Saturday is market day in Pernes-les-Fontaines

Saturday is market day in my favorite little town Pernes-les-Fontaines. The market is small but very nice and there is an air of little town because so many people at the market seem to know each other. This is the little footbridge over the mostly dry riverbed from the parking area.

I've been to market here twice this time around and each time was a lovely moment.

Garlic, shallots and onions!!

I like to go up to the local "Presse/Tabac" on the main street to buy my weekend Figaro newspaper and news magazine. The first market day I stepped out of the shop to see these sweet little donkeys waiting across the street.

At the top of the market new herb plants were for sale

and of course since it is strawberry season in "strawberry land" I came home with a basket of these beauties! They were so fragrant that the car smelled like a strawberry field! They didn't last very long at home either. It makes my mouth water to even look at this photo!!!

Its always fun to see what the "looks" are in market fashion. Of course there is still plenty of lace around and scarves too...the summer things have not quite come out yet. This kind of obi style tie belt is all over right now...these are lace with ribbon ties.

Around Eastertime there is always a big Spanish style Feria going on in Arles (which is on the edge of French cowboy land the Camargue). Pernes is also very connected to this tradition and on the Saturday before Easter there were "gardians" and their white horses doing an "Abrivado" with young bulls. The tradition is from a time when bulls were raised out in the wild and the ranchers brought them in to the arenas (yes, they do bullfighting in Provence). Each "ranch" had a "manade" which is what the wild green areas are called so now I guess the ranch is referred to as a "manade." Anyway it was such an interesting event. I've seen them before and they are quite amazing. In this photo the "gardians" (cowboys) are riding in on their very special Camarguais horses. These are the horses that are born black or gray and turn white as they mature. They are also the calmest and sweetest horses I've ever seen. The lead gardian has a pole with a trident at the end which is used to keep the bulls in check. 

The gardians in Pernes went back and forth several times (they were all mostly in Provençal print shirts with great colors...even hot pink)

and there was music playing too by this band who strolled through the market to call us all over to watch.

The horses group around the bulls to keep them in a cluster to move them along and its really a lovely sight to see. In this photo the bulls are released to run free before the horses gather in and sort of wrap around them.

I'll try to get the photos JC took and put them into a later post. Both Maya and Oscar just loved watching the demonstration and listening to the band!! Here we are heading back to the car...Maya has a new scarf...her 8th birthday was Sunday!

What is a post about Provence without blooming red poppies...these blossoms were on the corner of a car repair shop just as you drive out of Pernes! They just plant themselves and make the whole area bright! Love that red.

This new exhibit is at the local museum and it is something I won't miss. These are gowns from turn of the last century Provençal dress from a special museum of historic clothing of the region. Should be very pretty.

Next time I'll have some shop windows from Avignon. Went to have a haircut with Corinne and later checked out what was new. I think they change window displays every week here! A bientôt.