Fete de Paella

Last night was a pre-Bastille Day celebration held in Eygalieres, a large dinner held in the middle of the small village, with about one-thousand people sitting in a very civilized, organized manner eating paella, melon, bread, wine, and ice cream for 18 euro per person, plus very good entertainment. Tables were set with silver ware and plates, napkins, bottles of water, lining the street. Unlike America, the chairs were tilted forward against the table to signify that the seats were available. There were old and young, many dogs, mostly French but a few Americans and British. The several bars in the square were serving drinks to the masses of people, but no one was out of control. We had taken the dog with us and she attracted the attention of one gentlemen who began to speak to me with great enthusiasm, asking in French of this was a PBGV. That was the extent of what I could understand, although he seemed to be saying that he had one also. Later, at the end of the evening I was standing about 10 feet away from where he had seen me and he was walking with a larger PBGV, and his wife looking for me. D. came and interpreted for me that the other dog was now 11, a male, who he kept his hair cut short in the summer due to the heat. But he and his wife loved this dog, who was very sweet, and similar to ours in personality.

We also met a family from Philadelphia. I always believe my life is not six degrees of separation but two. As we talked it became clear that we knew someone in common, someone I used to work with. How small is my world.

Earlier in the day, D. and I had another GPS driving adventure. We began a drive toward Apt where D. had seen a sign for a fete de Miel that he believed was being held on the 13th, in Caumont. I had researched via internet the night before but found nothing and believed he had confused the dates. We arrived in Caumont but found no fete, so we continued further arriving finally in a small village, Gault, where the fete will be held on the 19th. We then asked the GPS to take us to Aix so we could return to Lancel to pick up our purchases from last week, when the entire internet/credit card service seemed to be malfunctioning and we could not complete the purchase there, and in another store as well.

Rather than returning us to the Autoroute, Emily (our now favorite speaking GPS voice) routed us over the mountains, up to Beannioux, a very charming town similar to Gordes with a view overlooking the Luberon plateau. Emily further wound us through and down steep mountain roads where we were being passed by cyclists out for a ride on their racing bikes, as we slowly wove our way down the hills to the floor of the Luberon and headed south toward Aix.

We drove through a village, Lourmarin, which includes a beautiful 14c Chateau.

We stopped for a quick croissant at Paul, a national bakery chain which has many locations in Paris, and had the best croissant of the trip (we had not eaten breakfast before starting our trip). We then arrived in Aix in time to struggle for a pre-lunch parking space, complete our purchase of my annual work hand-bag, a belt and a beautiful make-up case for my assistant. The manager was so nice to us for our trouble in returning, she made me a gift of a beautiful Lancel hook for my handbags to use in a restaurant so I am not placing them on the floor or on the chair where it can be stolen.

Lancel is certainly my favorite store for handbags in France. Not sold in the US, nicer than Longchamp or Furla, it is a brand owed by Cartier but not as expensive. I always feel as though I am achieving Cartier quality and style, finding bags that are stylish enough to make me happy but not so expensive and flashy (like LV) that I cannot use them for work.

We then had lunch at the same Brasserie Verdun, where we had eaten the previous Monday and had another reasonable, solid lunch. Aix was busy, but not crowded, as many businesses were closed for the holiday. The weather had become hot again, 95 degrees, so it was pleasant to come back, enjoy some AC, and take a dip in the pool here, and relaxing, reading until we left for the fete de Paella.

Today, for the holiday, we have read and slept, sat outside for hours, floated in the pool, and begun to set our goals and plan our year.