We returned to Narbonne (after a few days here last fall) for several reasons, not the least of which is their fabulous covered market Les Halles. I have spent more time there than I have in all the three hundred museums Cindy has dragged me to, but I digress! Narbonne is steeped in history, beauty and charm - and yet no one seems to know anything about it and it is really not a tourist city, which is great for a variety of reasons. First - and foremost for Cindy - no one speaks English so it is imperative that we speak only French, which is so hard to do in tourist locations like Paris, Nice and Lyon. Every day Cindy’s skills improved and she became more confident, especially when she would receive either positive feedback - or better yet, no feedback - which meant they perhaps thought she was French.
When I say there are no tourists, I mean no real international tourists. On the weekends we observed lots of French tourists from other regions, and some from nearby Spain. The city is physically beautiful, laid out in classic dimensions with lots of tree-lined walking areas and the Canal de la Robine bisecting the entire city. This was the first Roman outpost in what is now France, then called Gaul, established in 118 BC. There are ample bits of evidence of their long time here, including remnants of the road, Via Domitia, which ran from Rome to Narbonne and beyond.
Cindy found a lovely apartment for our two-week visit and we fell into a comfortable pattern of daily activity quite quickly. Our day would start with runs along the canal, walks for me, and we would meet at a cafe/bar for coffee. A quick visit to a bakery for croissants, bread and treats and then home for either tea or coffee before dressing for the day ahead. Almost every day we went to a museum, church, Cathedral, historic landmark or some other cultural not-to-miss whatever. The weather was fantastic and we were able to eat outside for lunch or dinner almost every day. If we had lunch out, I would cook dinner and if we ate lunch in we would dine out; either way, I was a regular at the market and had so much fun shopping for whatever looked super fresh or different from what I usually prepare.
One day we decided to go and visit Beziers and oh my goodness what a great idea that was. It is a hilltop town and from ten miles away you could see the cathedral seated at the highest point of the town. Again, a town not for tourists and we know this from the complete lack of signage as to how to get to the top of the village. Once we found the right road, after several comic attempts, we parked near Les Halles, a good sign! Exiting the parking garage on foot we were in a grand plaza surrounded by restaurants which circled Les Halles which lured me in like a culinary siren! It was built on the same model as "my" Les Halles in Narbonne, but really was a disappointment since there were lots of vacant stalls and what was there wasn’t as vibrant or as fresh as my Les Halles.
We headed to the tourist office, which is strange in a town with few tourists, and got all the maps and suggestions for visits and were on our way to yet more museums, cathedrals, churches and monuments to people we didn’t know, but who seemed to be quite clever, as in designing the entire canal system of the Midi. What they did have that caught our imagination were lots of building with painted trompe l'oeil, scenes of great amusement and clever plays on light. Cindy took lots of pictures but I'm not sure I can get them in this blog.
We finally had enough culture and enough walking, although we thought it was a most beautiful city, and headed back to Les Halles for lunch before heading home. We found a lovely seafood stall that served food in a small section with tables and chairs and enjoyed a light meal of fresh mussels and tuna. Heading out of town we wanted to stop and see the Fonseranes Locks, which is a modern-day miracle of engineering and yet completed a few hundred year ago! In our youth when we lived in Germany we once rented a canal boat and traversed the Canal Alsace for a week, going through lots of locks, so we had a real interest in these. These locks simply left me speechless! What a marvel of creativity blended with commercial necessity. So happy we made time for this, which in my mind was the best “museum” we visited.
More later, Cindy and Wm
No comments:
Post a Comment