People, Weather, and Dreams

I like to sit at the same table at the cafe each morning because, as mentioned before, I am a creature of habit. I prefer to sit under the front window which gives me a panoramic view of the cafe. It is the one time of the day I am in proximity to people and I find I enjoy watching what goes on as people come and go buying breads, pastries, and quiches, or relaxing while enjoying coffee or tea and croissants. It makes me feel more a part of life here and not just a foreign speaking stranger.

I often see an older gentleman who comes to drink coffee and eat a croissant while reading the paper. He is close to 70, I would think, and wears his gray hair tied back in a neat pony tail. He sports a t-shirt with a design stretched over his generous frame, belted trousers, and a blazer. I imagine he was extremely handsome in his youth and he has a poetic and romantic look about him.

I regularly see another man while walking down the street in the opposite direction. He is rather petite, with a large head, wavy, blonde hair, and brilliantly blue eyes. He is a regular fixture at the saloon around the corner and can usually be seen holding up his end of the bar or warming a chair at a small table on the sidewalk, beer in hand. He usually makes eye contact with me, and greeted me with a, "Bon jour", when I quirked my mouth at him the other day.

All of a sudden, Christmas is in the air. Although it was 55 degrees yesterday, it felt like winter. People are wearing hats now and I have retrieved my off-white knit gloves from their home at the bottom of the suitcase. The breeze is cold and the damp air can be chilling. Sidewalk gelato carts have been stowed away and shiny, locomotive-styled chestnut roasters have been wheeled out and heated up, their vendors dispensing tiny brown paper cones of the warm treat. I have never had roasted chestnuts and I will try some before I depart on Thursday. Strasbourg hosts a large, world famous Christmas market during the month of December and I am sorry to miss it this year. There is nothing like the sights, sounds, and smells of a holiday market to get me in the spirit of the season.

Saturdays are busy in Strasbourg, with stylishly dressed couples walking arm in arm up Grand' Rue toward the majestic cathedral, and families with children and strollers in tow browse the elegantly designed window displays of the shops and boutiques in this area. I wish to have someone to hold hands with as we stroll up the street, shopping, and nipping into a cafe for a warm, luscious hot chocolate and light, fluffy croissant, stopping when tired for a romantic, dinner at a table graced by flowers and candles. I have never done that.