Everything here is closed on Sunday.
Everything.
For the past few weeks I have been bored out of my mind on Sunday afternoons. And hungry too, if I forget to shop for groceries in advance.
Where are all the Bordelais on Sundays? What do they do?
This weekend had the first clear Sunday since I've arrived. We decided a picnic was called for, down the street at Le Jardin Public.
We packed Bourru for our picnic, a traditional sparkling grape juice that is available only during the vendange, the grape harvest. It is actively fermenting- each bottle has a hole pierced in the top and you can see the bubbles shooting upwards along the sides. It is an ephemeral wine, sweet and slightly tart, but cannot be stored for more than the week of harvest. We found this bourru at the Sunday Market.
The park was packed with people, enjoying the last weekends of summer. Parent pushed strollers, children ran after one another, groups played frisbee or kicked soccer balls, couples lay in the grass doing...what the French do best. We lay out our ragtag blanket under a chestnut tree and napped in the shade. Finally! This is what the Bourdelais do on Sundays!
I love it.
