Sunday October 4th Montpellier to Sète 37 KM
We left Montpellier later than usual because, being Sunday, we had trouble finding breakfast. We settled on a small Café that had a bakery next door. The bakery sold us each a small Quiche Lorraine that they could happily heat up for us. Then going next door, we ordered Café au Lait which we drank outside in the cold morning air so we could eat our breakfast without pissing off the Café owner. Then we had trouble finding a grocery store where we could buy our customary picnic lunch. Man, Sundays are tough in France. Everything is always shut up tighter than a drum.
We did manage to find some bread and fruit before cycling south towards the Mediterranean along a large highway that thankfully had a cycle path running along the side. After some help from a fellow in a small pickup truck who had us follow him at speeds of 20 or 30 km down a large highway we were led to the Canal du Rhone which we proposed to follow west all day on our way to Sète.
Elizabeth on the towpath of the Rhone canal.
The route along the canal was hard packed stone and gravel but completely cyclable. The day was overcast with an occasional drizzle. It was remarkable. At times, the Canal actually takes its course way out into the Mediterranean. Sometimes we could see ocean on either side with just a sliver of mainland off to our north. It really was like cycling out in the middle of the Ocean. All we could do was follow the small ribbon of land next to the canal, for the rest we were surrounded by water and flamingoes. A couple of times we saw flocks of flamingoes flying in large "V" shaped formations much like Canada Geese. They streached their necks out in front and their feet out in back making them look like long flying match sticks. At one point we came to an old Abbey on Ille de Maguelone where one of the Popes lived for a time during the Great Schism. We found it closed so we had to be content with viewing it from outside the walls. Before continuing on, we ate what fruit we had for lunch as it became more and more apparent that we would find nothing else.
At about 2:30 that afternoon right on the beach, on the edge of a small town we found a very fine and expensive restaurant that was full of Sunday afternoon customers. The restaurant management was very gracious. Even though we were dressed in our scruffiest road warrior gear and even though they were very busy with higher priced clientele, they agreed to make us sandwiches and serve us cups of café au lait. It was expensive but good. And it warmed us up and lifted our spirits.
The towpath following the canal ended just before Sète and we had to follow quite a busy road into town. Sète was amazing. Really pretty we thought. It was full of canals where fishing boats moored and there was no sign of the hoards of tourists that flock to the area in Summer. I love travelling in October. We had no trouble finding a hotel room at the Sète Hotel for FF165 ($48.00 cdn). It had a great view of the roof tops from the small balcony. I didn't even mind the toilet and shower down the hall.
Monday October 5th Sète
We decided to spend an extra day in Sète. It was a pretty town and we liked the hotel. There were also lots of restaurants to choose from. It seemed like the perfect place for a layover. We spent most of the day exploring. In the morning we rode high up above the city to a mountain top to look at the vista. In the afternoon we had a good picnic lunch of Merguez (Moroccan sausage) sandwiches and frites, then went off to explore the town. Sète is a large port town and it was neat to see large ferries docked unloading people who had just come from across the Mediterranean from Morocco and Tunisia.
3 photos of Sète.
