil. They have won numerous awards, including a Latin Grammy for best contemporary composition in 2008. We arrived early because there was no reserved seating and because we wanted to see if we could meet up with Patricia. She was having an Apero after the concert and invited us to come. We arrived around 3:00 for a 4:00 concert, but the doors did not open until 30 minutes before the concert, so we sat around and people-watched for a while. When the doors opened, we went in and sat down, bringing along our cooling bottle of wine in its bag.
The concert was great. The guitarists did not play anything that was familiar to us, but we enjoyed it tremendously nevertheless. They played two encores. Afterward we connected with Patricia and walked to her apartment where we had wine and interesting food and lots of French conversation. I found that I could follow about half the conversation, but if there was ever a joke, I never caught it. There were two other couples there besides ourselves, and a single guy (a special friend of Patricia’s, I think) and a single woman. One of the women is Moroccan but she speaks very good English and is married to a Frenchman, so I assume she speaks very good French as well. She often translated for us, as did Patricia at times. It made for a delightful evening. I believe that if I could sit and listen to them every day for an hour or so, I could learn a lot more French. Perhaps I should start watching more French television.
Handicap awareness
Saturday, October 9, 2010 Day 101
As I said about aphrodisiacs . . . after getting a late start, we did our morning exercises at the Peyrou. There were workers there setting up for a show this evening. It looks as if it will be some sort of open air comedy production, but it was hard to tell from the poster.
We went to the Comedie again, where the handicap awareness fair was still going on. We watched a teenage girl try to ride a hand-powered bicycle. I think she must have had the bike in high gear, as she was having a really difficult time with it. In another area we saw some kids trying to shoot baskets from wheelchairs. In the arena with them were guys who have to live in their wheelchairs. The kids missed most of their shots, often sending up airballs, but the men made almost all of theirs. We also viewed a soccer game played in wheelchairs. The players were all in electric wheelchairs, and it was my impression that they were all mobility-impaired. I think wheelchair soccer must be a really difficult game – to “kick” the ball, the player must get up some speed then strike the ball at an angle; otherwise the ball only rolls a couple of feet and stops. We left the area with new respect for wheelchair-bound people.
On the way back from the Comedie we dropped into our favorite boulangerie to get a baguette and a dessert (café-flavored éclair). The friendly clerk there reminded us that she would see us on Monday, as the bakery is closed on Sunday.
During our trek around the centre ville, we came upon a yarn shop with this self-describing door handle.
As I said about aphrodisiacs . . . after getting a late start, we did our morning exercises at the Peyrou. There were workers there setting up for a show this evening. It looks as if it will be some sort of open air comedy production, but it was hard to tell from the poster.
We went to the Comedie again, where the handicap awareness fair was still going on. We watched a teenage girl try to ride a hand-powered bicycle. I think she must have had the bike in high gear, as she was having a really difficult time with it. In another area we saw some kids trying to shoot baskets from wheelchairs. In the arena with them were guys who have to live in their wheelchairs. The kids missed most of their shots, often sending up airballs, but the men made almost all of theirs. We also viewed a soccer game played in wheelchairs. The players were all in electric wheelchairs, and it was my impression that they were all mobility-impaired. I think wheelchair soccer must be a really difficult game – to “kick” the ball, the player must get up some speed then strike the ball at an angle; otherwise the ball only rolls a couple of feet and stops. We left the area with new respect for wheelchair-bound people.
On the way back from the Comedie we dropped into our favorite boulangerie to get a baguette and a dessert (café-flavored éclair). The friendly clerk there reminded us that she would see us on Monday, as the bakery is closed on Sunday.
During our trek around the centre ville, we came upon a yarn shop with this self-describing door handle.
Book club
Friday, October 8, 2010 Day 100
One hundred days of France! It is hard to believe that our time here is one quarter gone.
At noon I was in the kitchen fixing my lunch when I heard a cat cry. I looked out the window, which overlooks a small courtyard, and in the window of the apartment below ours sat a cat. I called out to her, but she does not speak English. A moment later our neighbor, Mara McGregor, peered out and I called “Bonjour” and she replied. She remarked that it is a beautiful day, and I agreed. Then she asked if we would be going to the beach today. I said –no- I would be attending a book club meeting at 2:00. She expressed interest, and asked if she could come. I said sure, although I wasn’t sure how much she would get out of it, not having read the book. We agreed that I would knock on her door on my way to the book club (just a hop and a skip from our building). So at about 1:45 I knocked on her door and she welcomed me in briefly and I met her cat, Celeste, and noted her apartment, which is twice as big as ours. On the way out the door, I took note as well of a sickly-looking ficus benjamina plant. It looked as if it needed water. It sits in a foyer which has a western-facing window, so light shouldn’t be a problem.
I knew everyone at the book club meeting except for one lady, a British woman named Rosie. I introduced Mara around. There was a lively discussion of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The question arose at one point as to whether we would recommend it to a man. I volunteered that Roger read it, really enjoyed it and gave it 5 stars on Goodreads. Perhaps it is more of a woman’s book, but that shouldn’t keep a man from enjoying it unless he is doubtful about his own masculinity. Mara said she enjoyed the book club meeting very much, even though she had not read the book. I loaned her mine to read over the coming weeks.
While I was at the book club, Roger went to visit the local infantry museum. It is billed as the museum which explains the history and development of the French infantry from 1480 to the present, including a major collection of uniforms and arms. As he neared the museum, he asked one of the security guards there where the entrance to the museum was located. The man told him that the museum was closed. When he asked when it would reopen, the security guard, who had been joined by another security guard, looked at a third guy who was there, and he said “jamais,” or “never.
Finding his afternoon plans thwarted, he went to see about chess games in the Place Charles de Gaulle. There are four tables there devoted to chess, and we occasionally see guys there playing. Roger played two five-minute games, and got beat both times. He said that he feels he is rusty, and that he should be able to win some in the future if he will get back into the game. He talked with a guy there named Troy from Seattle, who told him that there are usually chess games going on in the park every day starting about 2:00, weather permitting, of course.
On the way back from chess, Roger crossed the Comedie again and observed some of the activities there. He saw several school-aged kids trying to ride hand-powered bicycles. I think they took a lot more effort than the kids expected. In another area, there were kids who were blindfolded and given a cane. They were in the crowd trying to make their way around sightless. They were assisted by a gentleman who himself carried a cane. Roger was pretty sure he was blind.
