Avignon - The Joy of Shopping

Last meal in Provence

Rob Rhone

While travelling along the Mediterranean, Beth and Rob noticed that even when people are bustling about, either walking, driving, or browsing at shops, there is often a relaxation and patience that is sometimes missing among North Americans. Cars that traverse through very narrow streets out of necessity often need to stop while people load or unload other cars, while pedestrians walk across or move objects from one side of the road to another; people seem to wait patiently for others to finish before they continue on with their journey.

Castles in Villeneuve-Les-Avignon

When in Cefalu, while on one of their walks they noticed a rather long line up of cars. A man who walked slowly with a cane was the cause as he moved very slowly on the road around a parked car and onto the sidewalk. Although it was likely that only the people in the first two vehicles could see the reason for the delay, no one honked or looked perturbed but rather seemed to accept the interruption of their journey as an inevitable part of life.

Avignon's Place de l'Horloge

Rob and Beth observed this relaxed pace when shopping as well. Whenever a customer was being helped by a clerk, they seemed to have their complete attention until the interaction was complete. It was hard to get used to at first - either when waiting for assistance or when being helped. It was hard to fight the feeling of were being ignored when someone else was being helped and, when they were the ones getting the attention, it was also difficult as they felt guilty that others were being ignored.

Delightful lunch

On their last morning in Avignon, they stopped at the market to pick up some snacks for the train. Their first stop was the bakery for bread. They had come there every day of their stay and loved the soft grainy loaf with hard chewy crust. They requested a half loaf, which was weighed to determine the price, and paid the 1.80€. As they were finishing the transaction, they casually picked up a jar of honey on the counter to look at. The baker became very engaged and explained that he had the best honey made from the nectar of hazelnut trees which gave the honey a unique nutty flavour. As they conversed two additional customers arrived and waited patiently while the man sliced some bread, slathered a generous dollop of honey, and gave Rob and Beth each a piece to try. He continued to engage them in conversation wanting to know what they thought of the honey. Rob and Beth tried to relax in the conversation but the North American part of them was feeling awkward thinking that they were taking up time as the others were waiting. They chatted for a while with the baker and then bid him adieu. As they walked away, they heard him cheerfully greeting the next in line and once again engage with the next customer.

Villeneuve-Les-Avignon

Rob and Beth talked about how it felt when a merchant gave their complete attention and truly engaged in conversation rather than interrupting to answer a phone call, or by just providing a minimal amount of service to close a transaction. They came to appreciate that in some areas, the act of shopping is something to be enjoyed and savored as much as the goods purchased.