Allo!
Well, the Brucato’s are having a day off ... in response to the Gentle Readers who were having a difficult time keeping up with all of our activities! Well, possibly not a day off ... To pick up last night for dinner ... we went out around 8 p.m., having had rather a late lunch, and found a nice little place, Chez Daniel, on a side street near the hotel. R was the hungrier of the two of us, and he ordered a set menu with a starter of moules gratinee (mussels with a cheese sauce) followed by rouget and rice, both of which were terrific! (See pictures.) I had a salade verte and a pizza marguerita (tomato sauce, fromage and jambon); just right for me! As we were eating, another couple came into the restaurant, and we ended up having a lovely evening together! They (David and Pat) are a newly retired couple from Sheffield, England, and are touring the south of France on a motorcycle while contemplating a retirement location! Such fun! He is a professor emeritus of Economics at University of Sheffield; Pat is a nurse; both great fun to talk to! Did get me thinking, however, as we get ready to schlep luggage to Italy, how much exactly would fit into a BMW motorcycle...
So...up by 6:40 a.m. this morning, as we (for some unknown reason; just my obsession...) wanted to be at the laundromat by 7, when it opened. R had been collecting change (which was good, as the change dispenser wasn’t working...) and we got everything going. At the same time, we’d schlepped over our mail-ables; all the stuff we wanted to send home via French post. Left the laundry drying (which took a LONG time...) to be at the post office when it opened at 8:30 ... problem was, there were already about 25 people in line before us! Whew! Waited while the line processed through, and surprised a French postal worker with our request for a large boite for les Etats-Unis! (The French post office has boxes in several sizes, and you pay by the box; good deal!) Unloaded the rest of our French books and maps, as well as the incredible accumulation of “stuff” that we always manage to pick up. Got it (hopefully) safely on its way, collected the by-now dry laundry, and voila, two jobs accomplished! It was also market day in town, and wow, what a market! All kinds of stuff, from foods – produce, cheeses, fish – to soaps and makeup and wonderful French fabrics and clothes! I so wished Anne would have been here, so she could help me figure out how much fabric I’d need for tablecloths and napkins – would also like to recover some furniture; most of the prints are so colorful; very cheerful! However, Brucato rule that NOTHING was going to be purchased today that couldn’t be consumed by tonight ... so we both did without...if only for the sake of the luggage! Got back to the hotel and asked the wonderful receptionist (everyone here has been incredibly nice!) if she could recommend a hair dresser, as my hair just WAY too long...and I’d asked R if he’d like to shorten it up, and for some reason, he declined!! The receptionist walked me around the corner to the shop that also cuts the hotel owner’s wife’s hair and another employee. They were very kind, and (all this in French, mind you, as neither of the gals in the shop seemed to speak English...) told me to wait and they would be happy to help! So...there is something truly nerve-wracking about sitting there waiting ... for something to happen to your head...I kept telling myself that it was “only” hair, and that it would/could always grow back, but that isn’t really confidence-building, is it? At any rate, this was 1) the fastest haircut I’ve ever had, (that gal’s hands and scissors were flying!) and 2) the quietest haircut I’ve ever had! Except to ask (via meaningful hand gestures) if I wanted it cut over my ears, that was about it! And I love it! So again, thanks to Joan Mould, who gets her hair cut all over the world and never worries about it! You gave me the courage to do what you do – SO relieved! By this time it was late-lunch time, and we went to the little restaurant next to the hotel. Lovely patio; lots of shade and good wine! (Chateauneuf-du-Pape in Red for R and White for me! Thought as we were in the area, might as well...) We both had breasola salads with parmesian cheese for starters. I had the fusilli with tomato/basil sauce, and R had the seiche (cuttlefish) with petit pois (little peas) and rice. He said it was great; I was leaving it up to him! Have now retired back to our room for some well-earned R&R. Don’t have to leave too early tomorrow, but do have to organize and pack, and then head to the train station in Marseille to turn the car in ... train to Gerona, Spain, and stay overnight before our Saturday flight to Roma! So, signing off for the moment! More later!!
Much love,
m
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