The evening I took the above photos we went to a small neighborhood restaurant called "Le Grillon" for dinner. It was the kind of place that offers a FF55 ($16.00 cdn) menu. You have two choices for starter, main course and dessert. It was filled with locals eating a cheap dinner. Our middle aged waitress had straw like dyed blond hair and spoke to us while gazing at us over top of her reading glasses. She was surprised we were there. (I think the tourists mainly eat down by the wharf.) We had the best time. And the food was terrific. My pork chop in green peppercorn sauce was rich with cream and the most tender I've ever eaten. The wine was a bottomless pitcher of a local red. We also had some drama included in the price of our dinner - - -
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Halfway through our dinner a North African man came in and took a seat. The Madame who ran the place immediately started to shout at him from where she was sitting on the other side of the room. He looked confused and got up from his table and went over to talk with her. There were several minutes of discussion, mostly on the part of the Madame whose voice was piercingly loud and shrill. From what we could gather, he'd been a customer on another occasion and had neglected to pay. The room fell absolutely silent. He made excuses of some sort. But the Madame wouldn't have it. Not any of it. "LEAVE" she said in no uncertain terms and pointed to the door. There was nothing the poor guy could say or do. The room came slowly back to life again as he shut the door quietly on his way out. |
Tuesday October 6th Sète to Pézenas 43 KM
We left Sète with the intention of going to Agde and on to Béziers but on route we had a change of plans. We decided instead to go to Pézenas, the birth town of Molière. From Sète we took the road right along the Mediterranean. Although the traffic moved quickly, it wasn't too busy this late in the season. This area is a popular tourist Mecca in summer and is full of campgrounds and hotels. Not my kind of vacation, especially with a busy road right beside the beach.
It was under this fountain that we made a commitment to our route. After today there was no turning back. We cycled through vineyards all afternoon and arrived in Pézenas at around 4 where the only hotel we could afford had rooms on the busy main road through town. It did quiet down at night though.
That evening when we asked a couple of local shop keepers to recommend a good restaurant. "Without a doubt Le Castel" they all said. It was decided. We walked by Le Castel to see if we could make a reservation - it was closed but we saw a menu in the window that listed the days specials. The menu said that the restaurant would be open at 7:00. We decided to wonder around until it opened.
Pézenas seemed to have a large and very active cultural community. We saw posters for cultural events, art exhibits, plays and there were posters everywhere advertising an up and coming film festival. In addition to all this it was a very attractive town.
At 7:15 we headed back to our restaurant, Le Castel. It was as dark as a tomb. Even the menu in the window that we'd seen earlier was gone. We discussed what we should do. Deciding to wait, we went down the street for a drink at a café. It was full of young people playing video games in the back room. I opened a bag of potato chips to eat with my drink and immediately got some company. A couple of little dogs wandered over and sat down at my feet hoping that I'd drop a few crumbs. The café owner assured us Le Castel was open that evening. We went back at 7:45, again at 8:00, once again at 8:15 and then at 8:30. We ate somewhere else that night.
Wednesday October 7th Pézenas to Cessenon 40 KM
WIND. All day long. WIND. In our faces. We had a hilly day of riding and the wind didn't help. It was relentless. We'd climb up a hill with the wind screaming down at us then descend with the wind screaming up at us. We never quite seemed to be able to get the damn thing to come from behind. It was a tough 40 Km. Our average speed was only 12.6 Km. (Normally we could average 18 or 19 Km). It also threatened rain all day long. Thankfully, it never did.
When we arrived in Cessenon in the foothills of the Haute Languedoc at about 4:00 we were exhausted. We were also lucky. The only hotel in town was open. L'Europe Hotel FF150 ($44.00 Cdn). It would be closed the next day - but for that night at least we were okay. It was also the only place to eat in town - so we were stuck with no choices. The menu of the day at 58FF ($17.00 cdn) was only available at lunch we were told by the young receptionist at the hotel. She didn't really like working there we decided. We looked at the dinner menu. It started at FF96 ($28.00 cdn)and went up to FF260 ($76 cdn). We rarely pay that kind of money for dinner, even in large towns. We were spitting mad, but had no choice. It was the only game in town.
We arrived to dinner at 7:30. The receptionist who didn't like her job was gone. The owner of the hotel was there tending bar and waiting for us. He was very gracious and happy to see us. Eager to please he flicked on the lights in the restaurant then asked us hopefully, "Will the menu of the day at FF58 be alright? It's all we have." We were so relieved. We were the only ones to eat in the huge cavernous restaurant that night. The wind howled outside and from the bar next door we could hear the murmur of happy voices. The food was great. We had the best, most tender roast pork with a most delicious gravy and mashed potatoes I've ever had. Endless pitchers of wine, salad and dessert. Happy again.