Some more Avignon and other things

I still have quite a lot of photos of shop windows and other things we've done around here so I'm going to put some of them into this post. The magazine Côté Sud has its focus this month on Avignon "La singulière" so I'll talk a bit about the various short trips we've taken over there. It is great that this wonderful city is so close by and we know of the best, free parking lot with a view so whenever we feel the need to checkout interesting things we go over there. Even for an hour you feel like you've been gone for the day!!

We stopped over right before Easter so I could go to see my favorite hairdresser Corinne and of course the shops on that beautiful chic street had already changed displays. This shop had denim the first time around. Notice all the ruffles on the dress on the right...lots of that in the streets now too when there is no wind!

 These are the gorgeous strong colors of Olivades which you can see in their scarves as well.

There were these rather unique Easter decorations on the cement posts along the street.

Can you see the fluffy little yellow chicks in nests?? These decorations were very unexpected and so sweet. They stayed put even in the strong wind that started up that morning.

After my haircut, JC took me out to lunch in this lovely, enclosed garden restaurant just down the street. We got to sit outside in the sun and we were protected from wind gusts too.

 I'm looking a bit wind blown here!!

Lunch started with this vegetable assortment...the white is goat cheese wrapped in slices of aubergine! Yum.

This woman in her very up to date yellow blouse with wide sleeves and ruffles was waiting for a table...skinny jeans and ballet flats down below.

Here is some more yellow, this time eyelet, in a boutique down the street.

After lunch we strolled a bit and looked at all the stores and buildings. Most shops close for the noon hour so I could take any pictures I wanted. I just want to say again for you blue sky thirsty Portlanders that the sky when there is a Mistral is really this blue but the wind is really tiring after a while. Plus and minuses everywhere.

What do you think of these wonderful shoe colors in this very nice men's store? Personally I love them (and especially in a group like this)...I would choose orange or purple!! Those are socks in the back like slices of yellow and green pears.

This is the Repetto boutique...if the store was open I could never have gotten this great photo...I love the chandeliers and on the right hand side the wall of ballet toe shoes for dancers. All the little touches in here are so appealing...the little gold ladder to the toe shoes, the pretty round tables with street shoes. So full of panache!

In this boutique colors were mostly denim blue and natural shades. The skirt on the far left is layers of sheer organza. I've seen many women here in skirts like this but in layers of tulle like ballerinas...even women my own age and it looks really lovely! With a tee shirt....wow!

The name of this shop made me smile...is this a brand I've not heard about?? Anton and I like to collect sayings in English from tee shirts over here and one tee shirt said "Super dry Southside." Any ideas??  

I liked the creative items in this tiny shop...mostly specialty papers and stationary and also art pieces like the couple made of paper and also hand printed cards. I was sorry it was closed because I thought I spied some lovely notebooks inside and if you know me at all you know I just love a new notebook!

On a more somber note...this plaque is on the wall of the Lycée Joseph Vernet. It is a reminder of the war in Algeria because all around it in the stone walls are traces of bullets! A woman passing in the street saw us looking and told us the meaning of it. It was a very troubling time in French history from 1954-1962 with terrorist attacks and settling of debts in the streets all over the country. Made me pause and think. On the walls of a high school...les blessures de la memoire...(wounds of memory).

I am still collecting photos of the wonderful deux chevaux cars and although I've seen a few passing by on the road when we are driving this is the first one I saw parked and its a little camion...it was outside of the cathedral in Pernes and probably belonged to one of the gardians who brought the horses. This car to me has such a smiley look it makes me feel happy. Like that vanilla color too.

Maya likes this custard dessert which is a type of flan. You peel off the top, which has a quiz question for you, and flip it over on the plate. Then you pull off the silver tab and the flan slips out whole onto your plate. Pretty interesting don't you think??? Looks for food are very important in France!!

 Try this quiz question before you read the answer to the right (if you can see it ;-))...

Here's a nice message on a sugar cube from a café...

And the cheese course in a little bistro in St. Saturnin les Avignon...a very tasty selection I might add!

Here are a few last shots in Avignon...Maya doing her modeling (in a Columbia Sportswear vest) and the band we saw playing "Raspoutine" on the Place de l'Horloge and finally with JC on the way back to the car.

We are heading up to Bretagne on Monday (tomorrow for us) and I'll try to send out some more photos I haven't yet shared. I do really have lots more to share but sometimes the time just gets away from me. Now we have to pack and clean up the house so I'll say...à bientôt!