Warming up

Tuesday December 28, 2010 Day 181

The apartment was finally warm today when we got up after some 36 hours of non-stop radiator output.

We went to Les Arceaux market around 11:00, and the first thing we did there was run into Anne. This was something of a surprise, because she told me a few weeks ago that she hasn’t been to Les Arceaux market for a long time. I guess she decided that this was a good time to check it out. We chatted for several minutes, exchanging the usual post-Christmas pleasantries, and she invited us to join her in doing something for New Year’s Eve, putting our non-plans with her non-plan and suggesting that we could get together for dinner or something - she said she would call us later.

The market was rather short on food vendors today but had a plethora of stalls we had not seen before, including one selling mattresses. There were no less than three vendors selling pots and pans - is this a French tradition, to buy pots and pans for the new year? - one selling tabletop fountains and herbal remedies and aromatherapy stuff, and one offering angora sweaters. Roger remarked that there were no seafood vendors - no loss for him!

When we were here more than a year ago checking out the city as a possible place to live, I fell in love with the trompers l'oeils around the city. This translates as “fool the eye,” and they are murals painted on the sides of mostly-blank building walls which give the impression that there is more to the building. Check these out:

This one is down the street from our apartment. About the only thing that is real is the arch and some of the trees.
The building is totally flat, although the painting is so good that it is hard to believe.

There are only a few real windows in this building. Can you spot them?

Our third Christmas card - this one the annual Christmas newsletter from Jimmy and Susan. They went to Argentina for Christmas this year. They travel every year at Christmas, and this is the first year they did not take their kids. Jami got married and she and Sean probably do not have adequate time off from work, and Brant chose to stay home as well. Thanks for the updates!