Roger surprised me today by insisting on doing the dishes twice – booting me out of the kitchen and taking over. Note to all you guys out there – one of the greatest aphrodisiacs for a woman is a guy who goes above and beyond what his wife asks him to do in the way of housework and does some of those chores that are “hers” or that are not specifically assigned but that she always picks up anyway.
One hundred days of France! It is hard to believe that our time here is one quarter gone.
At noon I was in the kitchen fixing my lunch when I heard a cat cry. I looked out the window, which overlooks a small courtyard, and in the window of the apartment below ours sat a cat. I called out to her, but she does not speak English. A moment later our neighbor, Mara McGregor, peered out and I called “Bonjour” and she replied. She remarked that it is a beautiful day, and I agreed. Then she asked if we would be going to the beach today. I said –no- I would be attending a book club meeting at 2:00. She expressed interest, and asked if she could come. I said sure, although I wasn’t sure how much she would get out of it, not having read the book. We agreed that I would knock on her door on my way to the book club (just a hop and a skip from our building). So at about 1:45 I knocked on her door and she welcomed me in briefly and I met her cat, Celeste, and noted her apartment, which is twice as big as ours. On the way out the door, I took note as well of a sickly-looking ficus benjamina plant. It looked as if it needed water. It sits in a foyer which has a western-facing window, so light shouldn’t be a problem.
I knew everyone at the book club meeting except for one lady, a British woman named Rosie. I introduced Mara around. There was a lively discussion of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The question arose at one point as to whether we would recommend it to a man. I volunteered that Roger read it, really enjoyed it and gave it 5 stars on Goodreads. Perhaps it is more of a woman’s book, but that shouldn’t keep a man from enjoying it unless he is doubtful about his own masculinity. Mara said she enjoyed the book club meeting very much, even though she had not read the book. I loaned her mine to read over the coming weeks.
While I was at the book club, Roger went to visit the local infantry museum. It is billed as the museum which explains the history and development of the French infantry from 1480 to the present, including a major collection of uniforms and arms. As he neared the museum, he asked one of the security guards there where the entrance to the museum was located. The man told him that the museum was closed. When he asked when it would reopen, the security guard, who had been joined by another security guard, looked at a third guy who was there, and he said “jamais,” or “never.
Finding his afternoon plans thwarted, he went to see about chess games in the Place Charles de Gaulle. There are four tables there devoted to chess, and we occasionally see guys there playing. Roger played two five-minute games, and got beat both times. He said that he feels he is rusty, and that he should be able to win some in the future if he will get back into the game. He talked with a guy there named Troy from Seattle, who told him that there are usually chess games going on in the park every day starting about 2:00, weather permitting, of course.
On the way back from chess, Roger crossed the Comedie again and observed some of the activities there. He saw several school-aged kids trying to ride hand-powered bicycles. I think they took a lot more effort than the kids expected. In another area, there were kids who were blindfolded and given a cane. They were in the crowd trying to make their way around sightless. They were assisted by a gentleman who himself carried a cane. Roger was pretty sure he was blind.
Roger surprised me today by insisting on doing the dishes twice – booting me out of the kitchen and taking over. Note to all you guys out there – one of the greatest aphrodisiacs for a woman is a guy who goes above and beyond what his wife asks him to do in the way of housework and does some of those chores that are “hers” or that are not specifically assigned but that she always picks up anyway.
Hot baguettes and mail
Thursday, October 7, 2010 Day 99
We walked the Peyrou again today, then went down, as usual, to the Comedie to find that tents are being put up for yet another celebration – this one called Montpellier Handi – as in handicapped. It focuses on awareness of the handicapped and how their everyday lives are impacted by their disability.
We walked down to a shopping center and picked up a few groceries then checked out the prices at a clothing store I had seen advertised. Roger found a heavy jacket that he may consider purchasing. He’d better hurry – there were only three in his size and they are half off. From there we went to FNAC and bought tickets for a classical guitar concert scheduled for Sunday. We are also going to an apero afterward at Patricia’s apartment. When I asked what we could bring, she suggested a bottle of wine. That seems rather hazardous for a couple of Americans in one of the great wine regions of the world, but we will bring something.
This evening Roger cooked salmon, and he sent me down about 6:15 to get a baguette and some dessert. We have learned that the boulangerie often has bread coming out of the oven at about this time. When I arrived and asked for hot baguettes, our friendly clerk stepped into the next room and took two off of a tray just coming out of the oven – 18 inches of heaven! Twice! Roger had specified a raspberry dessert, and they only had one – a puff pastry type thing sliced in half horizontally and filled with cream and raspberries. So I got it as well and sped back to the apartment to eat the bread while it was hot. Delicious supper! Afterward we went back to the Peyrou to do a bit of stargazing. The lamps in the Peyrou have blue glass in them, and we had heard that the Peyrou is very pretty in the evenings. I thought that it closed at 8:00, so we left around 7:30 to make the 10-minute walk there. The lights were not as impressive as I expected them to be – a lot of the blue is pretty well faded out so most of the light is just a yellow-white light – not bad but nothing special. We checked out Jupiter and a couple of other stars from the water tower at the top, then walked back to the entrance, anxious not to get locked inside. My information must have been incorrect, however, because we left just at 8:00 and people were still entering the Peyrou, and others seemed in no hurry to leave. But it was a nice walk and a nice way to end the day.
We’ve Got Mail! We check our mailbox every day, but there is seldom anything there for us. This evening, when Roger took down the trash, he realized he hadn’t checked it today, so he paused and opened the box and – surprise! – there was a package for me. It was a book I had ordered for the book club. It was actually pretty fast delivery. I bought it on EBay on September 28 from a British source which had said it would be shipped in a week but that customs delays might cause the shipping time to be 6-8 weeks. That’s not even 10 days.
We walked the Peyrou again today, then went down, as usual, to the Comedie to find that tents are being put up for yet another celebration – this one called Montpellier Handi – as in handicapped. It focuses on awareness of the handicapped and how their everyday lives are impacted by their disability.
