If it is Tuesday, This Must Be Ansouis

Ansouis, France.  It is one of the prettiest towns in France, so says the sign at the entrance to the village.  Population 1100. I don't know where they all are, but the pamphlet from the local tourist office has this statistic.

We are getting into the swing of life here, creating our own rhythm that is not discordant with the local life.  It took us a few tries...

The day we needed to go to the post office we realized that is isn't open on Wed. morning.  We went back in the afternoon only to discover that while it opened at 2pm. it closed at 4pm.  We arrived at 4:10.  Otherwise it is open from 10-12, 2-4:30.  M, T, Th, Fr.

The Tabac, where we needed to buy a phone card since the public telephones don't take coins and our cell phones are too expensive to use here, isn't open at all on Thurs, but is open the other days with a mid-day closure from 12:00-4:00.  It sells, besides tobacco products and telephone cards, birthday cards, the International Herald Tribune for $5, maps of walking paths and road maps of France, coffee table books of the area, magazines and postcards.

The bakery (the most important of all!!!), opens early in the morning, takes the customary mid-day break and then opens again from 4:00-7:00- unless she runs out of bread in which case she closes.  And she is closed on Sunday afternoons after 12:30.  She sells machine made baguettes, hand made baguettes, artisinal baguettes, cookies and fruit tarts.  She also sells bottles of wine and a coin operated espresso machine!

The local grocery store is open every day now that it is April and closes for the mid-day break. In addition to what you would expect in a "convenient store" she sells wines from the local chateau and locally produced honey with lavendar, and artisinal potato chips which are delicious.


The fishmonger comes to Ansouis on Thurs mornings in the main parking area, except if it is the scholastic vacation (which it is for the first two weeks of April in this region).  The local market for other things is on Sunday mornings on the other side of the village.  The one in Cucuron is on Tues.  In Pertuis on Friday.  In Lourmarin on Friday.  and the one I want to go to for its antiques and brick a brack is on Saturday in Apt. At the market, everyone brings their own baskets for their purchases.  The vendors proceed to put each of your purchases into a plastic bag.  We thought we were being environmentally friendly by carrying a basket.  We have more plastic bags than we know what to do with.  We will need to start bringing the plastic bags in our wicker baskets.

The local equivalent of Costco is in Pertuis- Hyper U (pronouced "eeper oe" ("oe" as in shoe)).  It sells groceries.  Unlike the local markets, it has no bags for your groceries except in the produce area where you weigh, bag and put a price tag on your own produce according to either the picture on the scale or the number on the bins next to the price.  And you only do this if it is priced by the kilo.  If it is priced by the piece you don't need to do anything.  You bag your own groceries at the checkout.  If you want a cart, you need to put a 1 euro piece in the linked carts.  The coin will disconnect the cart.  When you put your cart back, and link it again to the carts, the coin is released.  At Hyper U, you can also buy patio furniture, rent a car or van, buy a bicycle, have your clothes dry cleaned, book a vacation or have "Flunch".  Getting to Hyper U is a challenge for us since the bus schedule to this stop is still being studied.

The bus from here to Pertuis leaves at 6:30am and 7:30 am, except you have to call a day in advance to reserve it since it is only "on demand".  And you can not call during mid-day break hours.  When you call, they ask what is the purpose of your "trip" and age group you are in.  There is a bus to Pertuis on Friday at 9:50 (market day in Pertuis) and you do not need to reserve in advance.  The return buses don't need to be reserved, and they are at 6pm and 7pm, except on market day there is one at 12:00.  If is is Wed or Sat, there is a bus at 12:50 back to Ansouis.  If the bus is coming from Pertuis it drops you off on the east side of town.  If you are going to Pertuis it picks you up on the west. Most bus connections happen in Pertuis.  Fare for the bus for the 10 min ride between Ansouis and Pertuis is 1.5 euros.  The fare for the 45 min ride from Aix-en-Provence to Pertuis is 1 euro.

Trash day is Monday.  Since the streets of the village are so narrow, there isn't any pick up service at your door, so you have to carry your trash to the big green dumpsters at the outskirts of the village.  So what day does it matter what day trash pick up is for those in the village?  There are recycling bins at the outskirts, too.  Glass, newspapers/mail, packaging and cartons.  It has to be brought to the bins.  No door pick up.

The cleaning lady comes on Tuesday morning at 9am, unless she has an appointment elsewhere.  She told me that the local "coiffeure" is open on Thursday and Friday and I would need an appointment unless she was available at that moment and then I wouldn't need one! After getting dropped on the east side of town coming back from the market in Pertuis on Friday, I stopped to make an appointment to get my hair cut.  She said she could offer an appointment on Tuesday morning.

Many stores are closed on Mondays, but open on Sunday mornings.

We can get a coffee in a bar and bars open early and some close late (Is there a "match" on?  Yes?  they are open late).  You eat lunch between 12:00-1:30.  If you are eating out you can eat at a bar or a restaurant.  You can order from a "menu" or "a la carte".  Dinner is after 7:30pm in a restaurant but not after  ~9pm depending on the restaurant.  It is common to "gouter" (snack) around 4pm with a coffee, or a beer at a bar, sitting outside if weather permits or if you are a smoker.  Children often get an ice cream or pain au chocolat at this time.

So, we are now able to get to the post office when it is open, to the markets before they close, the bakers before she runs out of bread and not seem odd by arriving at the bar at the wrong time for a drink or a meal.  And, we are drinking rose with our lunch and making sure that we are taking a midday break, or siesta, when everyone else does!  We are enjoying this rhythm of life...now that we have figured it out!

Blue skies!