Still the
miserable weather persists. The charm of the villa on exacerbates the cold;
high ceilings, thick stone walls and tiled floors hold in the dampness. We are
wearing all our clothes. There had been a thought to leave our thrift store
sweaters behind in Avignon, to make room for other goodies in our suitcases. We
remark to each other, every hour or so, how grateful we did not ditch them.
Entering
thru a side door, it looks nothing like the market we visited yesterday. All
glass and elevators. Riding up the 2 escalators, the top opens to a mall. The
upper levels of the market is where the mall is located. We stopped for café au
late prior to visiting and therefor needed to find the toilets, asap. Again, a
nice French person showed us the token machine for the restroom. We were trying
to feed the door actual money to get in. I’m telling you, the French do not
deserve their reputation as haughty. They may laugh at us, but not haughty.
It’s a mall
like you would expect, cheap clothing stores, the French version of the Sharper
Edge and of course, a McDonalds. We continue down to the market, where at least
half of the stalls are closed. Our landlady had already stated the market was
only full on weekends. No matter, its way more than we have in Vero. It was
lovely not to have to fight the crowds to see the goods for sale. There were
all sorts of offal, whole skinned rascally rabbits and more than enough ready-
made foods for us to purchase.
Trudging
back to the villa, we decide to continue exploring the Centre Ville, because I
wanted to get optimum use of the recently purchased umbrella. Some Number of
blocks in the opposite direction of Les Halles is the Roman Coliseum the “Arena of Nimes.”
Built in 70
AD, the arena is still used today for bullfights and concerts. The Feria
which is
happening this weekend brings major bullfighting and copious crowds to the
area. I prefer Portuguese bullfighting, because the bull is not hurt – only his
feelings.
The arena is
so much more impressive than the one in Rome, not as large, but that it is
still being used and continuously renovated.
Thru a
lovely square near the arena, is a major fountain, with a crocodile in the
middle. Being from Florida, my mind went to alligator and I just couldn’t wrap
my mind around it. There are small croc medallions embedded in the cobblestone
streets. As soon as got back to the villa, I had to google “why a croc in Nimes”
The romans
who had settled here, had been on campaign in Egypt, where crocs abounded in
the Nile. They brought some back as bad-assed pets.
The
afternoon brought peaks of sunshine, but it remained too cold to sit and drink
wine on one of the many outdoor cafes. I write postcards to some of my internet
challenged friends (mostly older) who prefer the good old USPS to an email. Most
do not Facebook. Though postcards are sold everywhere, stamps are not. To those
of my friends who travel, let me tell you there is no greater present to send
to someone, other than a postcard in the mail. It just isn’t done anymore. To
receive, in and among the bills, a happy card, from a foreign land, is bliss.
I often send them to myself when I travel.
It took the
postal worker sometime to find airmail stamps – I bought 20, because it’s a
hassle and I still have more than a week here.
The Feria is
3 days away.
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