A walk in the city

Sunday is outdoor market day. I caught a train one stop to the Midi station to visit the largest market in the city, and it was indeed huge. There were the usual cheap clothes and linens, plus marvelously tempting produce, cheeses, preserves of all kinds. Right out of the gate, I found some slippers to replace the current shabby, falling-to-pieces set I brought along. At three Euros, what could I do? Then at a huge stand with - I am not exaggerating - at least two dozen kinds of olives, was forced to buy a half kilo of amazingly spicy green olives with peppers and celery. Not long after, half a kilo of grapes the size of Barbie heads. Then, oh what the heck, a half kilo of dried figs. The Turkish figs were plumper and sweeter-looking, but loyalty forced me to buy Greek. And a half kilo of dried kiwis. Yum!!!!

I had been warned about the chicken roasters, and they were there all right. Heavenly smells, but I resisted since this was to be a whole-day circuit of markets.

After a bit of meandering, got the map turned right side up and crossed over to the flea market at Jeu de Balle, except that before getting there I was drawn into a smaller street market and there finally had to succumb to a fresh-roasted chicken. Tiny little guy, only four Euros.

I've been to Jeu de Balle before. It's funny, but the first visit to a market is always pretty intense. After that, I just glance at familiar sellers' wares and half-look for things I remember from last time. There is some nice stuff there (unlike Ismailova in Moscow, where you can't help but wonder who the heck would have bought that ugly thing the first time), but nothing I need.

Up the Victoire hill, down Aqueduct a bit, and it was clear that the huge flea market I remembered from my first weekend visit there was not happening today. The streets were empty.

So the slippers, fruit, chicken and I found a bus and were back to the hotel by 11:30. So much for an all-day wander!