We walked down to a shopping center and picked up a few groceries then checked out the prices at a clothing store I had seen advertised. Roger found a heavy jacket that he may consider purchasing. He’d better hurry – there were only three in his size and they are half off. From there we went to FNAC and bought tickets for a classical guitar concert scheduled for Sunday. We are also going to an apero afterward at Patricia’s apartment. When I asked what we could bring, she suggested a bottle of wine. That seems rather hazardous for a couple of Americans in one of the great wine regions of the world, but we will bring something.
This evening Roger cooked salmon, and he sent me down about 6:15 to get a baguette and some dessert. We have learned that the boulangerie often has bread coming out of the oven at about this time. When I arrived and asked for hot baguettes, our friendly clerk stepped into the next room and took two off of a tray just coming out of the oven – 18 inches of heaven! Twice! Roger had specified a raspberry dessert, and they only had one – a puff pastry type thing sliced in half horizontally and filled with cream and raspberries. So I got it as well and sped back to the apartment to eat the bread while it was hot. Delicious supper! Afterward we went back to the Peyrou to do a bit of stargazing. The lamps in the Peyrou have blue glass in them, and we had heard that the Peyrou is very pretty in the evenings. I thought that it closed at 8:00, so we left around 7:30 to make the 10-minute walk there. The lights were not as impressive as I expected them to be – a lot of the blue is pretty well faded out so most of the light is just a yellow-white light – not bad but nothing special. We checked out Jupiter and a couple of other stars from the water tower at the top, then walked back to the entrance, anxious not to get locked inside. My information must have been incorrect, however, because we left just at 8:00 and people were still entering the Peyrou, and others seemed in no hurry to leave. But it was a nice walk and a nice way to end the day.
We’ve Got Mail! We check our mailbox every day, but there is seldom anything there for us. This evening, when Roger took down the trash, he realized he hadn’t checked it today, so he paused and opened the box and – surprise! – there was a package for me. It was a book I had ordered for the book club. It was actually pretty fast delivery. I bought it on EBay on September 28 from a British source which had said it would be shipped in a week but that customs delays might cause the shipping time to be 6-8 weeks. That’s not even 10 days.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Along the Lez with Egan
Wednesday, October 6, 2010 Day 98
After a 5-day hiatus, we walked the Peyrou this morning. On the hike last Thursday, I twisted my knee, so we had been giving it a chance to heal. I felt this morning that my knee was well enough and up to the challenge and I was right – I was able to complete the workout with no pain. Afterward we returned to the apartment to clean house, this being Wednesday. This afternoon we agreed to meet Elisabeth so she could tell us some of the “must-see” places within driving distance of Montpellier (of course we don’t have a car!). We met at Sisters Café near St. Roch church. We may have cut her a bit too short, as I think she was prepared to spend 2-3 hours telling us about all the sights we should try to see in and around the area. We had only set aside one hour, and planned to leave at 4:30. Elisabeth was late, and we only got in about 40 minutes of discussion before we had to leave. I was torn, as Elisabeth clearly wasn't through talking about the history of wine and the Romans. When we left her, she appeared rather offended that we were just up and leaving her, but we told her that we had to go. On the way back, I had my head down and was moving along rapidly. As we passed the medical school, a woman came out of the gate. I didn’t pay much attention to her, but Roger said a surprised “bonjour” as we walked. I asked who that was, and he said he thought it was Mara, our downstairs neighbor.
Later, we joined Peggy and Egan in their walk along the river. The trek along the Lez is such a pretty walk and it is fun to watch Egan dart around after birds and splash in the Lez. Afterward we returned to Peggy’s house and she gave me a couple of pots and some potting soil. I have some spider plants from the garden club which I started for her, and I intend to transplant them into her pot and mine. She then helped us access and listen to our messages on our French-speaking phone, and helped us set up an outgoing message for the phone.
I worked myself into a snit about housework today. I think it has a great deal to do with the fact that I was washing dishes for the second time in one day while Roger was reading on his computer. I felt sorely aggrieved that I don’t even have a computer to work on right now, and even more aggrieved that I was pooped from doing other housework as well. Up until now our agreement has been that I will wash dishes and put them in the basket and Roger will put them away, drying them if I need room in the basket, but otherwise letting them air-dry. So today Roger agreed to do the dish washing if the dishes need washing more than once a day, which occurs every two or three days, or every time we cook. I may even let him drop that once I get my computer back. I find I miss it sorely!
After a 5-day hiatus, we walked the Peyrou this morning. On the hike last Thursday, I twisted my knee, so we had been giving it a chance to heal. I felt this morning that my knee was well enough and up to the challenge and I was right – I was able to complete the workout with no pain. Afterward we returned to the apartment to clean house, this being Wednesday. This afternoon we agreed to meet Elisabeth so she could tell us some of the “must-see” places within driving distance of Montpellier (of course we don’t have a car!). We met at Sisters Café near St. Roch church. We may have cut her a bit too short, as I think she was prepared to spend 2-3 hours telling us about all the sights we should try to see in and around the area. We had only set aside one hour, and planned to leave at 4:30. Elisabeth was late, and we only got in about 40 minutes of discussion before we had to leave. I was torn, as Elisabeth clearly wasn't through talking about the history of wine and the Romans. When we left her, she appeared rather offended that we were just up and leaving her, but we told her that we had to go. On the way back, I had my head down and was moving along rapidly. As we passed the medical school, a woman came out of the gate. I didn’t pay much attention to her, but Roger said a surprised “bonjour” as we walked. I asked who that was, and he said he thought it was Mara, our downstairs neighbor.
Later, we joined Peggy and Egan in their walk along the river. The trek along the Lez is such a pretty walk and it is fun to watch Egan dart around after birds and splash in the Lez. Afterward we returned to Peggy’s house and she gave me a couple of pots and some potting soil. I have some spider plants from the garden club which I started for her, and I intend to transplant them into her pot and mine. She then helped us access and listen to our messages on our French-speaking phone, and helped us set up an outgoing message for the phone.
