Saturday, August 18, 2007

Marche Nocturne Leran, Part Deux









This was the seventh Marche Nocture Leran this summer and there are two more to go. Last night was looking a little "iffy" due to the cool weather and rain. (Eat your heart out, those of you in the USA, no drought and heatwave here.)
The first picture is the cauldron of escargot being emptied. I think it was late and the vendor was not going to sell out, so she handed out the little cooked bugs to anyone who wanted them. I had two earlier, so I was full. Not two cauldrons, two snails.
Next you can see Ian and Jo, two friends who live in the village of Revel. It doesn't have a bar so they come to the friendly confines of Leran to let their hair down. Beside them are Eileen Simmons and Lee-anne Furness, who look like they are really enjoying me taking their picture. Well, it was late. Then there's Andy Attenburrow, a filmmaker and film making teacher, and owner of a B&B here in Leran. Behind him is John Furness taking my picture while I am taking Andy's picture. Then we have Nancy looking pensive, then John, who along with his wife Lee-anne own the Impasse du Temple, a fine B&B. (Last night, John kindly pointed out that in my post about some of the folks in the village, I had incorrectly married up Christian to the foxy meat wagon lady. This turns out to be untrue as she is dating Monsieur Boulbas, our village plumber. Thanks for that correction, John. We occasionally strive to be factual here at North of Andorra.)
Next is Alan Simmons, composer, air guitar master and troubadour, bravely preparing to eat one of the little cooked bugs.
And lastly, an after sundown shot of the tables on the street, the lights strung up in the trees on the main street of Leran. (Do click on this one to enlarge it.) Each Friday night in July and August they haul out the tables and benches, vendors arrive, the barricades are set up to re-route traffic. As I mentioned in an earlier post, you can buy dinner from one of the vendors, bring your own, buy a bottle or glass of wine, or bring your own. Very civilized. And it's something that probably can't happen in most towns and cites in the US. It is a lovely tradition even if the tradition is only several years old here in Leran.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm afraid the escargot do not appeal to me at all...but the charm of your "evenings of village togetherness" are very appealing! It's wonderful to see that you have so many new friends in France!

Nancy, good luck with finishing the walls before Doug's sister arrives! And if the walls aren't done, Luke says "put her to work"! HA!

As always, it's a pleasure to share your French adventures! I always have a smile on my face as I read about whatever you've been doing lately. Take care.

Anonymous said...

Madeleine says she has been to that party before (I showed her the pic of the Marche Nocturne).So maybe that party has been going on longer than you know and in her former life as a French princess Madeleine was there. Peu t'etre?
It looks like the exact thing that I want to be doing- enjoying food,friends and conversations in my petit village en France.
Belle France,j'aime beaucoup.
Merci,
Amy