We go to the open-air market on the main square in Carcassonne at least a couple of times each week to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. It’s fun to talk with the woman who grew those delicious tomatoes on her farm or the man who picked those luscious peaches from his own trees and now was “picking” them a second time to place in a paper sack for you to take home. While we can usually find any kind of produce we want there, it takes a weekly trip to the supermarket to get most dairy products, cleaning supplies, and the occasional rental vehicle. Continue reading “Milk, paper towels, and a rental van”

This morning when I was brushing my teeth, I noticed a label on a bathroom cleaner bottle that was hard to miss since it had a big universal symbol of “Attention”, an exclamation point in a red box. What I read was Mention de Danger and thought “What a polite way of warning people that you shouldn’t pour the contents of the bottle into your eyes.” Can’t you just hear an Everglades tour guide saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, may I just mention that you will be in danger of death from alligators, snakes, and other wild creatures should you step off the path that we will be following.” Continue reading “How polite”

International road signs and other symbols have intrigued and confused me ever since we started traveling in Europe. I’m certain that we’ve driven down many one-way streets, the wrong way, because the navigator (me) couldn’t distinguish between “No Parking” and “Do not enter”. In my own defense, they are both round, red, and have a line through them. It’s just like those easily mixed male/female symbols so it’s a good thing that public restrooms here are all unisex—no, not really (sort of) but that will make for a funny future blog post about our experiences. Continue reading “International signs”