Pezenas is a really fun place. We're staying for another night - at least.
We had a few more drinks. The owner of the cafe spoke as much English as we speak French, which is none, but once he worked out we were Australians, he kept the drinks coming. Le Chat Botte was the name of the cafe and it is a great place to sit and watch the world go by if you're ever in Pezenas. It was about now that the owner came out and asked us to stand, then he took our chairs away. I must say I was a little surprised. Then he and his wife carried out a lounge for us to sit on. Much more comfortable. Merci.
Then the show started. Wow. It was a Cirque du Soleil type high wire show, with great music and amazing performers. here are a few photos...
After the show finished there were feathers at least six inches deep covering the whole square. People were scooping them up and throwing them in the air, piling them on friends, and throwing them at each other. This went on for about an hour, and was still happening when we left.
We said goodnight to the cafe owner, who was now our best mate, and staggered back to the hotel. For some reason, ten minutes later, our room was full of feathers...
I don't know what the hotel staff will think in the morning when they come to clean our room!
Here's a link to a video of Saturday night's show in Pezenas. It's pretty long so you might just want to watch the show and a bit of the feather fight afterwards.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xvz30j_2012-pezenas-inauguration-du-cours_creation#.UNFmmuTm50k
We had a fantastic day, and night. We haven't had a chance to look around the town yet, so we have decided to stay for another night, at least.
15/12/12
What a day. It was another memorable one that's for sure.
It started out pretty normally. We walked out of our hotel to look for the Saturday Markets. We didn't have to look very far, the first stall was about twenty five yards from our front door.
We saw a few stalls selling clothing, then we found some people fundraising for an animal welfare group. They had a cat, a rabbit and, wait for it, a pygmy pig there. He was sooooo cute, and so happy. He didn't stop wagging his tail the whole time we were there. Suzanne picked him up and he squealed like a, like a pig I guess. (Insert Suzanne here . . . "this one's for you Kyla")
The challenge was out there. I reckoned I could pick up the pig without him squealing. I got his front feet up no problem, and with a little time I'm sure we'd work it out. Suzanne maintains it didn't count because I didn't get his back feet off the ground.
We very happily made our way around the rest of he market checking out all the stalls. The big difference between this market and the Fremantle Markets and the Queen Victoria Markets in Melbourne is...no one here has a stall jam packed with cheap crap imported from China. The clothing was all good quality, and very fashionable. I'm not sure if Spain has influenced France here, or the other way round, but there was a lot of nice stuff available.
We made our way to the central square, passing some carol singers along the way.
Then we found the part of the market that sold food, and what a selection they had. I wish we had a trailer with a large fridge behind the bike. We would have spent up big. Succulent fresh fruit, awesome flowers, tasty meat, aromatic cheese, and huge oysters were just a few of the goodies available.
We found a stall selling Paella and another dish of mixed meat and vege and decided it was time for lunch. A little park across the road provided the perfect setting four our meal and we devoured our find. We even had our own musical accompaniment, a busker playing the accordion. It doesn't get much better.
The sad side was the park also had a war memorial dedicated to those from this town who gave their lives in the defence of France. There are about 360 names on this memorial. It always makes me sad when I read through the names and frequently see three or four names with the same surname. What devastation that must have brought to those families. And why? Because someone wanted something someone else had. I'm so glad that we've outgrown this now, and only fight good wars about one people's imaginary friend being better than another's imaginary friend. It makes so much more sense.
The bottom line is the average person in the street doesn't care. They just want to live their life, make a few bucks to pay their bills, and hope their kids have a bit better life than they did. That never started a war.
We took a slow, quiet walk back to the square and along the way we saw this sign...
What a day. It was another memorable one that's for sure.
It started out pretty normally. We walked out of our hotel to look for the Saturday Markets. We didn't have to look very far, the first stall was about twenty five yards from our front door.
We saw a few stalls selling clothing, then we found some people fundraising for an animal welfare group. They had a cat, a rabbit and, wait for it, a pygmy pig there. He was sooooo cute, and so happy. He didn't stop wagging his tail the whole time we were there. Suzanne picked him up and he squealed like a, like a pig I guess. (Insert Suzanne here . . . "this one's for you Kyla")
The challenge was out there. I reckoned I could pick up the pig without him squealing. I got his front feet up no problem, and with a little time I'm sure we'd work it out. Suzanne maintains it didn't count because I didn't get his back feet off the ground.
If I had a younger brother, he'd look just like this.
We very happily made our way around the rest of he market checking out all the stalls. The big difference between this market and the Fremantle Markets and the Queen Victoria Markets in Melbourne is...no one here has a stall jam packed with cheap crap imported from China. The clothing was all good quality, and very fashionable. I'm not sure if Spain has influenced France here, or the other way round, but there was a lot of nice stuff available.
We made our way to the central square, passing some carol singers along the way.
Christmas carols helped make it the season to be jolly,
fa la la la la, la la la la.
Then we found the part of the market that sold food, and what a selection they had. I wish we had a trailer with a large fridge behind the bike. We would have spent up big. Succulent fresh fruit, awesome flowers, tasty meat, aromatic cheese, and huge oysters were just a few of the goodies available.
I think this is the first time I've ever seen real holly.
Mmmmmmm. Meat and cheese.
Biggest oysters I've ever seen.
The fruit part of fruit and vege.
I wonder how much that apartment is?
That one probably has a better outlook.
This one has a garage for my bikes.
We found a stall selling Paella and another dish of mixed meat and vege and decided it was time for lunch. A little park across the road provided the perfect setting four our meal and we devoured our find. We even had our own musical accompaniment, a busker playing the accordion. It doesn't get much better.
