It's a New Year

 

My daughter and her Sevillian husband, Riki,  sent us this photo of a hot-air balloon rising behind La Giralda in Seville.  No King's Day parade this year!

It’s a New Year…

and we really have no interest in recapping the old one. We all know what we did, where we went; and what we wanted to do and go, but didn’t. So let’s just leave it, and move on! 

 

Our own modest holiday decorations.

                           Driving Lessons

Now we’ll ask the usual question: What have we been up to lately? And give the usual response: Not much. Hunkering down, doing small things at home, taking walks around. I’ve been taking driving lessons, a requirement for getting a French driver’s license (as we mentioned here before—I think—my California license ceased to be valid here after one year, and CA is not one of the 18 states that have reciprocal privileges with France; so it’s get a French license or don’t drive… or do like so many here and drive without a license!). 

Anyway, the instructor is showing me what I need to do to pass the driving test. And, along the way, I’m learning some useful things. Like, how to negotiate those roundabouts (roundabouts are generally used in Europe where a four-way traffic light would be found in the US, but France has more of them than any other country). Like, there is an inner lane, which is used… well, never mind. What I keep hearing over and over is to slow down. No abrupt moves, be smooth; lisse. 

The word he uses most often is trop précité. He asked me what that means in English; off the top of my head I wasn’t sure, but next time I saw him I had a list: Fast, abrupt, quick, hasty, and even precipitous, with their French equivalents. He liked it. I think he finds his time with me more interesting than with the 18-year old's he normally drives with!

 

Update: My driving test is scheduled for 8 Feb. I’d like it to be sooner, but there you are…

  

The old opera house, in it's Christmas finery.

                          Christmas

We had a quiet one. The tradition here is a huge family dinner on Christmas Eve, starting at 7 or 8 PM and running till midnight. There are typically many courses of specialty foods, and long breaks to open and discuss presents. It’s quite celebratory! 

Our evening was somewhat more modest. While the strict lock-down had been lifted some weeks earlier, along with the requirement that we needed a good reason to be out, cafes and restaurants were still closed. Stores were open for Christmas shopping (of course!), but there was an 8 PM curfew. Christmas Eve, though, the curfew* was lifted. 

 

* Couvre-feu in French; literally, cover fire.

Its original meaning refers to a law made by William the Conqueror (remember him? 1066 and all that?) that all lights and fires should be covered at the ringing of an eight o'clock bell to prevent the spread of destructive fire within communities of timber buildings.     

            ---- Curfew - Wikipedia 

Place de la Comédie, Montpellier's main square. Pretty empty! (Covid, and all that.)

La Comédie at night, with it's glowing heart.

We had one guest for dinner, Kate. She’s an American ex-pat we’d met here. Over the summer we’d made a few small trips together, and had gone on local hikes. Her joining us made the evening quite special! She and Paula planned and created a very fine five-course meal. After dinner, around 11:30—a bit shorter than the typical French Christmas dinner—and after some heavy toasting with the bubbly, we went out to see what excitement was happening in the streets of Montpellier on Christmas Eve.

The Three Graces, standing guard over the Christmas tree in the deserted Place just before midnight, Christmas Eve..

A normally bustling shopping street empty the night before Christmas.

Not much, as it turned out. In spite of the lack of curfew very few people were around, and those were mostly young men in groups of two and three. We enjoyed the community Christmas tree and the exquisite lighting on the opera building in la Place de la Comédie, the main square. As we were passing the train station on our way back I noticed the time on my phone was showing 00:00. Midnight, on Christmas Eve! We waved and said Joyeux Noël to the two police standing near their car, which they returned jovially with a wave of their hands. And we headed for bed.

 

                           New Years

We saw Kate again a week later when she came for New Years. Again, we had a special dinner and toasted with the bubbly, but things were a bit more rushed this time, as there was no relaxation of the curfew.  Kate had to get herself home by 8. It was only a short walk, but the evening did end early!

 

And for New Year's Eve, Salmon en croûte; in this case, the pastry shell is molded to look like a... fish!

                    

                    Daily Life

...is pretty slow. We'd love to go someplace (anyplace!), but we're limited to public transport until I get my license. And if we did go somewhere, all cafés and restaurants are closed until (probably) the end of January. And, baby, it's cold outside! So we busy ourselves with indoor projects, the occasional Zoom meeting, and walks when it's sunny.

This is our first winter in Montpellier, and likely our last! We're having a bit of a cold spell, with highs in the low 40s and dips below freezing at night. We can only dream of the sunny beach at Essaouria, or the exciting lights and activities of Seville. Perhaps next year, goes the refrain we've used so often!

Our French friend Sylvie leads us on an exploration through some of Montpellier's less traveled streets, while the fish follow behind.

Xavier (right), Sylvie's husband, Paula, and Sylvie in front of Montpellier's Cathédrale St-Pierre, suddenly illuminated by the low-hanging sun. 

We did have a good walk the other day through some of the lesser-known streets of Montpellier's old town. Our French friend and sometime guide took the lead, and we had a chance to admire some classic areas of this very old city.

Modern graffiti art decorates an ancient wall--a nice contrast to the medieval spire of St-Pierre in the background.

This sort of graffiti art pops all over the city!

Oh, and that photo at the top? We generally spend the end of the year in Seville, Spain. The weather is warmer, and we enjoy seeing our friends there and the Christmas and New Year celebrations are always wonderful. Particularly special is the King's Day Parade, on January 6, celebrating the visit of the three wise men (kings) to the baby Jesus. But, no parade this year! Instead, they did something with hot air balloons, and I found this image quite intriguing. Wish we'd been there...

 

View from our balcony. Guess which one was taken today, Jan 7, and which three months ago?

A few days before we published this our Capitol, Washington DC, was overrun by a mob who invaded Congress with the goal of interfering with the workings of the government. Like everyone, we are shocked, saddened  and stunned by these actions. It's going to take awhile to sort through the thoughts and feelings we're experiencing. Do, please, stay safe, healthy and... positive.