We said goodbye to Pauline, who was off to Tarragona on babysitting duties and then to a family holiday with Sarah and Hamish and Fin in the South of Spain.
Our train left mid afternoon so we got a taxi and sorted out the correct access point and platform at the railway station. Getting through security was ok but the cattle yards to wait for access to the platform were pretty chaotic.
However we all seemed to get down the stairs or escalators ok with numerous bits of luggage.
We had booked in the first class carriage on the train from Barcelona to Madrid. We had 5 stops and a 21/2 hour journey. Tip for the future. In a 2 storey carriage, the upstairs seats have great views but it’s pretty awkward when the 3 of you have 4 large pieces of luggage and a couple of smaller backpacks.
We exited Beziers and found a taxi using our best school French. The driver was very gracious, as has everyone been so far in France.
We had to walk 100m to our apartment as the road was blocked off with a temporary stage and a band warming up. It was summer solstice and evidently there are music festivals across France to celebrate. There were 2 bands in our street alone and at least 5 others that we passed. Very vibrant and fun.
Our apartment is inside a courtyard and is part of a converted larger building. It’s a bit bijou and rickety upstairs but has a good kitchen and has a washing machine. Thankfully the air conditioning eventually cooled things down enough that we could sleep. It’s a bit of a pain having the bathroom upstairs but only one toilet and that’s downstairs, however we will cope.
The apartment is direct across the road from a very trendy food market – the sort of place Matt Stark is trying to establish in Hamilton with MADE, however we don’t have the culture of daily food buying, that is fundamental to the French way of life.
On the way to dinner we stopped at a tavern around the corner and had 2 large beers. Dehydration is an issue and beer is the quickest way to get a decent volume of cold liquid!
Our host recommended some restaurants including a tapas style place on the main square that is rated in the Michelin Guide. The food was great, as was the ambiance, although the square was catering for the younger crowd in terms of music genre so we enjoyed a couple of hours of ‘doof doof’ music (as Jay, a former colleague of mine used to describe it).
We are not sure if the arched lighting and fountain lights are permanent or were set up for the festival but it all looked fantastic and was much enjoyed by 1000s.
