20th - Markets and Festivals

This morning we had a mosey around the market in Eygalieres.

There were moments of temptation for me, but Pete resisted...

It's always really busy with hundreds of stalls selling all sorts of clothing, jewellery, arty bits and pieces and a huge range of foods... Pete finally agreed to me buying something and I came away with a selection of olives

Perched on the hill above the village there's a church along with the usual statue of the Madonna and other ruins..

and there's a cracking view from the top! 

This hill was one of my goals to see if I had finally overcome my Soya Allergy and the good news is I made it to the top in one go and wasn't even breathing heavily.  Can't tell you how pleased I felt!! Done it at last!

Then on the way back to the ranch we visited Daudet's Windmill (he was the well known 19th century Provencal author and poet who, amongst other things, wrote the children's story 'Tales from my Windmill' .

 And, guess what, another cracking view and straight up the hill, no problem, although we weren't allowed to walk off-piste, owing to everywhere off the main paths being locked down because of fire risks in the tinder-dry undergrowth.

After tea we went to Avignon where the Festival is in full swing.

Absolutely amazing, lots of street theatre on the Fringe (called the 'Off') plus musicians and also some very odd people around.

It mainly centres around the Palais de Papes, and the Place d'Horloges

But there are other Street performers all around the city.

Our favourite street, and stuffed with eateries, is La Rue de Teintures, so called because silk was dyed here before being woven into fabric.

 We are planning to return here again another night - we'll hunt out some music, if we can make sense of the guide. Its the first time we've actually been in Avignon whilst the festival is in full swing, we usually catch the litter-strewn back end. It's amazing how many weirdos can be packed into a small area and even more amazing how many posters can be packed into a few square metres.