Tag Archives: Midi-Pyrenees

Music Wafting Into The Night in France

You don’t normally associate living in a French town with Pre-Roman origins, a town that is still laid out along its medieval footprint, with the sounds of loud rock music echoing up the stone alleyways and streets.

The groups on the stage for the All Rock Festival in St. Girons were set up a mere few blocks from here in the gardens of the old chateau of the Palais des Vicomtes and they played until after 2 AM on Friday night, after 4 AM on Saturday night, and they stopped on the dot at 2 AM on Sunday night. We came home with aching legs and sore feet on Saturday — but we clapped and stomped and sang along — and we danced.

The musicians on Saturday night included Mick Taylor, formerly a guitarist for the Rolling Stones from the late 1960s into the 1970s. For a cluster of men ‘of a certain age,’ they gave a VERY lively and well-received performance.

Former Rolling Stone Mick Taylor in concert in St. Girons, France

When the break came between sets and the ‘roadies’ (Ooops! The stage technicians!) came out to set up the instruments and lighting for the next act, I walked over the bridge to the other part of St. Girons. In yesterday’s post you saw it in its sleepy daytime version, but here is what the night-time version looked like when the carnival came alive!

Lining up for food at a night carnival in St. Girons, France

Carnival stall in St. Girons, France

Children enjoying candy floss (cotton candy) at a night carnival in St. Girons, France

A line of carnival booths in St. Girons, France

The bumper cars ride at a night carnival in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France

At midnight, the next featured act came out and we loved every minute of the following two hours. It was music and lyrics that we knew by heart from a film that we had both loved 20 years ago — The Commitments. The wonderfully raspy-voiced Irish singer Andrew Strong stood on the stage in front of us and had the crowd enthralled as he sang song after song from the soundtrack of The Commitments.

Andrew Strong of the Commitments on stage in St. Girons, France

Having just flown into France three days earlier and working with a band of French jazz-rock musicians from Paris that he had just met, Strong had a happy audience who cheered and clapped and remembered their youth as they danced in a variety of styles all around us.

Andrew Strong of the Commitments on stage in St. Girons, France

We knew when we moved here a month ago that there was a festival season in St. Girons during the summer and autumn months, but I don’t think we fully realised just how much fun it would be to walk down the stairs, out the front door, down the street, and find such fun and entertainment on our doorstep!

A Weekend Market Outing For The Trolley

It had been sitting there quietly, sparkling brightly, waiting for the inaugural test drive — that bright red shopping trolley that I showed you the other day. And this morning it got a chance to stretch its little wheels.

The red shopping trolley

Down the street, across the park, and over the bridge toward the Saturday market we went. And shortly after leaving the house, Mark took over because I was juggling my camera and stopping for pictures every few minutes. That’s fine — he looked quite nice as the ‘driver’ of the trolley, too!

Mark with the little red shopping trolley on the way to the weekly market in St. Girons, France

Into the alley of plane trees we walked — but wait! Where was everyone — and where was the market???

Empty market site in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France when the carnival came to town

St. Girons is currently hosting the 4 day All Rock Festival and trust me, everyone in town knows that they are here! They began playing last night at 10 PM and didn’t stop until just after 2 AM. Since we are right around the corner from the Palais des Vicomtes and the riverside park attached to the old chateau, the sounds echoed all through these stone buildings from one end of town to the other.

We didn’t realise that a small travelling carnival would tag along with the music festival. Their rides and trailers and gear were silently parked all up and down the tree-lined area that usually hosts the weekend market and none of our usual vendors were anywhere to be seen. How very odd it all looked!

Closed up rides during the daytime in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France

The normally busy town was quite subdued and I wondered if everyone was home sleeping off the effects of the previous night’s partying. But then as we entered another one of the squares, I began to see people with shopping bags full of vegetables and fruit and Mark and I both realised that we could walk for a few more minutes and go to Tutti Frutti — the veg shop on the other side of the town ring-road.

As we got closer, I saw bright-coloured kiosks and I told Mark, “They’ve moved the weekly market to the other side of town because of the carnival people.” And there on that street in front of us were the throngs of shoppers that we usually see beneath the riverside plane trees. It must be unthinkable to cancel the weekend market for any reason!

The temporarily relocated weekend market in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France

Artisan bread at the weekend market

The knifemaker at the weekend market in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France

An artisan cheesemaker at the weekend market in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France

Candy seller at the weekend market in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France

We had a lovely outing on a cool and misty day, came home with fresh food and lots of photos, and I now have a bright green straw hat hanging on the rack in our bedroom next to one of Mark’s Tour de France souvenir hats. All in all, it was a very nice way to give the lovely wee trolley a spin in the fresh air.

