10 June 2011

Nîmes - Féria!

Thursday, June 9 ~~ Sunny!

We took it easy this morning and enjoyed the fresh mountain air of the hostel.  We did some laundry, then walked into town for a late lunch.  This was day 2 of the Féria, so centre-ville was packed with people, and the streets were dominated by stalls selling food, wine, beer, snacks, and souvenirs.

After our lunch, we found the place to buy our tickets, and got two "amphitheater" seats (e.g., the cheap seats) for the evening's bullfight.  The show started at 6, but the arena opened at 4:30.  We wanted to get there early enough to get a choice of seats, so we went in then.  I asked the fellow at the gate which side was the best to aim for, and he said to get the sun at our backs.  The amphitheater seats were large blocks of stone with enough room for one person to sit on the edge, with their feet behind the person at the next level down.  Snack sellers could maneuver in that space as well (being careful).  An hour and a half of that, and we were *definitely* ready for the show to start!  Right on the dot, the bullfighters made a procession into the arena.
Then the bullfights!
We finished off the evening (and the bull) with a dinner of Gardianne de Taureau - the meat from the bulls, marinated in red wine for hours, then cooked for hours more.

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