Julia and I had early morning, pre-dawn, mother-daughter time this morning. It was still dark out. By 6:30 AM we were playing on the extra bed in her room, practicing words (she is getting good at saying, "messy"), and naming parts like foot, belly, and ear.
When I got her dressed she strolled right into Sara's room. That bedroom door doesn't close, so there was no barrier to entry. Julia walked right up to her sister and put her arms on her. "I'm ready to play!" she seemed to say. Sara sat up, stretched her arms towards the sky and said, "can I join you two?" So she did.
We entered the kitchen and flicked on the light. Last nights dishes were still on the counter. I guess they didn't magically get done last night. I washed them while they ate breakfast: banana for Julia & bread with peanut butter for Sara. My breakfast was coffee and an un-eaten last bit of banana.
Dan got up at 9:00. We were out the door 20 minutes later. (That is the deal, if you sleep in you get ready fast!). We stopped at the corner bakery (it is literally on the corner) and got 2 pain de chocolate with our last bit of money. They were 1.10 euro each, and then we had about 40 cents to our names. The gas station and an ATM were then top on our list of things to find.
We drove to Nyons. They are known to have the best olives in France and today was their market day. Towns are like festivals on market day, even the air feels electrified. Young and old ---- everyone grabs a market basket and hits the streets. After we parked (in an area marked tourist parking that was nothing more than a side area by a tennis court that had some open space - we parked on the side of the entrance, so as people were trying to park they had to squeak past our car - and the car on the other side - and all the other cars --- parking here is nothing like neat rows of cars!) after we parked we followed people with market baskets towards the market.
Dan found an ATM inside a bank. He said that someone tried to cut the line, and an older guy yelled at her! He said it was funny. Once we had cash again (we had gone two days with less then 5 Euro of cash!) we bought some olives (how could we not?) and some tapenade (delicious!) and wandered around the market.
As usual it was a clear sunny day. Warm, though we are all wearing long pants now. The market was in the main square as well as spilling down all the side streets. The side streets were perfect - old buildings smiling up to the sun with their wooden shutters flung open to inhale the breeze.
For lunch we tried to eat at a place at 11:00 (we are hungry early!) but they didn't have hot food 'till 12:00 and she offered us sandwiches, but if we are going to have that we may as well picnic. We found the pizza cart. We got a salami (pepperoni) and a cheese pizza, for which we had to wait 10 minutes. Then we sat down on a curb to eat. From our spot on the curb we could hear a one man band like Bert in Mary Poppins. He had a guitar, a kazoo, and a drum. Sara *loved* it. She danced up a storm, and I swear that man was playing fast dance music to egg her on. She was wearing a striped shirt that said "Paris" on it, a orange skirt, and black pants - and she looked cute twirling, jumping, and grooving to the music with out any care in the world.
Once our bellies were full the girls were quiet. Julia was up in the Kelty and Sara was walking with us. We found some nougat (sp?) and tried several. Then we bought two chunks at 31 Euro! Yikes! From now on we'll order by weight and not by chunk size. That stuff is expensive!
We left there around 1:00, hit the supermarket/grocery store to stock up (got salmon, fruit, broccoli, and stuff like that) then back here. Nap time. After that Sara and I went to buy a sticker book (which she loved) and we girls sat at the big wooden kitchen table doing crafts. Sara did her sticker book; Julia colored (you should see her hold a crayon - she does it right!). I let them be deep in thought as much as possible, only jumping into their world when they asked me - like if Sara needed help with a sticker, or if Julia wanted more paper. It was probably my favorite part of the day with them.
Dinner time (4:30 or so) rolled around and we had salmon, potatoes, green beans, and a hodge-podge of vegetables in olive oil like tomatoes, egg plant, onion, and green pepper. Everything had "herbs de provence" on it. I can see why they sell that stuff by the huge bag full - not in tiny jars!
After dinner Julia went to bed and Sara and I played table tennis in the back yard. She marveled at my skill, which is merely average, but to her I was super good! When will that wear off? When she is a teenager or when she is 5?
When it was time to do Sara's bedtime list she went to Dan for a goodnight hug. They were cute together, with Sara giving oodles of genuine smiles as they bantered a bit (and she talked about, and imitated, his snoring since we are sharing a room with her!). Then I read her some books (if I try to skip words she tells me what the right words are! She is a really good sight reader and learns the words so fast!) and now she is sleeping.
It was a fun day. A good mix of touring and normal life. We are kind of like temporary locals - enjoying the sights but also going about life. People even ask me for directions - so I must not look too lost as I walk around town with Sara and Julia!
Quotes of the Day:
Sara: "Mom! You poked me in the eye. Whenever you poke me in the eye I'll say 'hey, you poked me in the eye!'" [Note: She was being dramatic, I was helping her get a sweater on and my elbow may have gone near her eye a tiny bit.]
--
Sara: "Mom, this bread is for you. Remember to share with Papa and Julia." [Note: Sara always ensures Julia is taken care of. I've even seen Sara give Julia food first, before she eats her own. It is really sweet and always makes me smile.]
End of post.
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