In the Village of Niceties

On Saturday, we trotted off to Valant, also known as the Village of Niceties and All Things Simple.

In the Village of Niceties and All Things Simple, the various craft shops are spelled, "shoppe", and people smile and greet at one another when walking past on the sidewalk. On the odd occasion - because many things in the Village of Niceties and All Things Simple appeared odd on Saturday - a horse-drawn buggy would come past with a woman of the 'simple folk' persuasion behind the stirrups.

The shoppes in the Village of Niceties and All Things Simple sold nice little simple things. Like organic soap. And cinnamon-flavored syrup in a plastic stick. No tall buildings. And lots of hand-crafted wooden furniture. And wine made the olde worlde way.

In the Village of Niceties and All Things Simple, the shoppe keepers greet you with a "Merry Christmas" and not one of these politically-correct "Happy Holidays", and take their sweet time wrapping up your purchases in soft paper. They will also take their sweet time giving you a very in-depth historical breakdown of the region.

One of the stores in the Village of Niceties and All Things Simple was an olde mill. Inside this olde mill it was very colde. The cashier told us they were busy repairing their wood-burning heater. Of course she said this while buddled in a fleece and a hoodie, for verily she was not of the simple persuasion.

The only odd thing about the Village of Niceties and All Things Simple was that I didn't see any children!