Preserving our heritage

This is how the city fathers of Narbonne look after their monuments. It makes me so cross. As I've mentioned before, in Roman times Narbo Martius was the most important town in southern Gaul -- more important than Nîmes, for example. You wouldn't think so to look at it now. I suppose at least these modern shop fronts are preserving the medieval building from damage; all of Narbonne's standing Roman remains are gone because they were demolished and the stone re-used for other purposes. Things may be looking up; one of the last acts of Georges Frêche, president of the Languedoc-Roussillon region until his death last year, was to provide funds for a Musée de la Romanité in Narbonne, which is due to open in 2015.

The reflection in the mirrored shopfront is of les Halles, the beautiful covered market which is a mere 111 years old this year. One of the best, if not the best, covered markets in southern France -- so Narbonne does still have something to boast about.