Lodeve Market and other Weekend activities

22 Oct 2011

Fast Food market style

all kinds of boots

slicing the cheese 

sweaters are out

I Normally do not post our weekend activities, however this past weekend was very busy.  Saturday we went to Lodeve to the market.  The Lodeve market is a large, traditional French market.  It is much like the Pezenas market but a lot bigger.  We had never been to Lodeve so it was an adventure for us. They had all the fall clothes out and the market was about a mile long on both sides of the street. Jerry always buys olives at the market and Saturday was no different.  Jerry did his usual "sample a few" olives at one vendor before buying some Provence olives. 1.80 euro for three big scoops. He had never purchased Olives from another vendor at Lodeve even though he is one of the regular vendors at the Clermont market.  Jerry told the fella he wanted two scoops of the ali (garlic) stuffed olives.  The vendor scooped them up and the price was 9,80 euros! (usually 2 euro) I was trying so hard not to laugh and Jerry was trying so hard not to faint!  After we walked away (with the olives), Jerry said “I have been had at the market again!”  The last vendor that “got” him was a cheese vendor in Pezenas.  Jerry bought 40 euros worth of cheese!  LOL  Jerry was disappointed that there were few sausage vendors for him to sample on and even fewer fromage samples.

I had a little excitement at the market myself on Saturday.  As Jerry  was waiting to buy croissants, a fella stepped up beside me.  We stood there a couple of minutes and then he turns to me and says "I have met you before.  We have spoken".  "Haven't I seen you somewhere before?" He was a Brit.  I had never seen the fella before in my life.  As I was wondering how to reply to his very firm statement about meeting me before, Jerry wandered up. Before I could get a "good conversation" going with my "new best friend" Jerry butted in and totally took over the conversation.   As Jerry was talking it up to the Brit, I purchased the best croissants we have had in a long while.  They were very buttery and very flaky....just yummy!  Wish that baker was closer to us!  I guess really good buttery croissants beat a "man friend" anyday.  However, I may have to make a solo trip back to the Lodeve market ;)

After the market we stopped for lunch in Beziers at Buffalo Bill’s.  It is a huge restaurant that is very “American”.  They have great hamburgers and fries so we try to get a burger fix a couple of times each time we are here.  If you don't watch them, they will serve you California wine! yuck!  I always have the Arizona Burger and this time Jerry got the Frenchy.  It had a whole round of chevre on it (goat cheese that is VERY rich).   How he gets himself in these little situations is beyond me!

After lunch we headed to Castorama.  It is a huge store that is sort of like Lowe’s but it has more stuff.  You can get building supplies there but on the other hand you can get embroidery floss there too. Jerry bought a miter saw, a compressor, a fancy ladder and other “man toys” for his new tool cabinet. The compressor has really been working hard this week. it is amazing what you can do with air pressure.

Sunday we had dinner with friends who shall remain anonymous.  They invited us to “dinner and a ballgame”.  The game was the Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions.  If I tell you how that was accomplished I will have to kill you!  It was a feed out of Spain, and the commentators looked absolutely bored out of their mind. It was Fox play-by-play but these guys would come on during the USA commercials. I really don't think they understood the game. Dinner was delish…..European style chili.  It is basically the same as American chili except it is served over rice, it has beans in it, you put crème fraîche on it  and it is hot enough to make even a hardened Texan think twice before asking for seconds!   We had a wonderful time!