Day 51 - SkyLines from the French Lock-down: Cherry Festival Time

Salut à tous! (Hi all!) The weather is warm as I sit down to write. Y is working on some DIY. That means I have plenty of time to share a happy day memory with you that takes place in a beautiful little town that is known as the "Cherry Capital of France!"

The cherry market at Ceret - last year. This year is has been cancelled.

Day 51 -We ate breakfast and it's now just after lunch. My French partner, Y, has gone to sand the railings of the art-déco staircase. Later on - like tomorrow or the day after - I will paint them with a gleaming black finish. I remember buying the paint at the start of this lock-down. I told him it would give us

The French Gate

something to do while we were confined. It's nice that we never really ran out of day-to-day things to do that made us happy. He's not really keen on the idea of painting as it turns out (which is why he is going to do the prep and I will do the painting) but suddenly we both realized that if we didn't do it now, we'd probably never do it. Or at least not anytime soon - it will get too hot in the months to come. I had suggested I'd help him do this last year when we first met. The house was empty except for the renovation work that was going on. It would have been easy. "Ne t’inquiètes pas avec ça!" He said, telling me not to worry myself about that. He would do it before he moved in. Yeah. Well, anyway. He did find something much nicer for us to do in May last year. A visit to Céret for the annual Cherry festival!

Céret is a town that demands to be immortalized in paintings and photographs - and has been by famous artists as well as countless fans. Picasso is probably the most famous of those who did - and so you will find a cafe named Le Pablo and admire an impressive fountain in his honor. If you have time you can see some of his ceramics that celebrate the bullfighting of times past in the Museum of Modern Art.

The wide boulevards and many shops are made grand by the variety of beautiful buildings and tall plane trees that flank the streets.  History and architecture combine in the nicest ways here.  Every Saturday, the street market in Céret bustles with 

Leafy Boulevard

commerce come rain or shine. This is no flea market, it's all about everyday shopping.  Most of the stalls are selling food and others have kitchen utensils, rolls of colorful fabric, or everyday clothing. However, since the South of France is a magnet for tourists you will also find arts and crafts between the stalls of useful or edible items.

The Cherry market is an exceptional two-day market in May. Then, the stalls hold every variety of cherry and cherry-related goods for sale. As the Cherry Capital of France. Céret sends the first box to the French President every year. You can buy cherries fresh or baked in dozens of desserts being sold from stalls in the streets. I love the cherry beer that is made for the celebration. There is music, folk dancing, and all kinds of entertainment. I have been to the festival at least five times and have yet to see the contest that gives prizes to the one who can spit cherry pits the farthest. But, I still hope!

Last year, Y suggested that we go and take one of my closest friends, who was visiting from England at the time. We got up a bit early and drove inland along the Albères mountains with Canigou ahead of us.On either side of the road, stood bright green vineyards and leafy orchards.  The trees were dotted with tiny nectarines, apricots and peaches; a bright promise of next month’s bounty.  But in May, the cherry trees have already bloomed and given us the first fruits of spring.

Even before we had entered the village of Céret, we saw two fruit stands, one on either side of

Picasso inspired fountain

the road. They were loaded with baskets and lugs of bright red cherries. But we were going for the spectacle of the market and didn't stop. We did have to park quite a ways from the center, I can tell you! One of the prettiest entries to the town is through the parking lot. As you arrive, there is a bit of the old wall and an arch with two towers that look like a castle gate. Actually, that's because it is what is left of the medieval gate! This is the north gate, also called the French Gate.  There is one on the south side of town called The Spanish Gate. I'll leave it to you to guess why. Yeah, pretty easy, I know!

 Céret once had a town wall all the way around it since it was besieged many times when this area was part of the Kingdom of Majorca.  The lively red and yellow banners adorning the

So many parades - here
go the Castellers.

streets and stalls are the colors of ancient Roussillon as well as the modern Catalan flag. Once inside the city walls, we wandered along the stalls, had coffees beneath leafy Plane trees and watched the Catalan "Castellers" parade through the streets, stopping now and then to show off how high they could make human towers. It was a lot of fun. I don't know how long it will be before there are festivals in France once more. There won't be any before September, that we do know.

Some of you have sent me notes and asked me, how do I feel about all of this? I am sad beyond belief. How could I not be? I expect we will be grieving about this tragedy for years and decades to come. It isn't the lost time we will mourn. That is not the worst part of this, though I know that for the seniors in high school, colleges, universities and graduates of all kinds, it must feel like a hole in their psyche. The festivals are nothing in the big scheme of things.  The very real possibility of economic hardship

colorful stalls

that will last for a decade is far more serious. But the real fear I have is that it is the end of the warm closeness we all share when we attend gatherings of all kinds. And all I can hope is that in time - a year or two from now, we have found a way that we can be close once again. And I won't give in to the fear. I hold on to my belief that we will overcome this. I am trying to be patient.

I can hear Y vacuuming up the dust he has made while sanding the railings. I am going to stop now and go wash them down. Who knows? I may even get around to painting them before the end of the week. 

My favorite shot of the day - the lady who sells
"Cherries from Here" is having a cherry snack.

It was sure nice to have a chance to share good memories with you. It also helps to know that no matter what comes, we are all still connected by our thoughts and hopes. I know that makes us all stronger. And we will see this through - together!

A demain, les amis! (Until tomorrow, friends!)

Link to Day 52