Straw goods seller at the weekend market in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France

Green straw hat from the market in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France

P.S. Stay tuned for pictures from the Rock Festival and the night-time carnival over the next few days!

Hot And Humid in Summertime France

Ah yes — another installment of our adventures in ex-pat lifestyles.

Each glass of water slides down easily. Adding half of a lemon is rather refreshing, but truthfully, a quick dip in a cold swimming pool wouldn’t go amiss right now.

Don’t believe that little weather widget on the right side column because it is NEVER completely accurate — but it’s the best I can do since Yahoo removed their weather widgets which were actually quite reliable. Even the MSN weather forecast is quite wrong with their humidity index because the air is like suspended water globules right now.

Record-breaking heat is nothing new to my readers in Australia, the USA, and parts of Europe. But I haven’t felt humidity like this in quite a few years and it’s bringing back hot-and-sticky memories of a childhood in the South of the USA and hot-and-sticky memories of living for 18 months in Brisbane, Australia to blend with my hot-and-sticky present in the South of France. Oh my!

No matter how large their big houses might be, no one we know has air conditioning and, with the exception of the larger grocery stores, it seems to be a rarity here. We all cope through a variety of methods that are interestingly ‘retro’ after years of freezing-then-boiling as I came in and out of buildings and cars in Australia.

Keeping the heat out is the first step so I keep both sets of shutters all but closed in the daytime. The heavy old timber shutters block a vast amount of heat and then the roller-blinds that are right outside the double-glazed windows add another layer of heat blockage. I actually brought the shutters up quite a bit for the picture below so that you could clearly see the two layers of shutters.

Double shutters help to keep the heat out in the South of France

Yes, the rooms stay darkish all day long, but that’s certainly better than the bright and blistering sunlight! And yes, I can cope with that tiny square of light from each window. There is even a roller shutter over the French door to the back garden balcony and I moderate the amount of light on each side of the building as the hours pass.

The bedroom stays especially cool with both sets of shutters all but closed.

I’ve made it into a bit of a game so I don’t find it overly tedious — trying to see just how cool I can keep it indoors so Mark has a refreshing home to walk into at the end of the day after he’s been out in the heat on whatever building site he’s working on. The fan may not be as ice-cold as an air conditioner, but it is my friend and that’s all I have to say about that.

It may not be air conditioning, but it moves the cool air around JUST enough!

My pretty new red shopping trolley is thus far getting NO USE whatsoever because it’s too bl%!@y hot to wheel it down the charming streets of St. Girons right now. Ah well — it will be waiting when I need it.

Bright red shopping trolley awaiting a cooler day for adventures in St. Girons

All in all, sarong-on-body and water-in-hand, I am managing just fine. And thanks for asking!

P.S. Just to add a frisson of ‘How’s that?’ from the heavens, as I was ready to post this, the skies darkened, a rather noisy and fast-moving thunderstorm rolled through, the sun came BACK out, and now the wet streets are steaming below my front window. (groan!)

Tour De France Photo Essay

One of the many joys of being an ex-pat resident of a country like France is getting to attend events like the Tour de France live without the hassles of around-the-world flights from Australia. We never imagined when we left Australia in December of 2010 that Mark would get to watch a stage of this famous race for two years in a row.

I’m turning the photo essay over to my husband Mark today since he’s the one who braved the drizzly weather to watch a Midi-Pyrenees stage of the 99th Tour de France on Sunday, the 15th of July.

Instead of being crunched by the crowds at the finish-line in Foix, Mark chose to watch from the village of Massat which is only about a 40 minute drive from our home in St. Girons. Here are some scenes in the village prior to the arrival of the caravan of floats and then the peloton of riders.

5 Jersey Display in Massat, Midi-Pyrenees, France

Man Waiting for the Tour de France in Massat, Midi-Pyrenees, France

Gendarmes in front of building decorated for Tour de France in Massat, Midi-Pyrenees, France

The caravan passed steadily by as people of all ages eagerly awaited the ‘goodies’ which are flung out to the crowds.

The pre-peloton caravan parade begins in Massat, Midi-Pyrenees, France

The Haribo (candy) parade car in Massat, Midi-Pyrenees, France

The Big Yellow Rider at the pre-peloton parade in Massat, Midi-Pyrenees, France

The Mickey Mouse comic book car in the pre-peloton parade in Massat, Midi-Pyrenees, France

Waiting and watching for the Tour de France cyclists to arrive

Zoom! After all of the waiting, it was quickly over for another year and people began returning to their homes.

