Shocking Behaviour
More reasons to believe that France will be a great place to call home
This morning, I experienced one of those moments. One of those moments that restore your faith in humanity. A simple thing, but so much of why I am so enamored with where I have chosen to live.
Liddy and I were out on our morning constitutional. We cross the street and walk into an alley where she can relieve herself without fouling the sidewalk. It is a narrow alley. Bending over to scoop the poop would cause traffic to back up if there was traffic. We had almost reached the end of our alley when I heard the distinct rattle of a small diesel engine behind me. We stepped up onto the sidewalk pausing to let the driver proceed. Thing is that she didn’t. She knew we were about to cross the street. She waved me on and waited for us to navigate the crosswalk.
Absolutely shocking behaviour.
Back in the States, even in Canada, this kind of behaviour is remarkable. We so believe that the car and driver own the space. People on the street are obstacles to be intimidated, not respected.
Oh, and I don’t have to worry about an oversize Dodge Ram F**er coming up behind me because trucks that big don’t fit in the alley. The delivery van for the boulangère has to back down the alley in order to unload at the back door.
This! This is the kind of thing I came to France to find. Respect and manners. Love it.
Last week, while the 🍊🤡 was threatening NATO, Denmark, Greenland, and Canada (not necessarily in that order) we enjoyed a trip to Nîmes to visit with a doctor and a vet. We now have our prescriptions filled for the next six months. The doctor’s visit was 30€ each. The vet, including exam and medications, was less than 300€.
When I had my prescriptions filled, blood pressure pills, anti-coagulation meds, Ozempic, the whole lot cost less than 250€. That’s without insurance. I was paying $200 for Ozempic alone after insurance back in Bonney Lake. What a bloody racket the drug companies are putting over on Americans.
While the primary purpose of this visit to Nîmes was for medical reasons, we did get to see some magnificent sites like the medieval bastide of Aigues-Mortes. Bastides are fortified cities built in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. They were planned communities and have a fascinating history which I will have to explore more in the future.
In the meantime, please enjoy these photos of Aigues-Mortes. I like the headline night shot best. I am showing a daytime photo of the same view in color and in black and white for comparison. Let me know which format you prefer in the comments below.
The canal below the castle wall is a branch of the Rhône-Sète Canal. The Rhône-Sète Canal connects the Étang de Thau, a lagoon near Sète to the Rhône River. This particular canal, through Aigues-Mortes is open to the Mediterranean at Le Grau-du-Roi. We had lunch one day at Le Grau-du-Roi where we enjoyed this plate of crevettes.
The BritsNîmes Expat Club sponsored a luncheon cruise on the canal. We were busy making new friends and enjoying great food and wine. I find that when I’m with other people I can’t focus on making good photos. The snaps I took on the cruise will languish on my computer forever 😊.
Definitely we will be returning to this area in the future. It is close to Nîmes and the area east of the canal is the Camargue. An area designated as a Ramsar site, a “Wetland of International Importance”. It is home to many flamingos and the white Camarguais, horses of the Camargue. Too many stories and photo opportunities not to come back.
Thanks Bruce
The daytime shots are meh. And translating to b&w doesn't save it at all.
It's been too hot to get out and shoot. Looking forward to September. (August is reserved for setting up our Nimes apartment)
Dave! It’s so fun to read about your adventures in France. I agree with you that the night shot is the better of the three. It just adds that extra pop of creativity that you share.