We went to Versaille.
The weather was too wonderful to wander round inside so we sauntered into town for a pavement lunch with everyone else.
And then set off to view the produce at the market, starting with the vegetables. It is asparagus season. I must admit these look like some of the best I have seen and the bunches were a fine size. Good enough for a meal.
The salad veggies were so fresh.
There were filleted fish...
...whole fish...
...shellfish..
...and fishmongers...
There were quite a few stalls selling prepared foods. Versaille is a high socio-economic area and this is reflected in the type and price of the foods available.
Ready made delicacies and pastries and cakes abounded...
Here are glace fruits and petit-fours.
Splendid tortes and gateaux.
Snails and hors d'oeuvres.
And various marinated bits of squid and octopus.
But the major indicator of the wealth of this Parisian "suburb" was the take-away homemade soup.
I have magnified the pic to reflect its value. If I had to live in Paris I think I could make a fair living out of selling soup.
Back in the centre of Paris the previous evening (a mild Friday night) we had witnessed a long queue for the free soup kitchen held outside a church, right next to some smart restaurants along one of the boulevards. We ate splendidly inside one of them! It was also common to see bodies wrapped up and asleep on the pavement, in sunny spots and sheltered corners and even in the middle of the busy paths. A city of contrasts. Many of the poor seemed to be recent arrivals. Such cities still provide a massive magnet for the hopeful.
Cheers for now,
Gillian
The weather was too wonderful to wander round inside so we sauntered into town for a pavement lunch with everyone else.
Ready made delicacies and pastries and cakes abounded...
But the major indicator of the wealth of this Parisian "suburb" was the take-away homemade soup.
Back in the centre of Paris the previous evening (a mild Friday night) we had witnessed a long queue for the free soup kitchen held outside a church, right next to some smart restaurants along one of the boulevards. We ate splendidly inside one of them! It was also common to see bodies wrapped up and asleep on the pavement, in sunny spots and sheltered corners and even in the middle of the busy paths. A city of contrasts. Many of the poor seemed to be recent arrivals. Such cities still provide a massive magnet for the hopeful.
Cheers for now,
Gillian
1 comment:
Oh heck - makes me wish i'd stayed in Brussels. The food in the UK is such a poor shadow. Sorry to hear about the rough-sleepers and soup kitchens (although at least they haven't banned them to keep up appearances as has happened in London I believe.)
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