I worked myself into a snit about housework today. I think it has a great deal to do with the fact that I was washing dishes for the second time in one day while Roger was reading on his computer. I felt sorely aggrieved that I don’t even have a computer to work on right now, and even more aggrieved that I was pooped from doing other housework as well. Up until now our agreement has been that I will wash dishes and put them in the basket and Roger will put them away, drying them if I need room in the basket, but otherwise letting them air-dry. So today Roger agreed to do the dish washing if the dishes need washing more than once a day, which occurs every two or three days, or every time we cook. I may even let him drop that once I get my computer back. I find I miss it sorely!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Great men of the 20th century?
Tuesday, October 5, 2010 Day 97
The phone rang this morning and it was our friend from the computer repair center. He said they had been in touch with Sony, and that the part needed for my computer was not available here in France, but could be ordered from the U.S. The total cost for getting the part and fixing my computer would be almost 400 Euros, and did I want them to order the part. I sighed and said yes. I asked how long, and he said 10-15 days. Sigh.
We walked to the market below the Peyrou and bought a pork roast for tonight’s supper. When we got home, we had lunch, and I started it roasting. Compared to the amount I usually cook it is quite small – only a couple of pounds, or maybe three – although that is normal by European standards. I set the oven to the lowest I could without fearing I had turned it off. It is a gas oven and I have to light it by hand. The lowest marked temperature is 150 degrees C, and I usually cook the roast at about 250 F, or about 120 C. At any rate, I put it in the oven and left.
We took the tram down to the Odysseum to view a statue of Lenin which was erected last month. Along with Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, FDR, and Jean Jaures, the five statues stand amid stylized Grecian columns, and are billed as “Great Men of the XX Century.” There are pedestals for five more people – Golda Meir, Mao, Mandela, Nasser, Gandhi. Are these the greatest people of the 20th century? Are they even the greatest political figures of the 20th century? Who would you list? The statues are the project of Georges Frêche, also President of the region Languedoc Roussillon, a brash man who is sometimes referred to by his constituents as “King Georges.” I hope you didn’t stumble too much on the inclusion of the M. Jaures. In French lore, he is as great as they come!
After checking out the statues, we strolled over to Ikea, shopping for potting soil and pots, then into a store called the Geant Casino, which is comparable to a Wal-mart – food in about half of it, clothing, hardware, electronics, school supplies, and much of the same kind of miscellany one finds at Wally World in the U.S. Specifically, we were looking for potting soil and window boxes. We did find some, (whereas Ikea disappointed) although we hadn’t brought anything to take them home in, so we just checked the prices and left.
When we got back to central Montpellier, we exited the tram near a grocery store where we bought milk and catsup and looked for molasses or cane syrup and yellow mustard (no luck). We walked back toward the apartment, and our path took us in front of an English food shop whose opening we had been anticipating for more than a month, and lo and behold, they were open! We went in for a chat and ended up buying our French’s mustard there, and treacle, which is very similar to (or maybe the same as) molasses. Now I have the ingredients for barbeque sauce! Not only that, but THEY HAVE DR PEPPER!!! While we were there, they asked us if we had heard about the collapse of a building up the street from them and behind our apartment. Earlier this week we had passed a building where workmen were working on the ground floor, and it looked as if they were totally gutting it, probably getting it ready for a shop. Turns out that they hadn’t braced things properly and the entire three floors above them caved in! It is a small building, and there were probably only three apartments, one per floor, above the ground floor. Fortunately, no one was injured – indeed, I don’t think anybody was there except for a dog, who escaped with some injuries (I don’t know how bad). Ah, the excitement!
I hurried home to an overcooked pork roast, as I had the oven too high and forgot to account for the small size of the roast. However, I made delicious tangy barbeque sauce with the treacle and mustard and catsup and some wonderful “Epices a Chilly” (chili spices) from the market. We ate this along with Thai rice, also from market this morning. The barbeque sauce helped cover the overcooked defects of the roast and made it quite delicious.
The phone rang this morning and it was our friend from the computer repair center. He said they had been in touch with Sony, and that the part needed for my computer was not available here in France, but could be ordered from the U.S. The total cost for getting the part and fixing my computer would be almost 400 Euros, and did I want them to order the part. I sighed and said yes. I asked how long, and he said 10-15 days. Sigh.
We walked to the market below the Peyrou and bought a pork roast for tonight’s supper. When we got home, we had lunch, and I started it roasting. Compared to the amount I usually cook it is quite small – only a couple of pounds, or maybe three – although that is normal by European standards. I set the oven to the lowest I could without fearing I had turned it off. It is a gas oven and I have to light it by hand. The lowest marked temperature is 150 degrees C, and I usually cook the roast at about 250 F, or about 120 C. At any rate, I put it in the oven and left.
We took the tram down to the Odysseum to view a statue of Lenin which was erected last month. Along with Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, FDR, and Jean Jaures, the five statues stand amid stylized Grecian columns, and are billed as “Great Men of the XX Century.” There are pedestals for five more people – Golda Meir, Mao, Mandela, Nasser, Gandhi. Are these the greatest people of the 20th century? Are they even the greatest political figures of the 20th century? Who would you list? The statues are the project of Georges Frêche, also President of the region Languedoc Roussillon, a brash man who is sometimes referred to by his constituents as “King Georges.” I hope you didn’t stumble too much on the inclusion of the M. Jaures. In French lore, he is as great as they come!
After checking out the statues, we strolled over to Ikea, shopping for potting soil and pots, then into a store called the Geant Casino, which is comparable to a Wal-mart – food in about half of it, clothing, hardware, electronics, school supplies, and much of the same kind of miscellany one finds at Wally World in the U.S. Specifically, we were looking for potting soil and window boxes. We did find some, (whereas Ikea disappointed) although we hadn’t brought anything to take them home in, so we just checked the prices and left.
When we got back to central Montpellier, we exited the tram near a grocery store where we bought milk and catsup and looked for molasses or cane syrup and yellow mustard (no luck). We walked back toward the apartment, and our path took us in front of an English food shop whose opening we had been anticipating for more than a month, and lo and behold, they were open! We went in for a chat and ended up buying our French’s mustard there, and treacle, which is very similar to (or maybe the same as) molasses. Now I have the ingredients for barbeque sauce! Not only that, but THEY HAVE DR PEPPER!!! While we were there, they asked us if we had heard about the collapse of a building up the street from them and behind our apartment. Earlier this week we had passed a building where workmen were working on the ground floor, and it looked as if they were totally gutting it, probably getting it ready for a shop. Turns out that they hadn’t braced things properly and the entire three floors above them caved in! It is a small building, and there were probably only three apartments, one per floor, above the ground floor. Fortunately, no one was injured – indeed, I don’t think anybody was there except for a dog, who escaped with some injuries (I don’t know how bad). Ah, the excitement!
