Derelict--Make Up Attempt #2

From the kitchen window

My second half of July was quiet as I couldn't really walk for extended distances and times.  Not being able to wear shoes will do that to a person. One does not need shoes, however, to dust and wash the floors.   Quiet as the second half of the month might have been, it was not uneventful.

I love the silhouettes of my neighbors on their roofs

Plenty of oooh's and aahh's

I had a front row seat for the fireworks of July 14.  They are world-class and I heard that there were 700,000 people in town to watch them.  That's surely possible, because you can see them not only along the River Aude, but there are some perfect vantage points along the Canal as well.  I enjoyed them from the privacy of my kitchen window and got some interesting shots and a great video of the finale.  

Their train arrives

Guests arrived the following week.  Jen Berger, a woman with whom I worked in Brookings and her sister Kim arrived for a quick hello on their way to Barcelona where they would board a cruise ship for ports of call along the Mediterranean.  Kim's son is a dancer employed by the cruise line, so there would be a reunion of sorts as well.  

Dinner and a concert--10 P.M. or so

I met them at the train station--I was wearing shoes for short periods of time now, as my toes were healing and I did not want to re-injure them.  We returned to the apartment and then headed out the door to Place Carnot for some supper.  I had maybe the best veggie burger I have ever eaten---so good.  I told my guests that I had arranged a concert in their honor and they thought I was joking.  I was about the arranging and it being in their honor, but we were treated to a free performance by Kid Creole and his Coconuts....all as part of the Festival of Carcassonne, which spans the entire month of July.  Big name acts cost money and their concerts take place up in the outdoor theater in La Cite.  Other acts--the B list??? perform for free at a stage set up at Place Carnot.  The restaurants benefit from the crowd, it's all outside and is really relaxed.  Kid Creole was quite the showman.

Scoring socks at the Arab market

The next day Jen and Kim went off to the Cite, exploring the Chateau Comtal and the various stores and boutiques selling a variety of kitch and very expensive clothes.  That night I took them to my go-to restaurant, Le Ble Noir, a creperie offering genuine Normandy whole wheat savory crepes,  I have never been disappointed in the food and the owner is a charmer.....usually giving me a hard time about my language skills.  He has been seen feeding the homeless once regular service is done---so he gets MY business such that it is.

Saturday we were off to the markets, both the "Arab" market and the food market.  I scored some socks--three pair for 1 Euro.....and some spices and almond meal at the Arab market.  We stopped at Place Carnot, as the locals do, for coffee and a croissant.  I do love Saturday market, even with the annoying tourists who clog up the aisles, gawking at the red peppers and fava beans.  I got another melon--they have been so good this season.  

Too soon it was time for Jen and Kim to catch their train to Barca.   I took a nap.   We had a day or two of cooler weather and a little rain, to settle the dust.  I made real progress on my translation work--I have about  50 more pages to go.  Enforced house-boundedness meant that I made some significant progress on what has turned out to be a fascinating labor of love.  

Rain on my office window

 

 

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