Il Neige!

Ancient sculpture, olives and snow!

What looks to be the "three graces."

Rarely, il neige! It snows here.

An elegant sculpture of a Roman woman.

 It was snowing here today. There were lots of  small kids out chanting, "il neige,il neige!" I guess it doesn't snow very often!



Friday I went to a sculpture museum, mostly Roman and Etruscan stone carving with a little bit of early Christian/medieval, and some Roman/Etruscan pottery. Avignon not only was a home to the Romans and the medieval Roman Church, but also a big destination for theater. Its central location made it a favored spot for the Roman invaders.

Everyday, quality goods from Roman times.

It was interesting to see, because unlike the sculpture you tend to see in big art museums, this stuff had the feel of being generally more common. It seemed like it was more sculpture for a people and places that were important enough to have someone make them stone carvings, but not work for kings or royal cities.

 I went wandering around today after class to check out the city more. It seems there is some kind of children's marathon that goes on in Avignon. I came upon it just as it looked like they were approaching the finish.

The entrance to Avignon Market.

I also found what seems to be the market, le marché, in Avignon. Like in many other French cities, it has the name "Les Halles." I think it's where many of the locales shop. It has some of the same kinds of things as the one I went to in Royan or Saintes, but smaller.

There weren't any of the open air stands like in Royan, Everything is all inside, though there is an open plaza in front of the building; perhaps there are more stands when the weather is warmer.

The all things olive seller at the market.

There are so many crus des olives here!

The products are similar, but not the same as those in Royan. Here, there is much less fish and seafoods, more smoked meats (viandes fumées), and lots of olives and olive oil. We are in Provence, after all!



  For Mardi Gras we had a little party at the Foyer. It was a fun change. We all wore hats to dinner. It seems the custom. I made my own. It was trés artiste! However the other French students at my Foyer were a bit surprised by its whimsy. I explained that in New Orleans, elaborate Mardi Gras chapeaux and masques are de rigeur. Even the French, it seems, can use a little bit of culture!

The Asian stall at the Avignon market.
There is a good Asian population here in France.
It recalls the days of French Indo-Chine.

The spice seller at the market.