Agde, Asses and Les Amoreux, plus Populism and Poplars,

Greyrocks is in France again, and until a couple of days ago could report glorious unseasonable sunshine for the whole ten days!
We arrived in Barcelona with great ease and walked out to the pick-up point for the hotel shuttle. This is something we have done numerous times ruing the clothes more suited to the Canaries, but this time we were seeking shade. Just as well, since it took 45 minutes to arrive! Still - a good value dinner and comfortable room, followed by an efficient run back to the airport next morning. We used the once-daily coach service up to Girona airport and as we passed the Parking saw Yvette with her bonnet up:- something amiss with the battery and/or electronic warning system! We spent the journey into France perturbed by it all, but made it to Stop Numero 1 - Grau d' Agde.

The Left Bank of Grau d'Agde - nice eateries!

 Greyrocks has three favourite campsites with mobile homes in SW France, and generally uses two on any migration, but it is a while since we were here. It seems the last time was at the most recent Autumn 2012, and in that time the site has changed hands, the seafront been pedestrianised, and a brasserie has opened right next door! All good news! After settling in we made a late run to the nearest supermarket and found that a branch of Hippopotamus had opened there! So faced with a teeming mass of French Easter holidaymakers on missions everywhere we took an early dinner there and were very pleased with it, so another reason to be cheerful! People were swimming in pool and sea, and there were signs of sunburn:- not bad for mid-April!

That says it all! Fingers crossed!

The bad news was that despite numerous attempts to mount the "new" bike around the campsite failure persisted, so Bob's rides out were lone (and probably longer than would have been the case if accompanied!). These included some trips on the tiny ferry that crosses the river near its mouth. This service has also been tarted up since the last visit and the two boats are captained by a couple and painted respectively pink and blue! One day was dedicated to "sorting out Yvette" and included a drive to an industrial estate in Béziers, where history also repeated itself in that we spent an age trying to find the Fiat dealer. We were then told it would be better to have Yvette seen in Agde, so it was back there and to another industrial estate.  Here a jolly customer saw the GB plates and asked if we were seeking asylum, and the boss said he would look at her but after his lunch! In all we killed four hours waiting around but came away with the newest and most annoying false alerts solved and the cause (poor battery connection) solved. We rounded off the car-centred day by having two new tyres fitted - involving more waiting for an appointment and then the service! 

France was - of course - gearing up for the first round of the presidential election. Greyrocks has remarked before that there is little sign of overt commitment to any candidate - just a bit of fly-posting, but every polling station has a line of numbered regulation-sized posters of the contenders. Our nearest had Le Pen's pleasingly adorned. The result would not be announced until we reached Lattes!

Plans for Place Jean Jaures - not there yet!

Meanwhile we had an "awayday" in  Béziers - mindful of the fact that it has a very nasty mayor! This was not lost on Jack - Chloë's fiancé - and they were the reason for the visit. They were on a week's break in Toulouse and the city made a sensible and interesting meeting point. (Unfortunately extortionately expensive for them, whilst we had a ten minute train journey at pensioners' rate!)

But the canal hero remains!

He's missing too!

It was a gloriously sunny day and all the travel arrangements worked perfectly, but some of the tourism experiences were a bit lack-lustre! Having met at the station we walked up to the centre! The geography was well-known to us, so the effort required was not unexpected and we aimed for a drink in the main square. This is named after a famous socialist - so we had to go there to cock a snoop at the current administration, but it was en panne - just a huge building site! Bob went off in search of a tourist map and we found a little but friendly bar that was open.  C & J went off to see - amongst other places - the Cathedral site of the 1209 massacre. We needed a gentler stroll and followed the map to the Arena or Amphitheatre. We had recently watched an interesting series on Greek (and to some extent Roman) Theatre, and thought this would be fun! To say it was underwhelming is to understate! There are a couple of columns and a portion of the site is a public garden. That was it! So we wandered the streets - found a few random points of interest and ended up outside the closed cathedral. C & J were there too, having got lost and then misunderstood the opening times. But at least the view from the ramparts - extensive and beautiful was worth it!

 So we went with the flow and had a couple of beers at a nearby brasserie , and this morphed into a long and very pleasant lunch. Just time for a leisurely stroll down to the station passing through the "Plain of Poets" and past the fountain of Triton! What a surprise:- under extensive renovation and nothing to see!

All that white stuff! Apparently "bourre du peuplier"

A great day en famille in spite of the glitches! We were soon back in Agde and took the bus back to the site. 

