France ~ Tatty & Julien's wedding in Sarlat ~ Toulouse

Welcome! I've thought long about this 'blog' idea and have decided that I'm not really interested in recording some sort of journal of where I've been and what I've seen. You can google all that. Instead, I've decided to only share little bits and pieces that have stood out for me. Stuff that you can't google.

The photo above is of a little ancient town in South France called Rocamadour. There are many places in France that are quite ancient.. going back to the 11th Century, for example. It's a surreal experience to be somewhere physically that existed so long ago and was a part of a completely different world. I was hoping there was some kind of 3D glasses tour experience that could let you see the ancient streets as they were back in the medieval times, with horses, carriages, knights, lords, peasants and wenches. The photo is a good impression of my current disposition - looking up in awe at the travel experience before me..

I went to a yoga class in a local park in Toulouse a few days ago. Zoe - the girl I’m staying with - is the teacher and there were two other girls and a guy there. We set up under a tree next to a fence and some bushes. The weather was very pleasant, with crisp, blue skies and a refreshing breeze. People jogged past, mothers pushed their prams and some of the randoms stopped to have a look. When we had just started, a black man in a trench-coat with a backpack and a dog came over. After we told him we didn’t have a cigarette and explained that we were going to do yoga, not sport, he asked to stay and watch. Sure. Why not?

Fast forward about 20 minutes. Zoe is great, she makes us focus on details and constantly reminds us to breathe and to smile. I adopt the ‘down dog’ pose, head dropped down and looking behind me through my legs. There, on the fence, sits the black man, his trench-coat parts slightly and I’m looking upside down at him playing with his floppy cock. Focus on your breathing. Relax. Don’t forget to smile. Try not to pay attention to the clichéd, possibly homeless, pervert in a trench-coat jerking off metres from your yoga class.

So what would you do in this situation? Firstly, I don’t know how to say “Get the fuck outta here you pervert!” in French. Secondly, I don’t know if this is common in Toulouse or how exactly people deal with something like this here. I wouldn’t know how to threaten him with the cops or follow through with the threat. “Bonjour, gendarmerie. Je suis en parc et un pervert est masturbateur sur le yoga class. Come quick before he does?” Zoe chose not to make a scene or risk a confrontation. She stoically continued with the class, not letting up to the anathema of positive yoga vibes currently unfolding. I decided that since the guy posed no threat, this would just be an extra concentration challenge. The class went on and finally the guy left. He even politely said goodbye and wished us a nice day. The last 10 minutes of the class were quite a relief. Next time you’re doing yoga and feel like it’s a bit challenging, be thankful that some pervert is not masturbating nearby. I know I now have a new appreciation for ‘regular’ classes.

Til next time.. Peace out
Shly