Kithau

Earlier this Spring, a strange contraption got built in the Etang de Thau near to the park.  It is a Wakepark called Kithau where you hold on to a rope and get pulled through the water (a bit like waterskiing, but not behind a boat and on more or a snowboard type thing than skis).  We've been wanting to try it out for ages and today Joe and Stewart did (Andy was too young, so he and I watched).  Stewart was brilliant at it straightaway, Joe took a little more time figuring it out, but ended up doing well.  They both thought it was a lot of fun.  Some photos and videos below.

European Gymnastics Championships

The European Gymnastics Championships were in Montpellier this week, and we couldn't miss a chance to go, especially as Andy is a little gymnast in Ottawa.  We got tickets to the team finals and it was fabulous, these are the same guys who will be in the Olympics, and we had great seats to see them - front row on the second tier in the middle.  The best part of all was that team Great Britain won!  It was incredibly exciting at the end because it all came down to the last British athlete on the high bar, and he needed a good score of about 14.7 to win for the team, and he got 15.1 with a great routine under a lot of pressure - it was really impressive.
Was such a great opportunity to be able to go to a major international competition - we'll remember it for our whole lives, I'm sure.

Marseillan graffiti

Andorra

Andorra is a little country that has always fascinated us, so we decided to take the long way home from Spain to France and visit it.  It really was the scenic route, it took us hours through winding mountain roads to reach Andorra.  There is only one major road through the country, one end of the road borders Spain, the other France, so that's the road we took.  Andorra is high up in the Pyrennees, and the surrounding Spanish and French countryside is what you would expect mountain countryside to be like - sparsely populated, old churches and monastries on the top of mountains, etc.  But Andorra was completely different. The first thing you see is massive new shopping centres, big hotels, and tons of people taking advantage of tax-free shopping.  It is well known as a tax-haven, and from the walking around we did, things seemed pretty cheap, but it was crazy to think of all these people having driven perhaps hundreds of miles to shop there. 
We spent some time in the capital, Andorra-la-Vella.  Surrounded by mountains all around it has incredibly beautiful surroundings, but nearly all the buildings are new-ish and most of the city seemed like a strip mall selling high-end luxury goods tax-free (think of airport terminal shops surrounded by the most stunning scenery).
Apart from the shock with finding such a commercial place hidden in the Pyrennees, there were other strange things.  There was no national museum to find out more about the country (when we went to Tourist Information she suggested we go to the perfume museum (located near the perfume shops). We did see the oldest and smallest parliament in Europe, which also doubles as the country's courthouse and jail.

Andorran parliament

Camping La Vall

Driving on from Gerona we stayed at the fantastic Camping La Vall, near Vic.  We picked it completely randomly, but it turned out to be a great choice with a very private site with fabulous facilities.  They had a nice football and tennis courts with free equipment rental so we played till nightfall and again in the morning.  Was camping at its best (except for Canadian camping, which is better, obviously :)).

Gerona

After leaving Cadaqués we headed South.  Driving through Gerona we thought we would stop for a few minutes to check out the city.  Well, it was beautiful, there was a festival on, and all the museums were free, so our few minutes quickly turned into a whole day.
The whole city was decked out in artistic flower arrangements for the flower festival.  They were absolutely gorgeous and flowery smells were everywhere.  Somehow we failed to get any photos of the flowers though, and the only one I have is in a toy shop.

Cadaqués

We chose to go to Cadaqués in Spain completely randomly - just waved our finger on the map - and we couldn't have been luckier, we liked it so much we ended up spending two nights there.
The approach to the town is stunning, over rollling hills, with a lot of crazy and dedicated cyclists riding over them.  The town itself is a beautiful coastal village.  We thought it had a bit of a greek feel with whitewashed houses and little churches. 

The town was full to cultural history.  One of the main attractions was Salvador Dali's house which has been turned into a museum with all his stuff still in it.  From the pictures it looked amazing, but it was fully sold out for the next umpteen days so we couldn't go.  It is on a beautiful little bay and you can clearly see the influence of the view on some of his pictures.  One day I would like to go round the house, but for now all we've seen is the outside (below).

There have also been lots of other artists in the town....
 

Around the town are wonderful walks and lots of beautiful cliffs and bays.  We took one nice walk through an olive grove and found ourselves on a nudist beach, alone except an old couple sunbathing behind a rock.  It was sunny but a bit chilly but the boys all stripped off and went for a swim.

 We also went for another stunning walk at Cap Creus.  It is apparently an area of geological interest and I can see why - the rocks were stunning.  Andy is always on the look out for evidence of cavemen so enjoyed exploring likely-looking caves.  In this photo he is in one that he decided was "definitely" previously inhabited by cavemen - it has an excellent view over the cliffs, a window in the back and a nice flat floor for sleeping.  He was a bit disappointed not to find any evidence like bones or cave paintings but nevertheless he declared it a major archaeological find.

