Market Day!!!! Today was the first time I went to the open-air market here and it was everything I hoped it would be and more. One part of the market had lots of plants and flowers along with some books, clothes, shoes, and purses. However the other part had produce, cheese, meats (raw and cooked), wine, olive oil, fish, fresh crêpes, bread, pastries, and much more I'm sure I'm forgetting. The first time I walked through, I was so overwhelmed by everything around me that was happening! I wasn't sure how the lines worked or how I got help to pick out what I wanted, so I ended up going to the stands with the least amount of people at them (which probably wasn't a good sign about the produce...) but at least I was able to figure out what I wanted and how to ask for it with a little less pressure. I ended up buying strawberries, nectarines, a pot of flowers, and a baguette that stuck out of my tote bag in true French fashion. The market was so exciting and interesting and I can't wait to head back next Sunday morning!
After the market, I went to a play in the Cité Plantagenêt (the old city) put on by a local community-type theater. I understood some of what happened in the play, but the most interesting part was the "theater". The play took place in the cellar of a medieval house. It was cave-like and completely paved with stones, off which the sound bounced very well so no matter where the voice was coming from in the room, it could be heard very clearly! We then got to walk around the city with one of the French students, Pauline, who showed us good places to eat and the old Roman wall that defines one side of the city. From July 4 through August 29, there is La Nuit des Chimères during which pictures and stories are projected onto this wall with multiple projectors - similar, I believe, to the shows that take place on Cinderella's castle before the fireworks in Disney World where animations are projected onto the castle. She also told me that a lot of students live in the apartments in this part of the city because they're cheap. That absolutely blew my mind to imagine living in a medieval building - we have nothing even remotely similar to that in America. In addition, the buildings have been so well maintained that they're still inhabitable after ~8000 years? That's absolutely incredible to me. It's another example of how the French live their daily lives right next to this immense history and don't even bat an eye. I cannot imagine living in an apartment in which a family was once concerned about catching the black plague.
To finish off the evening, I went to a restaurant in the Cité Plantagenêt with Esther for dinner because all stores are closed on Sunday and we both forgot to buy food for dinner earlier in the week. We ended up going to Aux Cocottes Sarthoises without knowing what a cocotte was. It turns out, its a meal that is served in a small type of cast-iron skillet. I wanted the cocotte du jour but the waiter said that they weren't serving that so under pressure, I just randomly picked one which, I believe, was veal with cooked rice and carrots in a butter-cream sauce. It was absolutely incredible and I sopped up every last bit of it with the bread on the table. If nothing else, the food in France, Le Mans specifically, is wonderful even if you don't know exactly what you're ordering.
Thumbs up. Very interesting!
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing the market is another day of the week too - they're usually two days a week (Poitiers is Sundays and Wednesdays). There may be other markets in different locations depending on the size of the city. And the whole historic, medieval buildings that we walk past every day just blew my mind too (still does!) ;)
ReplyDeleteLoving every word of this blog - keep it up!! <3