Thursday, July 31, 2008

this was the beginning...

Our recent vacation started with a lunch stop at Narbonne (established in 118 BC...!), and missed THE tour for about 15 minutes...


We have watched Le Tour live in the mountains twice , this time all we got to see were the spare bikes and the official buses which are the very end... After a delicious lunch (ahhhh, the French just know how to cook!) we walked around the city and saw the boats in the "Canal de la Robine" ( 33 km, 48 locks), running through the centre of the town :

One of the 48 locks:


And Saint-Just cathedral dating from 1272... (all of a sudden I felt very young...!)


which showed these scary gargoyles... (click to enlarge). Anecdotic: Act Two of Giuseppe Verdi's opera Don Carlos takes place in the cloisters of St. Just.


On our way to the Alps we spent one night in a tiny hotel in Le Vigan, where there was a free jazz concert out in the street:

We enjoyed it from the restaurant across the street ( you can listen to the band here) :

The in-laws are here for a few days so my blogging time is limited... to a very minimum... Photo hunt is ready and we'll have to wait until Monday to get to the Alps, a wonderful scenery no matter what time of the year. More to come...!


15 comments:

  1. I always love seeing the pictures you take on your trips...It makes me feel that went with you, just a little bit.....And that is really great!

    BTW: I got an email from Blogger tonight telling me that my blog has been "LOCKED"...because they suspect it is Spam...(OY!) I had to make a request for a review...And it might take them a few days to "check it out" and unlock it....MEANWHILE.....I cannot Publish anything...! (I was going to puvlish a NEW Post right now....)
    This is a First, for me!

    Have a WONDERFUL time with The In-Laws....!

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  2. Your inlaws again ? That's why you live in a holiday place lol ! I would visit my son all 5 min too ! Amsterdam bores me now ! The Frenchs don't cook well they drown everything in very good tasty (fat) sauces. Italians cook better !!! (I am a racist, lol) Curious to see more holiday pictures !

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  3. Oh goody! We get to take the trip, too! The start was nice. Where are we going next? When will we get there?

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  4. Love the cathedral photo...wow. Just wow. That is breathtaking, and the angle of the shot is sooooo impressive.

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  5. I just love your photos... It's like being there.
    Thanks for sharing.
    xo
    LBC

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  6. That's a charming place to start in, Mar. I enjoy your photos.

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  7. It sounds like you had a fabulous time! awesome photo's!

    Michelle sent me to say helloooo

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  8. I never even heard of Saint Just! Mar... you keep my list of places I need to go GROWING... but the places I actually GET to go doesn't grow... I'm feeling inequity in my life! Thank you for taking me along on your trip though... it may be the closest I ever get to Le Tour or French food (aside from fries)... and here I thought Venice was the only city with canals running through... I've lead SUCH a sheltered life... *sigh*

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  9. And HOW in the WORLD could ANYone think that Naomi's blog is SPAM??? That makes NO sense! Is it because her posts are so long? Is she being BLAMED for having an interesting LIFE??? Goooooood grief!

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  10. mmmm, you're right, the French sure DO know how to cook! Those gargoyles are amazing :-)

    Hi, Michele sent me!

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  11. Wonderful shots Mar. Looks like fun even if you missed the tour. I hope you enjoy your visit with your in-laws.

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  12. Nicely told. Gives a real sense of your journey! Enjoy the vacation!

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  13. what a beautiful adventure on the way to Alpen! Perhaps I could see you on tv near the Tour! Have great time with your in laws!

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  14. siempre lo pasas super lindo en tu vaciones. beautiful scenery, always educational (art, history) and the food/wine on your pictures always looks tempting. i could see myself sitting in that square having a nice glass of red... one can always dream ;) quando subes a hamburgo de nuevo?

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  15. btw, love the way you have set up the comments page - requete fácil! haha.

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