It was day two of the mobilization and protests. There had been a great deal of new about this second wave of protests so I did not really know what to expect. The government did say that it was not going to let the protest turn into riots again and had mobilized more police to deal with the protests.

I went over to the Marché Victor Hugo to do some grocery shopping. I had eaten out almost every meal when Barbara and Emily were visiting and I wanted to have a home cooked meal that included salad and vegetables. I, also, wandered to my favorite wine store to buy a bottle of wine.

When I was walking over to the market, you could tell the city was preparing for trouble. Many of the shops were either already boarded up or were being boarded up. The interesting part was that most of them were still open, just the doors were not boarded up at the time.

Another interesting part of it was that everyone was out shopping, having coffee at the cafes and going on with every day life. I did the same. As I was walking home, I found that the Place du Capitole had been blocked by the police so no one could walk through it. It had still be open when I started out shopping.

I think the reason for the normal daily life in the morning is that the protest marches do not start until 2:00 pm. I noticed signs on many of the shops saying they were closing early. Also, the Marché Victor Hugo closes at 1:30 pm so I think they felt confident in staying open.

I got home and put things away. Most of the rest of the afternoon was spent reading. Later, I heard a helicopter buzzing around. I walked down to the path along the river in front of my apartment building and could see it hovering over a specific area of the city on the other side of the river. I read later that there was a confrontation with the police and some violent protestors there.

Many protestors were walking back across the Pont de Catalan and in front of my building. They were all very peaceful and calm. They were not running from the police. There was police activity on the bridge but I think that was to prevent cars from going to St. Cyprien where the protest ended.

I wandered a little more around my side of the river – I needed my 10,000 steps – and saw a group of demonstrators near the Pont Neuf. I later saw they were out demonstrating and supporting the police.

It is definitely interesting being in France and Toulouse during this period. There seems to be less violence and vandalism than last week which is good. There is supposed to be another one next Saturday.

Dinner was excellent. I had a Tranche of Gigot – a piece of lamb cut from the leg of lamb. I did roasted potatoes and green beans. Also, a nice salad. I felt I was eating well again. I forgot to take a picture of it but it was good.