Oh Dear...

It's 10:40 p.m. (French time).

We left "home" in Olargues at 9:40 a.m., heading southwest for Narbonne, which in the 1st century B.C. was a major port of Roman Gaul. Our first stop today was not near water, however -- it was the Narbonne train station, where we collected our tickets for the Beziers to Paris trip on Tuesday, the first stage of our journey home.

Our second stop was a long one -- a delicious three-course lunch in the center of Narbonne, behind Les Halles, the beautiful covered market, with blipper Veronica and her husband S. We've never met in person before, but thanks to the connections possible here, felt as if we had, and our time together today will enhance our Blipfoto friendship in the future. Veronica did a far better job of describing our time together than I could, so I encourage you to click on the link to her journal!

After lunch, we wandered through the 12th century Bishop's Palace, where Phil took this photo of Veronica and me, and also Narbonne's impressive cathedral, as well as some of the city center. The city was at its best in the bright sunshine, with families strolling the car-free streest, boats out on the Canal de la Robine, and a sense of ease and contentment everywhere.

But for me, the most moving moments were underground, exploring the twists and turns of the Horreum, Narbonne's 1st century B.C. Roman underground grain storage facility. I fit perfectly in the small (short) doorways, the air was sweet, the carvings and amphorae free to be touched and photographed, and I fell in love. This may be a problem, as our trip was supposed to be our last visit to France; hence the "Oh, dear..." title.

Heading back to Olargues, we stopped to share a light three-course meal at Le Lezard Bleu, which also has a considerable stock of Belgian beers, two of which Phil enjoyed, while I remained faithful to local wine.

Many thanks to Veronica and S for today's blipmeet, and for all reading this, I'll catch up with you in the next few days!