Twice in a week!
Monday night we were in Argentina; last night it was Brazil.
At Café Plum in Lautrec a talented trio called Fado do Samba played a spirited samba set to a happy crowd of spectators, a considerable number of whom succumbed to a desire to get up and dance.
It was lovely.
We arrive late as usual.
The walled courtyard–open to the sky–of this recent and welcome addition to Lautrec’s cultural scene is jam-packed with holidaymakers and locals–sitting round the magnificent lime tree (linden) that reaches to the sky from its centre.
This time we bring our own chairs.
We edge in at the back behind the only two people wearing hats.
The woman’s is a jaunty synthetic floppy number and–luckily for me–see-through.
Her husband’s straw-looking trilby–on Meredith’s side–is not.
They dress alike: green tops each, a white dress for her and white trousers for him–to go with the hats.
She is bavardeuse (chatty) and he never says a word–I’m with him!
Stoicly we refuse to allow the slightly obstructed view to spoil our enjoyment of the music.
My feet start tapping involuntarily and Meredith has trouble keeping still while taping the panning shots.
We order a glass of red each and settle back.
Fortunately for us it’s not long before Monsieur and Madame Chapeau find the rhythm irresistible and get up to dance–un-obscuring our view.
Heaven!
We leave just before the encore and head for the car, parked a few metres down the street.
We can still hear the music loud and clear and like Les Chapeaux, find it irresistible.
Two foreigners dance in the empty street under a moonless sky, counting their lucky stars!
Robin Ellis 