Condom Jour de Repos (Rest Day)

I woke early and decided to try to take advantage of the sunrise for photographs. I once had an art teacher who tried to make me understand the importance of seeing what he called, “the turning edge.” I’m not sure I ever really grasp the idea. But I do look for places where it seems like the light and the dark planes on a picture give a sense of depth and dimension to a picture which we know is really a flat surface.

I stopped at a café. I was aware of how warmly people greeted each other. The traditional greeting is frequently a kiss on either cheek among the men and women. I felt a little bit like an outsider, but I didn’t think I had a honest way to join the conversation among them.

Note: why is this town called Condom? Condom ́ is derived from 'Condatomagus', meaning an old gallic market at a confluence the river Baïse.

As I traveled on, I tried to find the river that borders Condim. I’m off that interested in the ways that towns utilize that space. In town it’s just a common place for roads and the backs of houses. In other towns, it’s like the Central Square.

Here it feels hidden. I’ll have to ask my hostess what I’m missing. Regardless, I walked through a park, where a woman was tending her garden. I had a quite an extended conversation with her. I asked to take her photograph. She invited me to talk with her about her. courgette (squash) and aubergine (eggplant) She was quite proud of her as asparagus, and having matched the male and female versions (Dioecious plants). We shared one of her figs which was perfectly ripe

I greeted ( Bon Chemin!) a woman with walking sticks (batons), assuming she was a pilgrim like me. She is not a pilgrim she explained she is a French person living in the south of France temporarily. She intends to spend some time in Spain soon. She’s one of several people I’ve met who I think we now call a nomad.

Oh, and one more thing, the river runs behind the place I’m staying. The water is a bit low and its banks are very high. It has a deep border of trees and shrubs. In my imagination, it’s a bit like a secret garden.Læs mere