The Doors, Without Jim Morrison
Posted on: July 25, 2010
Sunday, July 25th.
We are into the last time for everything. Today is the last Sunday open market for us. The time has gone by so swiftly. In the beginning, three weeks seemed like forever but now we only have 4 more days left here! It makes me a bit sad; this is a perfect place to spend the entire summer.
The young teacher from Thunder Bay who lives around the corner has bought her place and does just that! What a glorious lifestyle, teach and come here for holidays. She figured it out while she was young, bravo!
Yesterday in Montpellier, I watched a woman sitting next to a bank machine begging. We have seen several woman in Paris and now Montpellier, who sit with heads bowed and a cup beside them. This woman looked tired and would speak to each person as they walked up to the machine. Most would pretend not to see or hear her. One actually replied, “No’. A man ignored her and as he walked past her upon leaving the machine, another man walked past, said something rude to him and dropped a coin in the woman’s cup.
I had just decided to go buy her a cold drink when a young girl around 7 ran over to her and was complaining about something. She was dressed well in a pink outfit with Crocs on her feet and was angry about something. The woman then moved to a different spot and I noticed that she had a large ring on one finger and had a purse. What a way to make a living.
David said lots of ‘beggars’ arrive on the buses in Lourdes to take advantage of the seniors and the sick who travel there for the holy water. I guess that is why it is better to donate to the food bank or charities where you know your money is needed and used for good.
Montpellier is a tourist’s delight and a place for lots of money. They have a huge, modern mall with over 50 boutiques and many, many streets filled with high-end stores like Cartier’s. I totally window-shopped and found it enjoyable. Later, I went inside the mall to the central area with padded seats so Jack could play and rest. He ended up falling asleep on the rug next to me.
A lovely French grandmother in a ball cap and I had a conversation with few words, but eternal understanding. She asked if he was 4 and was delighted to tell me when he had gone to sleep. We both sat there across from each other for a long time while he napped, and when she left, she gave me the thumbs up and waved good-bye.
Soothers are very common in France, up to about the age of 4! We see kids plugged in everywhere, on the trains, in strollers and walking along with families! That must be why they are so noisy later, after being plugged in for their first few years!
Today has been a rest day as Jack was out of sorts, so we all took turns wandering the market and the side streets. I decided to do a “doors” project with my camera. There are so many styles and the iron grating patterns are numerous. Some doors are very fancy and refurbished or new, while others remain ancient and worn. I doubt that is an indication of what is inside.
Our house has a very warn, wooden door with an old-fashioned latch and requires a big skeleton key to open it, but the inside has seen major renovations. Photo album coming up soon of FB.
I sat on the roof deck this afternoon, enjoying the blazing blue sky and cool breezes and listening to a family across the way have a very loud, melodic conversation. It is not quiet in the neighbourhood where we live! Most families have several children, and there is a lot of crying and yelling. They do it all with gusto.
Because houses are attached and share tiny, open areas, they also share cooking fragrances, music, television shows, and conversations! Most Canadians have no idea how lucky they are to have so much space.
Children here play on their steps or just outside their doorways. Even the laundry is put right outside the doorway on racks to dry. My clothes are going to think they have gone to heaven when they get dried in a dryer next week. I open my walk-in window to find myself at the door under the stone stairs leading to our main entrance. Inside is the washing machine, so that is handy. When a load is finished, I hang everything on hangers or drape items over the day bed in my room.
It sounds rather inconvenient, but works very well actually. Because it is humid here, it does take several hours to dry things unless there is a breeze.
We leave by train for Geneva, Switzerland on Thursday morning, then have a flight on Friday to London, England, then Toronto and finally Calgary, arriving home Friday evening.
It will be a long trip home and we will have gained the 8 hours we lost on arrival in Paris. It will be good to have a long weekend to decompress before going back to real life on Tuesday.
My plan is to head to my church in the Pass for the weekend. I would like to take my jet lag to Allison for a picnic and perhaps do some painting. This time I do not mean walls. Finally, I mean canvases! It has been a long, long time. Coming to France has healed what has ailed my creativity, I think. I also plan to learn French.
I have made a promise to myself that my job is not going to be my life from this point on. It will take up part of my time, but not the most important part. Amen to that!
I want to talk to our landlord about taxes, etc. in Agde. It would not cost a lot to live here on a pension if one owned their home. . . . There I go, dreaming again. But what is life without dreams?
Tags: Agde, beggars, Crocs, Doors, doors-photos, France, French-grandmother, grandson, gypsies, jet-lag, Jim-Morrison, Lourdes, Montpellier, roof-deck, skeleton-key, travel
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