I hurried home to an overcooked pork roast, as I had the oven too high and forgot to account for the small size of the roast. However, I made delicious tangy barbeque sauce with the treacle and mustard and catsup and some wonderful “Epices a Chilly” (chili spices) from the market. We ate this along with Thai rice, also from market this morning. The barbeque sauce helped cover the overcooked defects of the roast and made it quite delicious.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
To rain or not to rain
Monday, October 4, 2010 Day 96
I continue to be astonished at the inaccuracy of the weather forecasts. We planned a day at home today because the weather forecast called for strong wind and 80% chance of rain. At around 8:30, there was a bit of spit on the street below our apartment, but that was all we saw of the rain. Later the clouds moved out and the skies were sunny. Along the same vein, yesterday when we set out for Palavas-les-Flots we took along rain coats and umbrellas because the forecast called for rain. The wind blew, particularly down on the barrier island, and the skies were threatening all day, but as with today’s weather, there was no rain. I am accustomed to rain, rain, rain when the forecase calls for an 80% probablility of rain, but it seems that is not the case here. Who knows what that means!
Since the sky cleared up, I hung out shirts to dry and we left for another walk. Roger had noted on the bicycle rental map that there should be a rental stand not very far from our apartment and to the west, so we set out to find it. It was further than he had expected it to be, and across the Gambetta, which is a busy street badly torn up by workers laying tracks for the new tram line. We were disappointed that the bike stand had only a couple of bikes in it. It seems that there is not a very good redistribution plan for the bikes here, as several of the stands seem to go empty a lot. On the way back, we stopped at a boulangerie and bought some cookies and a brioche. The cookies we ate immediately, the brioche later. It was good, but not as good as baguettes – the texture is too soft. We explored some previously unknown streets and saw an intriguing spiral staircase outside a building. Unfortunately, I could not get far enough away from it to take a good picture through the fence, and with the fence in the picture, a good deal of it was obscured, but here is what I managed to get.
I have been reading a book for the book club, which meets on Friday. It is called “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It is a delightful book about the German occupation of one of the Channel Islands during WWII. Definitely worth a read.
I continue to be astonished at the inaccuracy of the weather forecasts. We planned a day at home today because the weather forecast called for strong wind and 80% chance of rain. At around 8:30, there was a bit of spit on the street below our apartment, but that was all we saw of the rain. Later the clouds moved out and the skies were sunny. Along the same vein, yesterday when we set out for Palavas-les-Flots we took along rain coats and umbrellas because the forecast called for rain. The wind blew, particularly down on the barrier island, and the skies were threatening all day, but as with today’s weather, there was no rain. I am accustomed to rain, rain, rain when the forecase calls for an 80% probablility of rain, but it seems that is not the case here. Who knows what that means!
Since the sky cleared up, I hung out shirts to dry and we left for another walk. Roger had noted on the bicycle rental map that there should be a rental stand not very far from our apartment and to the west, so we set out to find it. It was further than he had expected it to be, and across the Gambetta, which is a busy street badly torn up by workers laying tracks for the new tram line. We were disappointed that the bike stand had only a couple of bikes in it. It seems that there is not a very good redistribution plan for the bikes here, as several of the stands seem to go empty a lot. On the way back, we stopped at a boulangerie and bought some cookies and a brioche. The cookies we ate immediately, the brioche later. It was good, but not as good as baguettes – the texture is too soft. We explored some previously unknown streets and saw an intriguing spiral staircase outside a building. Unfortunately, I could not get far enough away from it to take a good picture through the fence, and with the fence in the picture, a good deal of it was obscured, but here is what I managed to get.
I have been reading a book for the book club, which meets on Friday. It is called “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It is a delightful book about the German occupation of one of the Channel Islands during WWII. Definitely worth a read.
Chocolate!
Sunday, October 03, 2010 Day 95
After a lazy morning, we left just before 11:00 to catch the tram down to a bus stop. The bus took us out to a barrier island called Palavas-les-Flots, a seaside resort some 10 kilometres south of Montpellier. We were here for the Salon du Chocolat. We asked the bus driver as we got off where the Salle Bleue is, and he pointed back and to our left, so we set out. We were most of the way there, walking along a parking lot, when we encountered a delicious-looking young man (alas, about 30 years to young!), who gave us a couple of tickets for free entry to the exhibit and told us where to find the entrance to the quite-blue building. We were skeptical that the tickets were valid, but when we reached the entry, we were signaled in without having to pay the 4.5€ entry fee. We arrived right around noon and spent about an hour moving among some 50 vendors, most of whom were selling chocolate or caramel. There were exceptions: there was a spice lady whose booth emitted delightfully exotic aromas; there was a vanilla-and-pepper lady, selling vanilla beans in long glass tubes and peppercorns in other long glass tubes; another booth had candles and vanilla-scented skin treatments of some sort. When we reached the back of the hall, we met our friend from the parking lot and tried some of his rosé champagne. It was quite nice –sweeter than the brut champagnes of most of my experience. We stopped after one glass of champagne – we had very little in our stomachs except some quite-sweet chocolates, and we didn’t want to be too light-headed. We covered the entire panoply of booths, then made a second round to buy some products. We got some caramel sauce (2 jars); some delicious dark chocolate; some dark chocolate with orange; a set of five jars of various pates a tartiner (spreads) in a selection of light and dark chocolates, with and without nuts; a caramel bar with almonds; and three candy mounds which turned out to be chocolate-encrusted marshmallow cream with a cookie base.
Chocolate-sated, we left and went in search of something more substantial for our stomachs. First, however, we dropped by the bus stop where the driver let us off and verified that the return time for the bus was 1:50, but it was not totally clear to us that the bus would be here on Sunday. While hanging around the bus stop, we spied a building painted Mediterranean blue with Neptune riding out of it on a wave. Here's his photo.
