The pyramid of vegetables

The French people amaze me sometimes. During rush hour, it is understandable that the trams are jam packed with passengers. Just when you think that the tram is so full that you can’t even turn your head, 20 more people somehow manage to squeeze in one door at the next stop while the number of people exiting is…3. It seems like an everlasting positive feedback cycle where the net change in passengers is always positive – people get on, yet no one gets off…until Victoire. I also get quite pissed off when at a busy stop like Victoire, people getting on don’t wait till everyone has finished exiting before rushing onto the tram. It would be so much less chaotic if some common sense could be knocked into some of them, but I suppose during rush hour, nobody really cares about order. Even in a country as laid-back as France, rush hour is still rush hour. Yes, even in Bordeaux.

I am moving next week, for real this time. I originally should have moved on November 1st, but due to unforeseen circumstances, the move-in date to my permanent apartment has been delayed again and and again. I have stayed in this temporary residence for so long that they finally decided to kick me out…or well, I think they are indirectly doing so by stating that the reservation will only be booked till December 3rd. The best part of moving is the new location. I think I am going to love living in downtown Bordeaux, right by all the fun and convenience. Moreover, I can take so many more night photos. Those shown two posts ago are just the tip of the iceberg. I anticipate a lot of night walks and photo sessions once I re-settle down!

Once again I had not been actively taking photos this week, but on Sunday (today), I dropped by the city hall area and saw that Christmas festivities have begun! In addition, our very own Pyramid of Vegetables was on display this weekend. Let’s see whether it stands a chance against the pyramid at the Louvre.

We start out with the third cat around the neighbourhood, a black cat. This one was tricky to capture. As soon as I stepped closer, it scampered and hid behind the tree. That was why I was only able to take a picture of it from a distance…

Walking in the middle of the tram tracks. I wonder if there’s room for a person to walk between two trams passing by each other…

And I present to you…la pyramide des légumes! So tall, so colourful, so HEALTHY! I say it beats the Louvre pyramid any day. I mean, just look at it! Can you eat the Louvre pyramid? No, but right here in front of you lies perhaps all the vegetable you will need for a year!

A closer look at the great vegetable pyramid of Bordeaux. I’m so glad it didn’t rain today (at least not much), which allowed me to take some spontaneous pictures.

Of course, when you compare the pyramid to the height of the Tour Pey Berland, there is really no comparison. It was difficult to even just capture the full height of the gigantic tower, and in contrast, the pyramid looks like a little baby under the towering structure.

Since Pey Berland had its share of spotlight, St. Andrew’s cathedral must steal some attention as well. I’ve already featured the side door of the cathedral in the previous post, and here’s just another brief look at the cathedral from one of the million angles from which you can observe it. I actually went inside the cathedral today but as mentioned before, there will be a special series of photos dedicated to the cathedral itself in the future.

As I walked further along the road, I saw this Christmas tree right in front of city hall, which wasn’t there yesterday. That means it must have been put up today! Behind the tree is a skating rink that had been set up a week or so ago. Seems like winter is definitely hitting the city!

…and there’s the tree, pretty massive by itself but almost nothing under the grand cathedral. Once again the angle of the shot was very awkward since the building was incredibly tall, but I managed to fit its whole height, albeit barely.

A final look at the pyramid of vegetables, conveniently timed with the arrival of a tram at Hôtel de Ville station.

The pyramid of vegetables made me crave some well cooked vegetable, and thank goodness I will finally be able to make real food and (try to) be healthy again after I move and get my kitchen set up. Of course, the wine and cheese don’t stop there, because we all know wine and cheese are both part of a very healthy diet…well, in France, at least. Here are this week’s chosen ones.

The cheese is Emmental of Switzerland, which really just translates to Swiss cheese. However, according to our friend Wikipedia, Emmental is Swiss cheese but Swiss cheese is not necessarily Emmental, so don’t go calling all Swiss cheese Emmental. Anyway, I have had Swiss cheese before, and as usual, it is hard and holey. I think it tastes a little funny when eaten on its own, so I like to have it with ham and some bread. Makes a very simple but tasty meal.

The wine this week was a pleasant surprise. It is a bottle of red wine from 2008 produced by Chateau de la Grange in the appellation of Fitou. First impression of the wine: I liked it better than any other ones that I’ve picked on my own. The particular thing that caught my attention was the second smell (refer to a few entries back for wine-drinking steps as taught by a chateau owner). After swirling the wine in the glass for a few seconds, the smell of the wine changes drastically, and it was very apparent with this bottle. As I took a deep sniff, it was as if the wine was releasing all of its flavours into my nose, entrancing me before I even took a sip. The aroma was excellent, and I enjoyed it very much.

As for the taste, the good thing about this wine was that it tasted better (to me) on the second and third days, which hadn’t happened yet with any previous wine. When I drank on the second day I thought, “Hmm, this is interesting. I think I like it more today than I did yesterday.” Perhaps this time I hit one of those types of wines that get better with time, or perhaps it is my strange sense of wine appreciation. Wine tasting is highly subjective. Who knows if any wine is really good or not?

Well, it is way past my bed time. Ciao!