Monday, January 10, 2011

2late 2b ^ .

Time : 10:08pm


Location : my bed, skyping with a homunculus

Weather : well, it finally rained again


this was not painted

This morning I woke up at the perfect time. I was so pleased.

Marie-Anne and I went to a different Carrefour to get some groceries. I had all kind of fun picking out things I wanted to eat. Things like cereals, and ooh! I found some peanut butter! I know what I’m having for breakfast tomorrow morning! And I picked out some soya yogurt for dessert. I had some after supper and it was simply scrumptious! The trip to the grocery store was a very good one. I missed grocery shopping.


Gorgeously old balconies

Next we went to the market. By the way, this market is not in Luynes, or Les Milles. We were in the opposite direction in Gardanne. Anyway, this city has a market every Sunday morning.
Marie-Anne buying olives.
check out the olives and
sauces.

This market was spectacular. They had everything you could imagine. But let me give you a little bit of the ambiance too. Marie-Anne and I walk into the market area, which is of course outdoors and simply takes over the main street of Gardanne. We walk by the fruit and vegetables, lots of lettuce and egg plant, onions and potatoes. Nothing too out of the ordinary, just simple farmers selling their good. Then of course you see the many cheese stands, full rounds of cheese, of course with the stereotypical slice cut out of them. There are the chickens on the rotisseries, just a sizzling away and the men with their stinky fish. The weirdest thing I find it that the red meat they have just laying (well, in coolers of course, just without packaging). Like really, do they have health regulations here? Oh, and I have to mention the tables and tables of olives and spices and sauces, and of course a huge array of preserves. I had so much fun picking out couple kinds of olives for our lunch. We continue for another block or so, still in the food section, then we get to the clothes section. I guess it was more than a clothes section, although you could find any kind of clothing there, women’s men’s, children’s, accessories from wallets and purses to scarves and belts, and hats of all kinds. There was absolutely everything there from umbrellas to children’s toys to make up and toiletries. This place was better stocked than Carrefour and had better prices. To put the cherry on top, this place was open on a Sunday morning (well, it’s only open on Sundays).
an old styled city

On to Gardanne. Gardanne is a very unique city. Lots of people actually like it more than Aix. It has much for entertainment and attractions, although I don’t know what they are. This is a mining town. There is a mine almost right in the town. They mine for aluminum and maybe iron. All the dust from the mine covers the town and turns everything red. Everything from the buildings to the benches to the flower pots to the sidewalks. All I see is red, red, red. It is actually really pretty. You can tell where the older buildings are because they are redder.


turning red.
also;
the stop sign is not in french.

Gardanne is a working town. Everyone there is a worker of some sort. Well, not everyone, but the majority of the people. It also is not as rich Aix, which is a more upper middle class city. That is why Aix is more expensive than Gardanne; the people have money to burn. Gardanne is also known as the Red City. For more than just the fact that the city is literally red. Red is the European color for communism. You guessed it, Gardanne is also a fairly communist city. Interesting eh? I think so, except that is all I know on the subject.

Time to move on!


Everything is turned red

Once we got all the groceries put away, Marie-Anne and I made a wonderful lunch. This was the first time I tried blood sausage. As gross as it sounds, it is so delicious. I enjoyed every bite of it with my potato puree, which was also spectacular. For a while now, Marie-Anne has been talking about this kind of cheese that is like Roquefort only not as strong. I really do not like Roquefort, it creeps all the way up into my nose and ruins whatever I eat after it. For those of you who don’t know your fromages, Roquefort is a kind of blue cheese, so was this cheese that I tried today. Turns out I liked it. I am not the hugest fan and will most likely always choose something else over it. Oh, and we had baked apples with cinnamon for dessert. Oh that was a good lunch!

Red Gardanne


Then I went for a very long two hour walk. Actually, the walk itself did not seem very long. Just walked to Narnia and a little farther down a road I had never been then back.

never grows old


So I noticed something. There are a lot of planes that fly over. These planes are of all kinds. If I was big into planes, I would be in plane watcher heaven. Sadly I am not big into planes and I can not tell you all the different kinds of planes that fly over my head. They sure make a racket though.


The Specials' building...


While walking, I came across a house, I think/hope it was a house, that looked exactly the same as I imagined the buildings for the Specials to be in the Uglies book. If you haven’t read the books, then you just won’t understand. I was so creeped out by this building. I got this really negative vibe from it that I just knew that bad things happen in this building. I hope I never find myself in this building. Ever.

olive garden


I made it back to the house, thankfully. And proceeded to make some colourful pencil crayon drawings to lighten my mood and decorate a lucky person’s letter.

We also took down the Christmas tree. It took next to no time in comparison the time it takes my family to take off each of our ornaments, put them in each of our boxes, in the right compartment and check it off on the list. I kind of feel like we made Christmas too complicated. I also put away the Nativity scene and wound up the tree lights. It was not very exciting, in case you were wondering.

these trees are actually pretty big


Supper time came and went. We had the most delicious lime-chicken with ginger on rice ever! For dessert we had a gallette, which is also known a French King’s Cake. This cake has a little figurine hidden in it and who ever bites into it is the lucky king, and might need dental work.


Creche

As you can tell from my end time, I had a very good Skype session again today. I really enjoyed watching Carol, Adrienne and Jessica eat their cookies. It was great to sit at your dinner table.

Good morning y’all.

12:23 am

6 comments:

  1. I actually laughed out loud at the homunculus comment, well played mind frond.
    And our dinner table misses you very much, as do our leftovers. Also, I'm almost positive we have wayyyy too many cookies in our pantry.
    Peak Frean, anyone?
    Oops, I suppose that's not a cookie..
    My mistake

    ReplyDelete
  2. Theyre not cookies, theyre peak freans.
    btw, what kind of name is that haha a cookie name. duh
    im pretty sure i eat all the left overs here too.. seeing as we havent been having anything to eat on sundays lately..

    ReplyDelete
  3. You can help us un-decorate our tree next year if you're around. We will let you carefully put your ornaments in their special places in your ornament box and check them off yourself, then you won't feel so left out. I know you missed it ;P

    The boys actually got it done pretty quick. I didn't do a thing!!

    The market sounds fabulous.

    ReplyDelete
  4. well, it really does not take long to dismantle a tree. you just have to let people get it done hahaa
    and i did miss it.
    the market was fabulous. i plan on going back regardless of the weather (not that thats really an issue for me) on sunday.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Too late to be up...very clever...and I got it!! Even more amazing!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. My mission to deliver information and educate is complete.
    haha
    and it really was not that late, I was just reallllllly tired.

    ReplyDelete