Tour de France cyclists passing through Massat, Midi-Pyrenees, France

Walking home after watching the Tour de France pass through Massat, Midi-Pyrenees, France

Caps, keyrings, fridge magnets, packs of candy & snacks, wristbands, tote bags, blow-up pillow, glasses case, and more. Mark was much luckier this year since he picked a spot that had less people than his position in Normandy a year ago and he thus increased his odds of catching the ‘goodies’ that are flung out by the caravan of floats prior to the arrival of the peloton. He came home a very happy-chappy with a huge grin on his face!

A selection of 'goodies' that are tossed out to the crowd during the pre-peloton Tour de France parades through villages & towns

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The Garage Of Beers?

The Garage Of Beers is the literal translation of this sign for an auto garage in St. Girons in the Midi-Pyrenees of southern France. There are several auto parts, tire dealers, or garages in a one block area and this is one of them.

Funny advertising sign in France stating that 'The Garage Has Beers'

OK??? Not so sure about what goes on behind those garage doors with the two bears drinking beers with a Midi-Pyrenees snow-capped mountain in the background — but it did make me stop, look, and laugh!

Performers At The Palais

Walking through the Midi-Pyrenees town of St. Girons several times each week, I am constantly on the lookout for posters advertising events and performances on the weekends.

Our Saturday morning walk contained surprises as we took our normal route through the gardens of the historic Palais Des Vicomtes (Palace of the Viscounts), a mere 4 blocks from our new apartment, and passed tents full of performers in costume as we headed toward the footbridge over the river that led to the weekend market area.

Palais des Vicomtes (Palace of the Viscounts) beside the River Salat in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France

The performers were just getting ready to stroll through St. Girons as they gathered in front of one of their vans and I quickly snapped this photo.

Performers preparing for the show in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France

Towering over her flock of admirers, I was amazed at how easily this painted, powdered, and bewigged creature could glide atop those stilts!

Admirers gather around one of the performers in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France

Across the bridge, into the old town, and through the streets they strode with a small band of musicians leading the way.

Musicians lead the way on a weekend festival in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France

This lovely creature was quite obliging about posing for photos.

A costumed stilt-walking performer strikes a pose in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France

And here was one of the posters that suddenly appeared on Saturday. What fun these surprise events are!

Festival of 7 & 8 July poster in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France

Fabulous French Weekend Markets

They are ubiquitous throughout France — the weekend markets that contain a mix of items from fresh fruit and vegetables to cheese and sausage to clothing. We’ve been to a variety of them in cities and towns from one end of France to the other.

Bright umbrellas shade the buyers and sellers at the Saturday market in St. Girons

One of the nicest markets we have attended has been in the town that we now call home — St. Girons in the Midi-Pyrenees down near the border with Spain. And no, just in case you think I am being biased, this truly is a well-rounded market since there are just as many ‘pretty things’ like hand-thrown pottery and linen clothing and original artwork as there are stalls selling food.

You can always find live music each week in several places sprinkled up and down the streets and laneways.

Musician busking for change in front of a brasserie in St. Girons in the Midi-Pyrenees of France

The setting is especially charming, too — from the open-to-the-skies square at the end of Rue Gambetta down through the avenue of plane trees which parallel the swiftly flowing River Salat. Those traders beneath the lush green trees must be quite grateful for that shade on those blisteringly hot and sunny South of France Saturdays. We shoppers certainly are!

Shopping beneath the plane trees at the St. Girons Saturday market

We feel quite lucky to have this year-around weekly market a mere few minutes away from our new apartment. We walked out the front door with our canvas shopping bags and voila — we were across the footbridge over the river and right in the thick of things in just under 15 minutes.

Footbridge over the River Salat in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France

Picturesque St. Girons hugs both sides of the River Salat in the South of France

The produce is always ultra fresh and significantly cheaper than what we pay in the local supermarkets.

Shopping in the Rue Gambetta square in St. Girons in the Midi-Pyrenees of France

We fell in love with the vivid colours used by one potter who had a booth at the markets.

Bright coloured pottery for sale at the Saturday market in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France

We picked one vivid green bowl, changed our minds, and decided to go for the larger orange bowl you see at the bottom filled with fruit.

Buying a piece of pottery at the Saturday market in St. Girons

Large orange-glazed pottery bowl from the Saturday market in St. Girons, Midi-Pyrenees, France

Hope you are enjoying these slices of life in the South of France!