Day 14 - samedi

12 fevrier 2011

It was another beautiful day for being outside. Since I had to get groceries, this made a great excuse to walk about. My first stop was the Marché des Fleurs for some fresh fruits and vegetables. Along the way, I needed to stop at an ATM because the market seems to be a cash-only place. Today I timed it; it takes nearly an hour on foot.

There were lots of people at the market when I arrived, but I found some carrots, lettuce, green pepper, tomatoes, onion, strawberries and apples to enliven the week’s meals.

My next stop was Carrefour (this means “crossroad”) After asking directions a number of several times (we’ve been working on understanding and giving directions at school all week), I finally understood why Michele inquired as to why I wanted to go there. Students and teachers at Azurlingua have mentioned it, so I thought it must be THE place to go.

When I finally found it, I was hungry. Today I tried the French version of McDonald’s. Since I still wanted to try something French, I ordered the meal of hamburger with bleu cheese, fries and a coke.  The young woman who took my order immediately switched to English when I stumbled through her questions for my order. After explaining that I was learning French, she obliged me by continuing in French. We did OK together! I must say, the Coke at McDonald’s tastes like it is “supposed to taste.” For that I was most grateful, especially since I was parched after the long walk. The burger was very “bleu.” A nice treat for taste, but the quality of the hamburger did not call for another visit later. (Sorry, Mickey D.)

Carrefour is a big store, mostly groceries, but it also has other items – clothes, toys, etc., like a large Hy-Vee. I found some small cuts of meat - pork chops and hamburger. I looked for the peanut butter, but was not successful finding it. (My feet were not willing to go much further.) By the time I had made my way through the store, I was considering the weight of my goods and the long way back home. Michele had asked that I get some laundry soap; this added quite a bit of weight, but I was planning to do 2 loads when I got back.

Gratefully, the tram stop was just three blocks away. It was very crowded, but it would bring me within about six blocks from home without having to transfer – just what I needed!

It was about 2:45 when I walked in the door. A nap would have been good right then, but I really needed to review my vocabulary and practice my “scene” for class on Monday.  Michele helped me get the laundry going. She has an apartment-size wash machine, but not a dryer, so I am able to hang things on the line outside my bedroom window. It won’t dry overnight, but after church and a stop at school tomorrow, I will finish drying things at the laundromat down the street, if needed.

Those are the adventures of the day, Dear Reader. Have a good one yourself.

Day 7

Samedi, 5 fevrier 2011   Pictures from the day are first, and text below them.

It felt good to sleep in this morning until 8:30. By then the sun was shining brightly, ensuring that the day would be pleasantly warm. After breakfast and a shower, Michele walked with me down Gambetta street to the promenade along the bay. The stretches of beach are sometimes private, but for a fee of about 15 Euros anyone can spend the day there. There are open air restaurants below the promenade at the beach level, too.

There were lots of people out today. I expected to hear tourists speaking English occasionally, but I only heard it once at the Flower Market. Since Michele had work to do at home, we parted ways a little before noon. I headed back towards the market.

Along the way I found the Dominican abbey church, St. François de Paule, because the church bells were ringing and I saw a few people going in. I decided to stay for the mass. The chapel was small; maybe it could hold 150 people seated. On the altar were 8 Dominican priests, one older than the next. Most of them looked quite tired considering the hour. The youngest of them looked to be in his late 40s or so. He was the leader of song. It is the feast of St. Agnes, so it was explained why the priest was in a red vestment. In addition, a family had gathered to commemorate the passing of its father. It seems it may have been a year ago now that he died. It was extra nice to have the music for this occasion. Quite a number of people had gathered and the homily was emphatically given. The responsorial psalm was Gelineau’s “My Shepherd is the Lord, nothing indeed shall I want,” the melody of which I recognized, of course, but the words were French, as Gelineau intended. All in all, it was nice to go to mass, even though I was a stranger.

After Mass, I moved toward the Market. The flower arrangements are amazing, and about the price of going to HyVee for a bouquet. This morning Michele had introduced me to the yellow showers of small brush-like flowers on the mimosa tree in her garden. There were many bouquets of mimosa here, as well as roses and irises.

At the far end of the market the farm fresh foods were for sale. The vendors usually seem to have someone who can manage a little English, but I did not expect it. Before approaching a stand, I get myself all revved up with how I need to say what I need/want. Today I bought fresh vegetables (eggplant, scallions, asparagus, green beans, zucchini) and fruit (apples and strawberries). 

On the way down, Michele had pointed out several good restaurants for regional dishes, i.e. nicoise cooking. So I stopped at one along the marketplace called “Le Saleya.” The place was very busy. I was seated inside. The owner took my order – I had the “plat du jour” – filet du Merou au citron, riz et legumes frais – i.e. fish with a lemon sauce, rice, fresh vegetables, and a salad with pesto sauce. It was excellent. I saw many beautiful dishes being served, but I would not even know where to find them on the menu. My goal was to find something that was not too expensive, yet comprehensive. The dessert menu looked fabulous, too, but that will have to wait for another day. I was too full. In a French restaurant, I determined, one should never be in a rush. It takes time to get the bill