We moved on looking for food. We found a restaurant and decided to split a calzone, but when we hadn’t ordered after 10 minutes, we left, afraid we would miss the bus. We found a quickie sandwich shop and had the worst meal I have had since we arrived in France – a chicken Panini which had a pale slab of white meat in it along with some cheese, heated on a Panini maker. I only ate about half, and drank an Orangina. Roger had a beef Panini, and his experience was similar – it was a pretty tasteless sandwich.
We returned to the bus stop to find four young people there speaking English. They had read the bus schedule, but they noted something we missed – that the stop for the return trip would not be at this particular bus stop, but instead would be at one called Arenas. I announced that I knew where the Arenas bus stop was – just by happenstance I had noted it after we left the Salle Bleue. I led the way on a 2-minute trek to the bus stop, and just as we arrived, so did the bus. Talk about fortuitous! If we had missed this bus, we had another 2-hour or so wait. As the bus trekked off the barrier island, Roger pointed across the bayou (“etang” here) and said “see the pink flamingoes!” By the time I swiveled my head around to see them, I could only spot a couple and they were mostly white. Roger remarked that it would help if my eyes were higher. I have often thought that as well, but I would look pretty unusual if they were some four inches higher on my head, I’m sure.
After a lazy morning, we left just before 11:00 to catch the tram down to a bus stop. The bus took us out to a barrier island called Palavas-les-Flots, a seaside resort some 10 kilometres south of Montpellier. We were here for the Salon du Chocolat. We asked the bus driver as we got off where the Salle Bleue is, and he pointed back and to our left, so we set out. We were most of the way there, walking along a parking lot, when we encountered a delicious-looking young man (alas, about 30 years to young!), who gave us a couple of tickets for free entry to the exhibit and told us where to find the entrance to the quite-blue building. We were skeptical that the tickets were valid, but when we reached the entry, we were signaled in without having to pay the 4.5€ entry fee. We arrived right around noon and spent about an hour moving among some 50 vendors, most of whom were selling chocolate or caramel. There were exceptions: there was a spice lady whose booth emitted delightfully exotic aromas; there was a vanilla-and-pepper lady, selling vanilla beans in long glass tubes and peppercorns in other long glass tubes; another booth had candles and vanilla-scented skin treatments of some sort. When we reached the back of the hall, we met our friend from the parking lot and tried some of his rosé champagne. It was quite nice –sweeter than the brut champagnes of most of my experience. We stopped after one glass of champagne – we had very little in our stomachs except some quite-sweet chocolates, and we didn’t want to be too light-headed. We covered the entire panoply of booths, then made a second round to buy some products. We got some caramel sauce (2 jars); some delicious dark chocolate; some dark chocolate with orange; a set of five jars of various pates a tartiner (spreads) in a selection of light and dark chocolates, with and without nuts; a caramel bar with almonds; and three candy mounds which turned out to be chocolate-encrusted marshmallow cream with a cookie base.
Chocolate-sated, we left and went in search of something more substantial for our stomachs. First, however, we dropped by the bus stop where the driver let us off and verified that the return time for the bus was 1:50, but it was not totally clear to us that the bus would be here on Sunday. While hanging around the bus stop, we spied a building painted Mediterranean blue with Neptune riding out of it on a wave. Here's his photo.
We moved on looking for food. We found a restaurant and decided to split a calzone, but when we hadn’t ordered after 10 minutes, we left, afraid we would miss the bus. We found a quickie sandwich shop and had the worst meal I have had since we arrived in France – a chicken Panini which had a pale slab of white meat in it along with some cheese, heated on a Panini maker. I only ate about half, and drank an Orangina. Roger had a beef Panini, and his experience was similar – it was a pretty tasteless sandwich.
We returned to the bus stop to find four young people there speaking English. They had read the bus schedule, but they noted something we missed – that the stop for the return trip would not be at this particular bus stop, but instead would be at one called Arenas. I announced that I knew where the Arenas bus stop was – just by happenstance I had noted it after we left the Salle Bleue. I led the way on a 2-minute trek to the bus stop, and just as we arrived, so did the bus. Talk about fortuitous! If we had missed this bus, we had another 2-hour or so wait. As the bus trekked off the barrier island, Roger pointed across the bayou (“etang” here) and said “see the pink flamingoes!” By the time I swiveled my head around to see them, I could only spot a couple and they were mostly white. Roger remarked that it would help if my eyes were higher. I have often thought that as well, but I would look pretty unusual if they were some four inches higher on my head, I’m sure.
2-10-2010
This is a tile whose mate is installed in our bathroom. I bought the plaque pictured below to paint and hang there on the wall. My next project is to purchase the paint, which I didn't do when I bought the plaque. I intend to try to match these colors. Actually, the bare walls in there beg for me to actually paint these shapes on the wall. I don't think the landlord will approve, however.
2-10-2010
We glanced through some of the wares in front of a pottery shop and I spotted two unpainted ceramic plaques of dolphins for 2€ each. We bought them for me to paint and hang in our bathroom, which has some dolphin tiles. We bought some cheese next, then just outside the fromagerie, we passed a couple of boys – maybe 10 or 11 years old, who were selling used items on the sidewalk. We spotted a nice-sized pitcher, and when we learned they wanted 2€ for it, we bought it as well. This is the largest iced tea picture we have found yet.
We returned to the apartment for round two of the onion soup trials. This went pretty well, as I cooked the roux mixture a good deal longer; not long enough to get the traditional red color, but it did at least begin to pick up some of the red-brown hue. It took quite a long time to achieve that color, and it was clear to me that it would be at least another half hour, perhaps more, before I would achieve the color I really wanted, so I finally surrendered. I wanted to get my hair washed, rolled and dried before 6:00, as we had a Skype date with Ronnie and Shelli for that time. Before I could get into the bathroom to start washing my hair, Elisabeth called. Elisabeth is a 60-something French woman who has taken something of a fancy to us and wants to help us maximize our time in France. So she called and we talked for almost an hour and a half! Actually, she talked and I made lots of “uh-huh” and “oui” noises. I finally got her off the phone.
When we called the Richards’ computer, Ronnie answered and asked if we could postpone talking for 10 or 15 minutes so they could eat breakfast. We said “of course” and laughed, because we were almost ready for dinner! Not too much later we had a nice one-hour conversation with Ronnie and Shelli. Great way to end the day!
