Avignon theater festival, the fifth day of my third season.

A personal day, full of special experiences and unexpected turns. My day ranges from theater performances to the city’s nightlife, on an adventure-filled route. I started the day tired, but by the end, I was enriched with completely different experiences.

At nine in the morning, I’m already at the Avignon station. To start, I finally plan my day: dance, musical, Lorca theater, party, hardware store, walk, lots of siestas; then back to Arles tomorrow afternoon.
I don’t plan to spend much money because so far I’ve spent several hundred euros just on theater tickets, but I definitely need a new cable for my phone, I buy one for twenty euros at the Fnac store. Problem solved.
In the store, cola, a pastry for breakfast, then a well-deserved walk. Magnesium from the pharmacy – some say it reduces the extent of hand numbness. At the market, cola, reading, then a walk along the riverside path past the former mills, and I even have time for a little visit to a church.
By the way, I was editing the blog until three in the morning yesterday, so I’m really sleepy, I’m not even going to fight it. However, the only shady, quiet place is next to a garbage island; I’m not picky, I lay my beach towel under the only tree at two in the afternoon. I wake up at five o’clock to the sanitation workers lifting the garbage island. In Avignon (too), the large trash containers are sunk into the ground, on the surface, only a metal plate and a disposal opening are visible; hydraulics lift the container out of the cavity. The workers ask if I’m okay, I wish them a nice afternoon and look for a strong coffee.
I add and subtract, reduce costs, and delete the musical “Mercutio” from my schedule, I’ll reschedule the hairdresser for later.
My stomach has been upset since last night, mild diarrhea, so for dinner, I only have a baguette and a little plain salami.
A walk in the city center: I admire the passing artists. Even if I didn’t buy a theater ticket, just the millions of productions happening in the open air could fill a day. I even manage to have a beer while sightseeing.
The only theater outside the city wall is called Adress.
9:00 PM Lorca
Musical piece. To my surprise, it’s in Spanish. I wasn’t familiar with the work of Garcia Lorca before, but I always read relevant information online before each performance to help with language comprehension.
A Spanish poet and playwright living in the first half of the 20th century, a theater professional, a revolutionary, a friend of Dali, a male lover of another artist, a traveler, and much more. He was already dead at the age of thirty-eight.
There was a French subtitle in the background of the stage, and I sat in the background of the audience, and my glasses were resting at home, so I couldn’t even use my limited French language skills. I put the Google translator on the chair in front of me. Although I only caught fragments of what I heard, these scattered sentences also testified to a poetic world that was unique. This person must have had a good imagination and could come up with completely unexpected things to pair with powerful rhymes. I’m already researching how I can read Lorca’s works because this guy is definitely a great artist.
I go back to the market square, I’m hungry, the vendor is surprised when I only ask for a serving of fries, but he’s happy because finally, there’s something he can serve quickly. There’s no life in the bars around the market yet, although I’m determined to dance tonight. I go back to the courtyard called Village, one of the free – kind of central locations of the festival. Eight euros for a Pilsner, that hurts!
11:30 PM concert
A saxophonist, a trumpeter, a drummer. They play rhythmic disco music. Not bad; despite being difficult to listen to, it’s easy to dance to. After a few beers, I join in too. The audience starts to disperse around two in the morning – including me – because the lights were turned off and the bar counter was closed.
At half past two, I crave fries with cola by the riverbank.
I routinely tie the hammock between the two trees. Even the tenth sheep doesn’t jump over the fence, and I’m already sleeping like a log.
Some lessons about Thursday:
At any theater performance, if you sit in the front rows, you will definitely be drawn into the play. This may be a new trend. Lorca’s actors even came up to the last row.
It seems to me that this year, freedom and free choice of partner, free thinking, are important themes – in every conceivable interpretation.
As it turns out, four pints of beer can dissolve my inhibitions. Question: what can replace the four pints of beer? Perhaps some non-alcoholic alternative?
July 17 or 18, 2024. Thursday – that’s for sure.