We are Republicans - get us out of here - perhaps to Socialist heaven!

The French bit of the Spring Migration has turned out to comprise 10-day stays in each our current two favourite locations in the Midi :- Agde and Canet. The weather has been wonderful - a bit of wind, chilly evenings, but gloriously sunny days and rain only in an odd night! The only blemish has been dramatic clouds of white seed stuff from some unidentified but prevalent tree (marine pine, cottonwood, poplar?), which gets into everything including orifices! And on the subject of getting up one's nose....
How wonderful not to be in the UK! We got a good deal on WiFi, so have been listening to BBC Radio 4 until even it started on the fawning and infantalising advance coverage of that wretched and expensive wedding on April 29th! Enough! We declared the day as a BBC-free day and went for a drive to look at other towns on or near coast and canal. Pezenas was very pleasant:- rather Bohemian and with free live jazz in the main square!
One day Bob did a very serious canalside bike ride to Beziers and back. Here are some of the images:

He arrived back at the ranch just as it started to rain!
Later in the stay we both rode a section of his route - taking the bikes on the car as far as Villeneuve de Beziers and using the excellent path to get to the famous 9 (now 8) locks at Fonséranes. The place was heaving with tourists arrived by bike, car, coach and boat. We watched many skillfill manoevres over some Beaujolais and baguette de saucisson  from our picnic bundle, and then rode back!

Another trip was to the wonderful city of Montpellier. We had heard of the delights of this regional capital from George and (RIP) Penny, but had never been there! We went by train from Agde, and - yes - this was so much better as an experience than anything British! Clean, punctual, well-staffed, . etc! As for the city - you step from the train to the tram, and can travel all day for 5 euros. (Well you can if you have coins and not a note.. but that is another story less flattering to the French!)

The historic city is grandiose - with wide boulevards, and a particularly lovely cental place, where the original egg shape is outlined in marble. A huge part of the inner city is completely pedestrianised, with a bike-loan scheme and the two excellent tram lines (soon to be three, despite the crisis!) Its cathedral is a bit dull, and it has no significant ancient relics, so what is the charm? Well, it's the modernity! A rampant Socialist mayor got on and did things for the public good. He fell out of favour, then died, but the legacy is all around - in the naming of streets and places, the transport system and the amazing public buildings:- particluarly in the Antigone area, where the regional offices are in this Defence-type arch by the river, and surrounding huge edifices are stunning!