Be happy in this moment. This moment is your life….
The sun was shining yet again for Rodney’s birthday and that was probably his best present. He’s a man who just doesn’t need, or want, anything but to travel the world…….and we’re doing that. So his wardrobe has expanded a little and I gave him some dark chocolate orange slices that I’m hoping he might share with me…..
Bill and Lynne surprised us by wandering around the corner of our pitch and greeting us at our door, before 10am on Thursday. They drove us up to their house at Cuxac de Aude, north of Narbonne, and it was lovely to see them after three years and to see how they have beautifully renovated their home. After champagne and biscuits, they drove us to a brilliant restaurant, L Auberge de la Croisade set right on the bank of the Canal du Midi. We couldn’t fault it, so if you’re ever near Narbonne, or even Beziers, it is definitely worth going out of your way for a good lunch there.
Back at Eileen, the Thomsons stayed for drinks on our patio; thank goodness we bought two tiny stools before we set off from England this year, we all had somewhere to sit! That evening Rodney and I were so chilled out, that we completely forgot to have a shower until really late and we certainly needed one as it had been such a hot day. Further south, all through Spain, despite the hot sunny weather, we had never needed the desk fan. But in Narbonne we had to pull it out of the cupboard and let it waft some air over us all night. And the sweaty heat continued for the next few days.
Bill and Lynne picked us up again on Friday and took us into the centre of Narbonne. We promenaded along the Canal de la Robine to the Pont des Marchands, a bridge which has houses built on it, one of only a few bridges like it left in France. We wandered in to the Palais Archevêques, through various rooms, all currently housing an impressive sports photography exhibition. Passing through an arch we found ourselves in the cloisters and from there we stepped in to the unfinished Gothic Cathédrale St Just et St Pasteur. It isn’t a very large cathedral, but its vaulting rises more than forty-metres from the floor making it the tallest cathedral in southern France; it feels like the pillars and walls soar up to the ceiling. We stopped for a quick drink on the Cours de la République and then strolled the bridge over the canal to Les Halles Narbonne, the market.
Bill and Lynne suggested having lunch at a special place inside and they seemed very excited about taking us there. We had no idea what to expect. Chez Bebelle was brilliant. The owner, Gilles Belzons, is a local star rugby player and he has retained some of those skills for use in the eatery. When an order is placed by the waitress, he picks up a megaphone and yells his requirements to the nearby market stalls. The beef comes from the stall opposite, the duck and chicken came from a stall behind us and the horse meat came from over on the left. The trader wraps the meat in white paper and chucks it across the market hall to Belzons’ huge hands; we never saw him drop a single order. A lady then slaps the meat on to a huge grill and your cooked order is plonked on a plate, along with a huge pile of lettuce and a mountain of the most delicious French fries. I think the duck breast was the best I have ever eaten, but it was quite distracting and hilarious to eat and chat and keep watching packages of meat being thrown around, all at the same time, but it sure was good food and entertainment, all in one delicious package.
http://chez-bebelle.fr/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1LETTkHhCY
Back at the campsite, everything was shut; well it was a Friday afternoon in France. So we gathered our own glasses and wine and sat at the bar next to the swimming pool for an hour or so, still nattering about this and that; I guess there is so much to catch up on after three years absence. When Bill, our knowledgeable tour guide, and Lynne, our ace driver, finally said their au revoirs, Rodney and I popped the swimmers on and went for a swim and a snooze. The swim was divine, but the snooze didn’t happen. A large group of men arrived and the volume went from peaceful to raucous, never mind, we chilled out, ate an ice cream, and finally returned to our corner of the campsite.
Eileen started rocking and rattling at 4:40am on Saturday morning. I grabbed the towels and swimmers from the washing line and Rodney hauled in the awning. At 8am it was still blowing a gale and when we opened the back door, it was gusting straight though our little home. It was impossible to sit inside, or out, so we packed up a bit and turned Eileen around to face the opposite way. It was better, but there is something slightly unsettling about really strong, blustery winds. We got the washing done, researched a bit about where to go next, had a slow all-round catch-up day and a long swim in the pool, when the wind finally eased off.
