Market Day in Céret

Saturday, September 21st, 2019 

We’ve been blessed with great weather so far; just a little drizzle one day in Saint-Remy!

Early this morning at 730AM the view from my bedroom window wasn’t too promising.

It was a “moody” sky! 

We can only hope Mother Nature will get over her “bad mood” soon since it is “Market Day” in Céret! 

Monsieur Honey and I always say you can’t do anything about the weather!

So as the Mother Goose nursery rhyme goes we had two choices ...

 “this little piggy went to the market”  or “this little piggy stayed home”! 

You have to roll with it or you stay put inside and miss out on some great experiences.

We all armed ourselves with proper gear (jackets, hoods, hats and umbrellas, etc) just in case the heavens opened up to shower us and off we went to the Market. 

Our tour of the market started at Place de la Liberte. 

Normally it is so busy with vendors stalls, visitors and shoppers that you can barely move through the crowds. 

Today the market was much smaller likely due to the weather.

We had a short list of a few things we wanted ... » anciennes tomates » of every colour possible, bulb onions, a stalk of celery (I had plans to make some soup) melons and bread from a local boulangerie.   
My first stop was at the flower sellers to have a bouquet of beautiful lisianthus set aside. 

Giant pan of cooking Paella ...

Added to our list while we’re here ... some of these strawberries! 

We will have to keep looking those aren’t the anciennes tomatoes.

Colourful pottery ...

Vendor with variety.

Everything made from olive wood ...

Some local beer tasting and Matheau (sp?) from Le Traquenard had a sale! 

Le Traquenard Brasserie Artisanale is worth trying. 

After dropping our purchases at the car, we wandered a little longer. 

We dealt with Mother Nature’s mood fairly well until the rain changed from a drizzle to a downpour drenching us all. 

We needed to find some shelter and maybe a coffee ... most places were full a l’interier (inside) ...

We sat side-by-side outside under a large canopy facing the street, perfect for watching the activity. 

Monsieur Mark looked after ordering and we were quickly served. We had picked up some croissants & pain au raisin at the boulangerie to enjoy with our coffees & cappuccinos. 

Monsieur Mark’s charm and his thank you « Canadian flag » pin to the waitress garnered him a neat souvenir t-shirt from the El Toro Loco Bar.

These little ones were well-prepared for Mother Nature’s tears (today’s downpours) with their rubber boots and brightly coloured umbrellas. 

We finished our Market Day with a quick stop at the Intermarche (supermarket) and then lunch at Relais d’Ourlich.  

We were later than the normal time for lunch in France, luckily we were seated and served. 

It was a delicious and entertaining meal. 

We had a server with a great sense of humour. 

Madame Susan asked her a question about one of the entrées trying to figure out what it was ... and the server replied with an « oink, oink » sound!

Sounds are universal! 

We all laughed! 

Delicious food, our lunch started with a buffet of salads, meats, cheeses, etc.then our choice of four main dishes. 

The potato dish was mashed potatoes with pumpkin, another must to add to my dinner menus. 

My lisianthus bouquet to brighten our day!  

     

Feeling at Home in Ceret!

We made our home base in Céret, France from September 19th to October 1st, 2017. 

Céret is a border town located in southwestern France at the foothills of the Pyrénées with both French and Catalan influences. 

And when I say home base, I mean we are quite comfortable staying here in the same apartment we’ve rented for the past three years.

 “Ciel Bleu” is perfectly located in Place de la Liberté close to the shops to fulfill our every need and want from “boulangeries, boucheries, pâtisseries” to wine shops. 

There is also a fresh fruit and vegetable seller right across the street  .... all is within easy walking distance. 

And let’s not forget the many cafés and restaurants, plus there is the gigantic Market that takes over the many streets of Ceret on Saturday mornings.

On our first full day, we strolled the many streets and lanes reacquainting ourselves with the town ... checking out what was still the same and what had changed.

 This view from “Ciel Bleu’s” balcony may be familiar! 

I never tire of looking out to the mountains, people watching in the Place de la Liberté and waving Bonjour to the neighbours.

And views of the blue, blue skies over the tile rooftops ...

The beautiful dappled sunlight ... 

Some of the usual characters are still hanging around ... 

The Mairie adorned by both the French and Catalan flags! 

 This is the latest time in the year that we have visited Ceret and even though the sun shines brightly with warmth, signs of Fall/Autumn are evident in the changing colours of the leaves. 

The oh so beautiful, majestic tall plane trees that line the streets! 

On our stroll back home we sauntered through La Place des Neuf Jets and as Monsieur Honey looked up he saw our Kiwi friend, John hanging out his fourth floor window (not literally)  waving Bonjour and extending an invitation to come up. 

We enjoyed reconnecting / catching up with Karen and John who this year had only arrived early on in September from New Zealand. They split their time between their homes in New Zealand and their meticulously, restored apartment home in Ceret.  

We came away with a couple of must try restaurant recommendations. 

We exchanged “a bientôts “ and hopefully we will meet up again before our stay in Ceret is over. 

We had an enjoyable day and quickly all became familiar again. 

What will we be doing tomorrow?