• Windy ... the Mistral

    December 20, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 8 °C

    After encountering extremely strong gusts of wind and holding tight to hats, glasses and cameras as we crossed the large long bridge over the Rhone, we enjoyed pottering around Avignon and a sort of uninteresting craft fair with a 'bigged-up' by tourist-info, model of the region. It was Lilliput Lane type models with a crass display. E.g. blue plastic sheet to represent water. Both less than impressed. The same with an art gallery we went to. Paid €20 to see an exhibition on 3 floors, and it was pretty poor from our POV. Disappointing but good to do these things, if only to see what's out there and to help reinforce what you do and don't like. Not worth taking photos but John took one of the staircase, which we liked, and a tunnel maze exhibit involving chains and lots of masking tape.
    There a quite a few armed police trios roaming the streets, which is disconcerting. Always in threes, balaclavas, all clad with pistols, batons and one with a machine gun. The UK gov website states that France is on high alert since a terrorist event in October. So alertness required.

    We had some takeaway sandwich affairs and a humorous moment when I decided to rest my bum on a pillar type thing, whilst I ate said sandwich. Only to find the round post pillar type thing plus my bum slowly started sinking lower into the ground! I had to shout for John to rescue me! It's hard getting up again at my age!
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