Xmas joy

 Difficult to know how to explain yesterdays adventure... the beginning, perhaps.

The bus containing the bulk of the troisieme age trolled down the gorges and across the plain towards Perpignan, which was all rather lovely; in order to arrive at Barcares and its famous christmas village, apparently a tradition hereabouts.

Immediately we were introduced to its most striking tradition - queuing. We queued to get tickets and then we queued to get in. 

-after a deal of time, we all wandered off. 

There were no little interesting artisanal stalls to get my friends christmas pressies from (well, there were about three but knocked into a cocked hat but Esperaza market tat) Queueing persisted when I thought to try the toilets, quelle horreur! Not just the toilets themselves which were indeed awful but the angry lines of Spanish with fractious children trying to get in.

Ah yes, the Spanish. It was a holiday in Spain so every  single one of them came to the christmas village. I like the Spanish and have a small amount of Spanish blood in my veins to prove it but en masse and with their sense of personal space that is very underdeveloped,  nightmare. 

So what were all these many stalls?? Attended by queues?  There were various fast foods of an unremarkable nature. But the only way to get to actually sit anywhere was to buy something and claim a corner of a squashed table flanked by planks. At least I got to speak to the man who fried whatever it was I ate, who was Brazilian but moved to France for the better life. He said that yesterday the place had been empty but today being a Spanish holiday...  shrug shrug.

No shelter or respite. I'd assumed that being with a group of elderly persons would find me in a cosy corner, heated, served hot chocolate and left to doze. Wrongly.

After a few hours of this exhausting fun, I happened across two of my friends from the bus. They had commandeered an entire table in a pub and simply filled it with their spirit. I joined them, glaring malevolently at anyone who looked like joining us. Bliss, though by now the muzak was on full and it was cold.

---other things happened but enough painful reminiscences.  We got back to blessed Esperaza alive, all of us, late, but missed the firework display.

If I hear another shrill xmas song or see more flashing LED's I shall probably run amok.

DONT FORGET today and tomorrow, our own decorous and charming christmas market at the MJC. I'm off there shortly.