I woke up early today to head downtown to finish a photography project, but not before Bordeaux had already stirred into a flurry of activity. I first headed to Le Marché des Capucins, a produce market filled with farmers hawking their fruits and butchers chopping thick slabs of meat. Old women held out lilies of the valley to sell, a traditional gift in France on the first of May. Around the corner, vendors sat behind booths offering everything from belts and bags to flowy plaid dresses. I paid 1 euro for a box of raspberries and walked around to explore, fingertips soon stained red. I picked up two beautiful drapes, one yellow and printed with red tulips and poppies, the other blue and showing a girl's silhouette reaching towards a white sun.
After that I walked all over; to St. Michel to haggle at the flea market, back to Victoire to get the kebab I've been craving for a week, down rue St. Catherine, to the quais and Place de la Bourse, where the pool is finally working and full of frolicking families. From there, to Place de Parliament for the best ice cream I've had in Bordeaux, around narrow cobblestone streets to Place Saint-Pierre, finally arriving at Jardin Public to sink into the grass with good company and a cold beer. The weather is finally beautiful here after an entire week of rain, wind, cold - a week of peacoats and umbrellas. Bu today the sun beat down on us and our limbs finally reappeared from their clumsy fabric cocoons. I still smell like spring grass and sticky sunscreen.
I finally left Jardin Public around 6, fully intending to go home and study. But on the walk to the tram stop at Quinconces, I ran into another market - a temporary antique market that's been set up for a few weeks in May. Instead of the haphazadly placed knickknacks I expected to find, almost every tent was set up like the inside of a home. Sitting room with antique leather seats here, dining room with antique silverware there. One of the most interesting things I saw was a collection of catalogues of women's fashion from the late 1800's, called "La Nouvelle Mode" - New Fashion. There were also unimaginably old books that I was almost afraid to pick up. They looked like they would turn to dust in my fingers. I loved the idea that all of this was once treasured by someone, and wondered what belongings of mine would still be here a century later.
Eventually, I hit the river. Seeing the late afternoon light hitting the church spires of St. Michel, I was again drawn towards Place de la Bourse, the best place to capture the view (what is it with me and this place? For those who don't remember, it's where I broke my ankle...). There were twice as many people there now than just a few hours earlier. I should explain to those not living in Bordeaux that facing the building, on the other side of the street, is a shallow pool of water which is meant to be a relecting pool for Place de la Bourse. Today though, the surface was far from still and thank god for that - the pool was filled with children clad only in their underwear, splashing water irreverently at their parents. Siblings chased after each other, leaving waves in their wake. Smoking teenagers sat on the bordering steps. Guitars were being played and couples on bicycles whizzed past on the street below. You could hear nothing but laughter. The setting sun hit perfectly, turning the tops of everyone's head orange. All of a sudden I felt strangely removed. SLR in hand, earbuds in, a foreigner no less, someone leaving in little over a month, I was a person outside observing this scene from the lens of a camera. A song came on my ipod, all epic string arrangements and lilting violin melodies, and I almost started to cry.
I looked down to check the title. It was called "Happiness."
je t'aime.
ReplyDeleteand no, i'm not drunk.
i'm crying a little. i don't want you to leave either..
ReplyDeleteliving vicariously,
maureen