Sunday morning – I woke up early around 7AM. I wanted to be at the Sunday market at around 8AM but laziness took over the life of me, haha. It happens, a lot! Plus the cartoon show on TV was entertaining so I dawdled a bit.
So I had some tea and biscuit in the bedroom, a quickie breakfast. I’ve momentarily stopped taking breakfasts in hotels during my travels as they damage my craving for lunches. Lunch is the best meal of the day in my opinion.
9AM and I was at the hotel lobby having a chat with the receptionist who eagerly showed me where the market is on the map. Pretty easy, it’s along the marina just near the castle and the St-Pierre Church. When I got there, vendors were still busy putting up their tents while others were just placing their wares on the tables. Good thing I did not come here early or I will be twiddling my thumbs.
The Caen Sunday market was quite impressive. For a small city, the open-air market was relatively big. There were stalls selling a wide variety of fresh produce, lots of cheese and dairy products, French bread and the inviting scent of rotisseries grilling whole pullets. My favourite – charcuteries are present. There is a vendor selling paella cooked on-site and with the biggest paella pan I have ever seen! Oh, ciders – apparently cider is a homegrown drink, an alternative to wine in the Calvados area of Normandy where apple plantations proliferate. There were flower stands and non-food related wares as well such as household items, clothing, shoes and jewelry. Lots to see and buy =)
So I was ecstatic, in high spirits. I just love markets! The colours and smell were oh so deliriously yummy. You can say I was somewhat in heaven. Finally, I found a market that exactly fits to the market I have in mind. Thus, I went manic; I can’t stop taking fotos, haha! I even have a foto with one of the vendors, lol.
The 2 men saw me excitedly taking snapshots of the produce of their neighbour thay they wanted to be in the foto as well! He gave me a kiss on my cheek which I didn’t ask for. Cheeky man! More like he stole the kiss from me, but I didn’t really mind it anyway. It was rather amusing.
Then I found a charcuterie vendor selling a different type of saucisson. Black smoked sausages – Andouille Asselot from Vire. The black goodies looked very intriguing so I approached the vendor who offered me a thin slice of the cured meat. Obviously, he spoke French, to which I replied, “Sorry, er pardon! Non parlez-vous Francaise!â€. He smiled sheepishly behind his spectacles but in a cute nerdy way. Unfortunately, he does not speak Anglaise.
Nonetheless, we seem to have braved the communication chasm between us and managed to talk to each other using our hands, facial expressions and a calculator to negotiate! Magnifique! He-he. I bought 2 saucissons from him.
After a much contented roaming around the market for hours, I decided to call it a day in Caen. It’s time for the next thing on my agenda.
A quick look on my mobile phone (well, I don’t have a wristwatch and don’t see the need really to own one when the mobile phone gives the time anyway), says its past 11AM — ah, time to hit the road to Le Mont Saint Michel where I will have my lunch.
Travel Period: May 2009
Destination: Caen (Lower Normandy), France
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Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)