We returned to the apartment for round two of the onion soup trials. This went pretty well, as I cooked the roux mixture a good deal longer; not long enough to get the traditional red color, but it did at least begin to pick up some of the red-brown hue. It took quite a long time to achieve that color, and it was clear to me that it would be at least another half hour, perhaps more, before I would achieve the color I really wanted, so I finally surrendered. I wanted to get my hair washed, rolled and dried before 6:00, as we had a Skype date with Ronnie and Shelli for that time. Before I could get into the bathroom to start washing my hair, Elisabeth called. Elisabeth is a 60-something French woman who has taken something of a fancy to us and wants to help us maximize our time in France. So she called and we talked for almost an hour and a half! Actually, she talked and I made lots of “uh-huh” and “oui” noises. I finally got her off the phone.
When we called the Richards’ computer, Ronnie answered and asked if we could postpone talking for 10 or 15 minutes so they could eat breakfast. We said “of course” and laughed, because we were almost ready for dinner! Not too much later we had a nice one-hour conversation with Ronnie and Shelli. Great way to end the day!
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Saturday, October 02, 2010 Day 94
We returned to the Comedie this morning to see if more of the booths were occupied, as not all of them had been when we passed yesterday. We happened upon a gentleman roasting chestnuts on an open fire. It may not be Christmas, but that had me singing! We bought a paper coronet full of them and ate them. They were pretty tasty. Regarding the fire, I tried to determine whether it gave off the same scent we caught yesterday in the area, but I was not able to definitively say whether it was the same smell or a different one.
While on the Comedie, we saw about a dozen people, all in black bathing suits, smearing their bodies with what appeared to be honey, then chocolate. Someone else blew up two beach ball globes. Then the group began to toss the balls among themselves and to pose with them, Atlas-style. A woman circulated among the spectators handing out leaflets with the heading “Stop au Petrole À Tout Prix” – Stop Oil at Any Price. It turns out this was a Greenpeace demonstration, an “oil mob” planned for 15 French cities today. We moved on and did not stay for the demonstration.
We returned to the Comedie this morning to see if more of the booths were occupied, as not all of them had been when we passed yesterday. We happened upon a gentleman roasting chestnuts on an open fire. It may not be Christmas, but that had me singing! We bought a paper coronet full of them and ate them. They were pretty tasty. Regarding the fire, I tried to determine whether it gave off the same scent we caught yesterday in the area, but I was not able to definitively say whether it was the same smell or a different one.
While on the Comedie, we saw about a dozen people, all in black bathing suits, smearing their bodies with what appeared to be honey, then chocolate. Someone else blew up two beach ball globes. Then the group began to toss the balls among themselves and to pose with them, Atlas-style. A woman circulated among the spectators handing out leaflets with the heading “Stop au Petrole À Tout Prix” – Stop Oil at Any Price. It turns out this was a Greenpeace demonstration, an “oil mob” planned for 15 French cities today. We moved on and did not stay for the demonstration.
Monday, October 4, 2010
St. Guilhem le Desert and the American Library
From here we drove across the lower spine of the Pic St. Loup and looked down on two valleys separated by the spine. They were gorgeous, full of vineyards and scrub oak or similar brush.
Then we drove on to St. Guilhem le Desert, a medieval village capped by the Abbey of Gellone and its cloisters, which are typical examples of early Roman art in the Languedoc region. We paused here for tea for me, hot chocolate for Anne (who is pictured here) and a glass of cider for Roger. Then we drove on into the Hérault valley and along the Hérault River on our way back to Montpellier.
As Anne let us out at our bus stop, she asked us up for a drink, but we declined. On our drive, I had received a phone call about my computer, and I was unable to understand most of what the gentleman had to say. So I asked what time he closed this evening, and when he opened up the next day, and hung up. It was after 6:00 when we got back to Montpellier, and we were due at a reception for the Friends of the American Library which was scheduled from 6:00 to 8:00, so we had a busy evening ahead. We hopped the bus, which deposited us a hundred metres or so from the computer repair shop. We went and got the bad news regarding the computer, and told the repair guy we would study our options overnight and let him know in the morning. We returned home, changed clothes and rushed over to the reception. The speaker had come and gone, but it probably would have been in French anyway, so we didn’t miss much. Most of the attendees to whom we talked were dismissive of his message. The problem is that the American Library of Montpellier resided in borrowed rooms, and in January of this year, they were abruptly closed down. The library has about 30,000 volumes, all of which are presently in storage somewhere (I didn’t catch where). The speaker’s solution is to have a place where 2,500 – 3,000 of the books can be displayed for borrowing, and to destroy the rest of the books! From a reader’s perspective, that is no solution at all! It is not clear to me what sort of solution they will finally reach, but not this one!
Then we drove on to St. Guilhem le Desert, a medieval village capped by the Abbey of Gellone and its cloisters, which are typical examples of early Roman art in the Languedoc region. We paused here for tea for me, hot chocolate for Anne (who is pictured here) and a glass of cider for Roger. Then we drove on into the Hérault valley and along the Hérault River on our way back to Montpellier.
As Anne let us out at our bus stop, she asked us up for a drink, but we declined. On our drive, I had received a phone call about my computer, and I was unable to understand most of what the gentleman had to say. So I asked what time he closed this evening, and when he opened up the next day, and hung up. It was after 6:00 when we got back to Montpellier, and we were due at a reception for the Friends of the American Library which was scheduled from 6:00 to 8:00, so we had a busy evening ahead. We hopped the bus, which deposited us a hundred metres or so from the computer repair shop. We went and got the bad news regarding the computer, and told the repair guy we would study our options overnight and let him know in the morning. We returned home, changed clothes and rushed over to the reception. The speaker had come and gone, but it probably would have been in French anyway, so we didn’t miss much. Most of the attendees to whom we talked were dismissive of his message. The problem is that the American Library of Montpellier resided in borrowed rooms, and in January of this year, they were abruptly closed down. The library has about 30,000 volumes, all of which are presently in storage somewhere (I didn’t catch where). The speaker’s solution is to have a place where 2,500 – 3,000 of the books can be displayed for borrowing, and to destroy the rest of the books! From a reader’s perspective, that is no solution at all! It is not clear to me what sort of solution they will finally reach, but not this one!
