On 5 and 6 April 2008, the southern French city of Hyères hosted its annual flower festival with an open day event at SICA (Société d’intérêt collectif agricole) / Marché aux fleurs d’Hyères. 500 growers produce over 180 million flowers a year, making it the largest flower market in France and the fourth largest in Europe. With information booths, wine and flower tasting, and a flower parade, it was a fascinating look at this colorful aspect of the Hyérois community.
Amazon Kindle
While I was in New York, I received my Kindle in the mail, and I absolutely love it. The books download very quickly, the screen is easy to read, it’s lightweight… everything is good. Plus, it’s amazing to hold this device that is about the size of one book and know that it can hold 200! Sure cuts down on luggage. Of course, I can’t use the wireless feature in France, but all I have to do is attach the Kindle to my computer and transfer the new books that way. All in all, a great buy.
Next to Normal, Jump
While we were in New York, we saw two completely different shows, and both were excellent.
Next to Normal is about manic depression, and while I wouldn’t have thought that a musical would be the best way to discuss such a serious subject, I thought it was a fantastic performance. The music was terrific, there were a couple of totally unexpected plot twists, and it was quite dark and funny to boot. I wish I’d managed to blog about this sooner, because it has already closed.
Jump on the other hand is for the kid in everyone. A Korean family in which every member is essentially a martial arts expert has to deal with two burglars. There’s very little dialogue – the story is told through action and mime, and every cast member is incredibly talented in martial arts, acrobatics, gymnastics, and/or dance. There are some great “special effects,” and it’s absolutely hilarious. If you like The Matrix, Jackie Chan, or the Three Stooges, you should see it. If you love all three, then you won’t want to miss this for the world.
Back online
I know, you’re all wondering whether I dropped off the face of the earth. No, but close: I had no internet access for a month. OK, sure, I could go to cybercafés and use a friend’s computer, but seriously, when you’re used to being able to go online at any time of the day or night, not having your own connection is a real drag. It finally got connected on Tuesday and since then I’ve been dealing with a huge backlog of email, forum posts, and the like.
So anyway, we left Costa Rica on 28 February, spent the weekend in NYC, and got to France on 4 March. Info about all that soon.
Galería Namu
San José, the capital of Costa Rica, is not one of my favorite cities. We tend to avoid it, other than for transit purposes. But on our trip in January, we really wanted to see some Costa Rican art, and research led us to Galería Namu on avenida 7 between calles 5 and 7. It’s a gallery of indigenous art and folk art, and it was wonderful. We bought 5 pieces: a whimsical hand-painted mug, a woven plate, a tiny basket, a decorated mirror, and a cutting board made of colorful strips of wood, for a total of about $125. We could have easily bought another dozen items – paintings, masks, drawings, jewelry… it was a beautiful and varied collection. If you’re in San José, definitely check out this wonderful gallery – or at least look at the website: Galería Namu.
Panamanian Money
One funny thing that happened in Panama was how we learned about the local currency. Upon entering the country, you have to purchase a tourist visa (which is a very official-looking piece of paper that no one ever needs to see – it’s just an excuse to get five bucks out of each visitor). Anyway, on the visa it says that it costs 5 dollars or 5 balboas. So I say, “Oh, so the US dollar and Panamanian balboa are at parity.” A little while later, we ask the taxi driver about Panamanian currency, and he says “We use the US dollar.” And we say, “What do you mean? What about the balboa?” and he laughs like crazy and says “That’s just what we call it!” So balboa is basically the Panamanian word for the dollar, though there are Panamanian quarters, nickels, dimes, and pennies – they look just like the American ones, except they are stamped (engraved?) differently.