Au Revoir

Unfortunately, we’ve left France early, heading home due to a serious health issue with J’s dad. We’re sorry to go, especially from our great rental in Narbonne, a city where we could see living (at least in the winter, when it isn’t too hot). We hope we’ll be able to come back for another long […]

Hiking Narbonne: Massif de la Clape

On Sunday, as we headed toward the Mediterranean for a hike on the Massif de la Clape, there was a little surprise awaiting us in the parking garage: M was enchanted. Apparently a Citroën 2CV club came to town for lunch… My personal favorite: Our hike started in the mariner’s cemetery below the Chapelle de […]

Hiking Narbonne: Bages

Just a short distance outside Narbonne, on the Étang de Bages-Sigean (a lagoon connected to the Mediterranean), is the small town of Bages. On Saturday we went there to start our first hike in southern France. We parked near the water and enjoyed the view across the lagoon: There was a cool breeze as we […]

L’Abbaye de Fontfroide

This Cistercian abbey is just outside Narbonne, though you’d never guess it from the surroundings. I can easily imagine a life of quiet contemplation in these surroundings… We spent a long time in the church, which has beautiful stained glass… and great acoustics. The best part of the visit, by far, was the small private […]

Canal de la Robine

We’ve been taking regular long walks along the canal that runs through Narbonne. What a great addition to a city landscape! To the south it becomes rural pretty quickly, but to the north we enjoy walking through town and seeing lots of live-aboard boats. To the south are generally spiffier-looking boats, then country. But it […]

Welcome to Narbonne

We left the Dordogne a week earlier than originally planned, worn down by the rain and okay but not the greatest accommodations. We came three and a half hours south and a little east to the small city of Narbonne, which is just a few kilometers from the Mediterranean. Three and a half hours isn’t […]