 

The move on the following Saturday would involve a short motorway drive, but it was pretty hairy, being a sunny day with most French pupils on holiday, and most of the Netherlands towing their caravans down to Spain. The Info on the radio told tales of two-hour hold-ups not far away. We were lucky and beat the Reception lunch break at the Camping. Unfortunately the mobile wasn't ready, so we had to shop and then return. When we did we were greeted like old friends. We commented on the lovely sunshine and one member of the team said "Yes, and the snow!!" Throughout our stay we have had to fight off the wind-borne seeds of a variety of poplar which is much in evident hereabouts! At times the swirling and layers on all surfaces really do resemble snow! Furthermore the donkey on the other side of the fence from our unit has reproduced and there are now four of them braying through day and night! Not quite paradise, then; but we have once again the super-luxury mobile home and it's a delightful, friendly, well-located campsite!

Twice a year for a good few years, so we know Lattes, its seaside neighbours, cycle rides and where to eat! Bob had to do the rides whilst Ruth did strange stationary exercises, but she walked to the great Lattes Sunday market and bought the Sunday roast:- asparagus with Hollandaise, boneless cooked suckling pig, potato galettes, and some great veg.! In the afternoon we went to sunny Palavas, which was full! By the Tuesday the end to the sunny spell was in sight. A nasty strong North wind was with us, so we took the tram into Montpellier. It was too cold really for being outside and whilst we stood inspecting the offerings of the second-best cinema the perspex cover of the board flew open and clobbered us both on arm and hand! A Parisien onlooker said we should claim free entries, but there was nothing that appealed so we went once again to L'Assiette, ate scrumptious gigot with white beans, and claimed our cheap tickets to the cinema opposite. We saw "Lady Macbeth", which we learnt shortly afterwards was the Guardian Film of the Week. Comfy and warm in the Diagonal and a worthwhile film, but when we came out it was raining, and it did so in buckets for twelve hours! Since then the vicious wind has persisted, so a week of mixed fortune, but still a place we want to return to! Tomorrow we head North and have fished out the warm clothes in preparation!

A sudden burst of Awaydays!

With a couple of weeks to go before migration we suddenly started  going places! More flexibility (!) in the physio schedule and a remarkable improvement in the weather made such jaunts more feasible and attractive! In fact these closing weeks were the best in all the early Aprils that Greyrocks can recall. Almost (but not quite) sea-bathing conditions!

The bad news was that Ruth's knee - whilst good enough for quite extensive painless walking - stubbornly refused to bend enough on the real bicycle - meaning no progress in riding, episodes of depression and detailed discussion about how this knee could be so much more problematic than the first last year! In fact the bike has only been out of our complex once in the whole six-month stay. and that was to be - as it turned out - pointlessly serviced! Still - "things can only get better"!

Plenty of choice for lunch along the prom!

The first of three jolly japes in glorious sunshine was over the sea to Playa Blanca! John and Tracey drove their hire car down from Teguise, and we took the swift Fred Olsen ferry with residents' discount. We had a very pleasant lunch in a randomly chosen restaurant, swapped tales of offspring and heard about their "day from hell" with medical bill and traffic fine, and planned the winter's trip to Goa! So engaged were we in good conversation that the amount of wine consumed by three of us "grow'd like Topsy" and Greyrocks managed to fall asleep for most of the twenty minute return crossing!

Next - to El Cotillo! Greyrocks likes this growing fishing village with its Bohemian vibe, but there is not much to do without a serious walk, so a visit was delayed until this late stage! Almost as potentially interesting would be the return bus trip, which would mean seeing (or even using) the newly-opened stretch of new road:- much behind schedule and controversial in terms of what will ultimately happen to the current coast road and the communities it serves. We got the experience we wanted on the journey, had a walk round, saw the new bus station and had a long lunch in the sun! No longer "sleepy" it receives a serious stream of coach parties, but definitely worth a visit!

Finally there was another visit to our capital - Puerto del Rosario - mainly for a signing-off by the sainted surgeon. Once this was over - with much reassurance and a suggestion of a bit more physio and an adhesive, analgaesic pad - we strolled in the sun (at last!) and went for the season's last lunch with Marco and Elena at El Bounty. This was a long and delightful affair! Once home it was round to the next door neighbours (the nice side!) for an early evening get-together in advance of our respective departures. we don't recall much of the latter part of the evening!

In spite of numerous attempts, varied saddle heights and some mobilisation at the Sports Clinic the final week still didn't bring any success with Ruth on the bike, but we left on Good Friday with hope that the other mount would be easier. Wait and see!