Sunday, July 12, 2009

Mountains and Molehills

[Kim and Kurt in the car, driving from Mama Claude’s in Saint-Cannat to Guy and Mimi’s in Ceyreste. Kim is thinking about conversation from previous day with Kurt and Valerie, during which Valerie talked about the prominent role of Mont Sainte-Victoire in the Aixois psyche.]

Kim: So is this the Mount Victoire?

Kurt: What? No. Are you kidding me? Don’t you pay attention? That’s a hill. And we’re nowhere near Aix.

Kim: So Mount Victoire is more like this?

Kurt: No. And it’s called Mont Sainte-Victoire. Sainte. You know, famously depicted by Cezanne?

Kim: Doesn’t ring a bell.

Kurt: We’ve been by it a dozen times. There were signs and everything.

Kim: Really? I don’t remember.

Kurt: Jeezus. It’s an icon for the people of Aix – they consider it their own.

Kim: Oh, like Mont-Royal in Montreal?

Kurt: Well, except that it’s not in the city. Aix is in the shadow of Sainte-Victoire.

Kim: So what you’re saying is that Mont Victoire is smaller than Mont-Royal?

Kurt: You’re going home tomorrow, right?

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