Pic St. Loup
Friday, October 1, 2010 Day 93
Damn! Damn, damn, damn! My computer is not fixed, and we don’t know the cost of fixing it or when it will be fixed. Did I say DAMN??!!!!
The repair place quickly diagnosed the problem of a broken switch and replaced it in a few days. But we got a call today while we were out, and when we went to the repair shop this evening, we were told that the circuit board to which the switch connects is also bad. The repair guy had contacted Sony about it but had not heard back from them, so he is not sure when or how much the repair would be. He said the motherboard is fine. Now we have to decide whether to move forward with an expensive repair (this one is already at 117€) or get a new computer. The problem with getting a new computer is that it will be a French computer if we get it over here, and we are already having to deal with a French smartphone, which is WAY smarter than we are. I do not want to have to deal for the next three or four or five years (or whatever the life of a new laptop will be) of a French computer – French keyboard, French-speaking OS, all of that. And if I order an English-speaking one, I can imagine it taking a good two to three weeks or more to get here, with astronomical shipping costs (I hear DHL folded in the US). So after much thought, we are probably going to try to get the circuit board replaced. So this means I will be without a computer for another week or more, most likely. SIGH.
This morning we excused ourselves from walking the Peyrou – our bodies are still aching from yesterday’s hike. We putzed around until about 10:30, then left for the Comedie to see what is going on, and to get groceries. Today is the start of a 3-day Grand Bazar, which seems to be a city-centre-wide sidewalk sale where all the merchants drag out their inventory from last season which didn’t sell, their slightly-damaged merchandise, and some used stuff as well. Some of the merchants appear to have allowed their kids to bring used toys, games and household items to sell as well. We passed a used-clothing shop, and I bought a winter coat for 15€. It is a black trench-style and fits me nicely. I didn’t want to have to purchase a brand new one and either haul it home or sell or donate it here, so it was a stroke of fortune to stumble on this one.
On the Comedie, the booths appear to be set up for an organic educational fair, with demonstrations, packets of information and a few tastings. We passed an area where we could smell either a wood fire or a fantastic incense, but we were unable to determine the source of the aroma. We wandered around a bit then headed back home for the rest of the morning.
In the afternoon, we hopped the tram to meet Anne, who so kindly offered to take us for a drive around the Pic St. Loup, a large mountain which protrudes unexpectedly into the air some 40 or 50 kilometres north of Montpellier. It has a smaller sister peak, Hortus (although with a name like that, it ought to be a brother peak), and the two are 658 metres and 512 metres respectively. They are allegedly a part of the Pyrenees which drifted away a few million years ago and came to rest north of Montpellier. The drive was quite lovely. Our first stop was at the village of Les Matelles. It consisted of a network of tortuous streets and ancient fortifications which led up to (and hid, in ancient times) a small, protected square. We explored the streets and saw the lovely, charming and often tiny houses which make up the quaint village.
Damn! Damn, damn, damn! My computer is not fixed, and we don’t know the cost of fixing it or when it will be fixed. Did I say DAMN??!!!!
The repair place quickly diagnosed the problem of a broken switch and replaced it in a few days. But we got a call today while we were out, and when we went to the repair shop this evening, we were told that the circuit board to which the switch connects is also bad. The repair guy had contacted Sony about it but had not heard back from them, so he is not sure when or how much the repair would be. He said the motherboard is fine. Now we have to decide whether to move forward with an expensive repair (this one is already at 117€) or get a new computer. The problem with getting a new computer is that it will be a French computer if we get it over here, and we are already having to deal with a French smartphone, which is WAY smarter than we are. I do not want to have to deal for the next three or four or five years (or whatever the life of a new laptop will be) of a French computer – French keyboard, French-speaking OS, all of that. And if I order an English-speaking one, I can imagine it taking a good two to three weeks or more to get here, with astronomical shipping costs (I hear DHL folded in the US). So after much thought, we are probably going to try to get the circuit board replaced. So this means I will be without a computer for another week or more, most likely. SIGH.
This morning we excused ourselves from walking the Peyrou – our bodies are still aching from yesterday’s hike. We putzed around until about 10:30, then left for the Comedie to see what is going on, and to get groceries. Today is the start of a 3-day Grand Bazar, which seems to be a city-centre-wide sidewalk sale where all the merchants drag out their inventory from last season which didn’t sell, their slightly-damaged merchandise, and some used stuff as well. Some of the merchants appear to have allowed their kids to bring used toys, games and household items to sell as well. We passed a used-clothing shop, and I bought a winter coat for 15€. It is a black trench-style and fits me nicely. I didn’t want to have to purchase a brand new one and either haul it home or sell or donate it here, so it was a stroke of fortune to stumble on this one.
On the Comedie, the booths appear to be set up for an organic educational fair, with demonstrations, packets of information and a few tastings. We passed an area where we could smell either a wood fire or a fantastic incense, but we were unable to determine the source of the aroma. We wandered around a bit then headed back home for the rest of the morning.
In the afternoon, we hopped the tram to meet Anne, who so kindly offered to take us for a drive around the Pic St. Loup, a large mountain which protrudes unexpectedly into the air some 40 or 50 kilometres north of Montpellier. It has a smaller sister peak, Hortus (although with a name like that, it ought to be a brother peak), and the two are 658 metres and 512 metres respectively. They are allegedly a part of the Pyrenees which drifted away a few million years ago and came to rest north of Montpellier. The drive was quite lovely. Our first stop was at the village of Les Matelles. It consisted of a network of tortuous streets and ancient fortifications which led up to (and hid, in ancient times) a small, protected square. We explored the streets and saw the lovely, charming and often tiny houses which make up the quaint village.
30-9-2010
We ate our lunch on a large flat rock overlooking the Hérault valley, although from our vantage point we were unable to see the bottom of the valley. We hiked on a bit farther after lunch, and from here we were able to look out over the valley. We might have gone further, but time constraints compelled us to turn around and go back so that we could be back in Montpellier in time for school to let out. Jan kindly dropped us at the tram stop and we headed home. As we disembarked from the tram and walked across the Comedie, we noted booths going up for yet another celebration or festival or whatever. We were too tired to investigate, and anyway, the booths were still being constructed in anticipation of the weekend event, so we trekked home and to bed, quite pooped.
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