Lunch time. One large paella please.
Rockin' it in the park.
The sad side was the park also had a war memorial dedicated to those from this town who gave their lives in the defence of France. There are about 360 names on this memorial. It always makes me sad when I read through the names and frequently see three or four names with the same surname. What devastation that must have brought to those families. And why? Because someone wanted something someone else had. I'm so glad that we've outgrown this now, and only fight good wars about one people's imaginary friend being better than another's imaginary friend. It makes so much more sense.
The bottom line is the average person in the street doesn't care. They just want to live their life, make a few bucks to pay their bills, and hope their kids have a bit better life than they did. That never started a war.
Who knows what these people might have achieved,
if they had the chance?
We took a slow, quiet walk back to the square and along the way we saw this sign...
From what we worked out, there was a celebration to open the square. It must be fairly new. So we did what any Aussie would do. We found a bar with prime seating to watch the show. The only problem was it was only about one o'clock, and the show didn't start until six.
Spot the Suzanne.
So we had a few of these...
...and a few more, and a few more, and so on...
About four o'clock I went back to the hotel and got our jackets because we thought it might get cold later.
On the way back to the bar I met Bertrand. Bertrand has a really cool DR350 Suzuki. Check it out...
Bertrand told me about Cafe nearby where English speakers go on Sunday morning. Apparently Pezenas is full of Aussies. We might have to make a visit tomorrow morning for a coffee.
When I got back to the bar they were rehearsing the show. It was a high wire act. We watched the rehearsals and thought we probably had the best seats in the house. We were ready, so we had a few more drinks.
As we sat there we watched kids playing soccer and messing around in the neat little fountain that operates in the square. There were lots of social dogs running around, off their leads, and I don't think any of them were registered. Everyone was having fun and there were no hassles at all. I couldn't help but think this whole set up would never work in Perth because all the Occupational Health and Safety Nazis would require a hundred reams of paperwork and set unrealistic safety requirements. My god, I even saw an electrical cable laying on the ground without safety cones, or flashing lights, or a guy in a dayglo vest. Oh yes, they don't wear those stupid dayglo vests here either. We really have turned Australia into a nanny country. it's a shame.
Anyway, everyone was having fun...
...and a few more, and a few more, and so on...
About four o'clock I went back to the hotel and got our jackets because we thought it might get cold later.
I'll point out now that it was sixteen degrees today. I never thought sunshine could feel so good. Here's the proof.
On the way back to the bar I met Bertrand. Bertrand has a really cool DR350 Suzuki. Check it out...
I want to build one when I get home. I reckon total cost would be about $2,500. I'll use the excuse that I'm building it for Suzanne. Don't tell her it's really for me, OK?
Bertrand told me about Cafe nearby where English speakers go on Sunday morning. Apparently Pezenas is full of Aussies. We might have to make a visit tomorrow morning for a coffee.
When I got back to the bar they were rehearsing the show. It was a high wire act. We watched the rehearsals and thought we probably had the best seats in the house. We were ready, so we had a few more drinks.
As we sat there we watched kids playing soccer and messing around in the neat little fountain that operates in the square. There were lots of social dogs running around, off their leads, and I don't think any of them were registered. Everyone was having fun and there were no hassles at all. I couldn't help but think this whole set up would never work in Perth because all the Occupational Health and Safety Nazis would require a hundred reams of paperwork and set unrealistic safety requirements. My god, I even saw an electrical cable laying on the ground without safety cones, or flashing lights, or a guy in a dayglo vest. Oh yes, they don't wear those stupid dayglo vests here either. We really have turned Australia into a nanny country. it's a shame.
Anyway, everyone was having fun...
Check out the football (soccer ball) in the water jet from the fountain. These boys kept putting the ball back in the jet. They played for hours.
Great fountain in the square.
The crane in the background held the cables for the show.
It's water, it's moving, and it's bigger than me.
Excitement.
Wonder if I could ride the BM through there
as well as this guy rode his scooter?
We had a few more drinks. The owner of the cafe spoke as much English as we speak French, which is none, but once he worked out we were Australians, he kept the drinks coming. Le Chat Botte was the name of the cafe and it is a great place to sit and watch the world go by if you're ever in Pezenas. It was about now that the owner came out and asked us to stand, then he took our chairs away. I must say I was a little surprised. Then he and his wife carried out a lounge for us to sit on. Much more comfortable. Merci.
Then the show started. Wow. It was a Cirque du Soleil type high wire show, with great music and amazing performers. here are a few photos...
The show started with this girl slowly emptying a suitcase full of feathers on the crowd below.
This guy "walked" down the wire upside down.
Then just hung around for a while.
An upside down pillow fight about twenty metres up in the air. We're starting to see some serious feathers now.
A giant angel floated in to sat hi...
...and played with the performers.
The final part of the act saw the cocoon type object travel the length of the wire and dump a couple of truckloads of feathers on the audience.
Just like snow, but not cold.
This is how Suzanne looked after the show...
...and after a bit of help from me.
We said goodnight to the cafe owner, who was now our best mate, and staggered back to the hotel. For some reason, ten minutes later, our room was full of feathers...
More feathers...
I wonder why?
I don't know what the hotel staff will think in the morning when they come to clean our room!
Here's a link to a video of Saturday night's show in Pezenas. It's pretty long so you might just want to watch the show and a bit of the feather fight afterwards.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xvz30j_2012-pezenas-inauguration-du-cours_creation#.UNFmmuTm50k
We had a fantastic day, and night. We haven't had a chance to look around the town yet, so we have decided to stay for another night, at least.
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