HOWe Things Are…

It was a market day today. Did some shopping and Robin bought flowers (to plant) from the flower section which was in the square with the clock tower.

And we had lunch at a French restaurant. Learned some things: (a) they have “service” at a certain time, not like hours during which you can come but a service like when you’re on a cruise and (b) there are “menu” options for how big an appetite you have and then a la carte things.  Like all the words I know, but I see where they came from.  It is pretty much like cruise meals, except you’re paying. Right, so say you pick the big appetite one, there’s courses, each with options. But just one price. It was interesting.  I had a menu in English, but it kind of didn’t help because the descriptions still had lots of French in them. I also thought it was hilarious that we arrive at like one minute to noon. The service allegedly starts at noon. And the guy says we should come back in dix minutes. So far time things have cracked me up. Our 45 minute boat tour yesterday lasted for 55 minutes and left 5 minutes before they said they would (hopefully we didn’t leave anyone behind). Our bus to come home arrived (and left) five minutes early (or 10 minutes late if it was the one before the one we were planning to take). I have no idea why I find this amusing. Wait, possibly because I’m on vacation?

I felt great with all my little market transactions today and then we went to the grocery store and she didn’t say “Bonjour”, she said something else. And at the end, she said a whole sentence, and I was expecting “Merci”. There’s a script I learned. She says “bonjour”, I say “bonjour”, She says how much it is, I read how much it is off the screen or hand over bills approximating what I think it is and then she hands me change and says “merci” and then I say “merci”. It’s been working great so far. And then the Casino (the name of the grocery store is Casino) lady starts mixing things up.

Meanwhile it is hot, as promised. The real heat is supposed to arrive this weekend, when I will be getting out of Dodge (well, back to hot North Carolina, but we do have air conditioning there). Tomorrow is my big Avignon adventure. Way excited. Oh, and either I will go for a combo run + get cash from an ATM machine or possibly, just run. Plan for the cash portion prior to arriving at the bus station tomorrow. The options are many. Because? I’m so on vacation.