Markets in Southern France

From the small villages to the big cities, Market Days are big events in the south of France. We didn't get to many, but the offerings were diverse - from produce to poultry, from old books to organ meats and cheeses, from frilly tutus to sweet-smelling soaps and macaroons, from sausages of every description to octopus and other delicacies from the sea to panties, dresses and everything in between, you could probably find it at one market or another. Some markets were indoors, some out. Some were expensive and some were bargain basement. After purchasing peaches at a drive-by market on a highway, I later learned that the flat variety was the sweetest - like sugar in your mouth.
The sight of fish piled high and looking at me with dead eyes was at first startling, but I soon got over that after seeing whole hogs and chickens with heads poking out from under their breasts. These were, after all, things we don't see in the typical sanitized grocery stores in the US. Flies lighting on sausages and otherwise delicious looking pastries were off-putting. It was good for the diet. We only bought washable produce from that market. If it hadn't been for flies, I might have bought some of those colorful macaroons that France is known for. The only place I saw them was at an outdoor market near Narbonne.

Here are some photos.

Cathédrale Saint-Etienne de Toulouse.

Beth and I happened upon this marvelously unusual cathedral during our explorations one day. It was built over several centuries and architecturally it is a mess - a very interesting mess. True to form, I liked it! It was difficult to make sense of, but there were lots of pretty parts! There were also beggars at the door that Sunday morning after Mass. A priest chased them away just as we entered.

Lots of gargoyles on parts of the exterior:

These pretty angels topped a nearby building.

Lots more photos from Toulouse yet to come. Toulouse is a really nice city.