We camped for two nights at Cadaques.  There was only one campsite, walking distance from town.  It was almost empty, which was nice, so we had a nice spot right in the corner.  Luckily we were far from the toilet block because it really smelled.  On our second night there was a huge storm with thunder and lightning all around us.  Was very impressive, and very loud, and we were all happy that the tent survived the onslaught. The campground wasn't great though - especially compared with where we stayed the next night.

Espagne

We had no idea that there are four public holidays in May in France.  Last Tuesday we found out that the boys had no school for the rest of the week, so Wednesday we headed to Spain for a spur-of-the-moment trip.  We had no idea where we were going, and ended up in some wonderful places - Cadaqués and Gerona, and we also went to Andorra and on the way home to a fabulous safari park.  Photos coming....
The main thing we noticed about Spain was how much cheaper things were compared to France - probably around 20% cheaper it seemed like, even though we were right up near the border with France.
We spent our time in Catalonia which views itself as a distinct region - a lot of things we read said Country - and Catalan was spoken all over, and all signs seemed to be in Catalan first, it seemed to be a mix of French and Spanish.  Most of the word were similar to French, but spelled differently.

Fête de la Jeunesse

We had a lot of fun at Marseillan's Fête de la Jeunesse.  As soon as we arrived the kids got on the trampolines and Joe discovered he could do a back somersault.  It ain't pretty (he's a hockey player) but with the help of a strong rope he got round (see video).  After that there was no stopping him and he queued up 3 times for the trampoline.

Stewart and I were in fits of giggles over the next thing the boy's went on - the velcro wall.  You wear a suit covered in the hard side of velcro and throw yourself against a wall covered in the soft side.  It looked like a lot of fun but Andy just wasn't heavy enough to fall off the wall.  So he jumped up and got stuck.  And stayed there.  And stayed......  He was like a fly caught in a spider's web, every time he managed to pull a limb off another one got attached more strongly.  I'm afraid we weren't the most sympathetic parents, laughing and taking photos.  As soon as he did extract himself he went back up again, so I'm guessing he didn't mind too much.

He's in there somewhere!

Maybe we can leave them stuck there and go for a drink?

The day was also filled with kite-making, donkey-riding, watching a skateboard competition, a "mega pique-nique" and playing in the water on a beautiful 28 degree day.  Even the usually reluctant Joe said it was a good day - the highest praise indeed.  And the amazing thing is that there was no charge for any of it.  This town has good parties.

Andy is very proud of this little kite he made.

La cross

There was a very confusing week when the kids came home everyday talking about practicing for la cross, when I thought they were doing lacrosse.  They talked about having a competition against the other Marseillan school (made sense), they did it in the school yard (made sense), they had to wear trainers to school on practice days (made sense). Their training consisted of running round a 200m track timing each other (didn't make sense - where was the ball?).  Finally I figured out that la cross is cross-country running, not Canada's national sport. 
Today was the culmination of all that practice - the day of the inter-school run.  I don't think there could be a much more beautiful course - along the beach, round the port, and into the park.  There were four different length courses - Joe did about 3.5km, and Andy about 2km. When the kids got issued t-shirts we thought it might be quite serious, but it turned out that the other school also had the exact same t-shirts and it wasn't serious at all, just a leisurely jog.  Super fun though, and at the end they got a bottle of water and a pain au chocolat.  Was nice for me and Stewart to see them with their school friends too.

Joe (in Senators cap) with his classmates and teacher, Madame Golf.

Andy with his class

 

Le bus

Marseillan bus stop

We don't have a car here in Marseillan.  We rent one quite often to go on trips, but for day-to-day living we get by with our feet, our bikes, buses and trains.  There's no train station in town (the closest one is in nearby Agde), so we are mainly at the mercy of Herault Transport buses.
It's not a bad service, and must be highly subsidized, because the buses are new and very nice, and it only costs 1 Euro per trip, wherever you go (if you buy a ticket of 10, I think a single trip is 1.50).   Plus, under 6's are free (Andy's small and cute and keeps his mouth shut). So today our whole family got to Beziers for 3 Euros each way  - likely cheaper than you could go by car, especially if you paid for parking.
The only, and major, problems with the bus system is the schedule - it doesn't go to many places, and rarely goes anywhere at all.  There are 6 buses a day to Beziers via Agde, and 2 a day to Sete, and nothing runs on Sunday.  There's also an airport shuttle - which is wonderful if you want to go to the airport, and sometimes the airport shuttle driver will drop you at Agde, but they don't like it.
So it is a bit of a mixed bag really, excellent when there is a bus going where you want, when you want, but not great otherwise.  Mostly we rent a car for longer day or weekend trips, or bike to the train station, but it is a bit far for the kids to bike.

Beziers bus station

8 mai

Public holidays -  jours fériés - keep just creeping up on us in France.  We discovered last week that 8 mai (today) is a public holiday to commemorate the end of the second world war in Europe (VE day). 

Les restaurants de Marseillan

Marseillan has a lot of good restaurants. We haven't been to all, but have been to a lot. I'm not going to talk about them all, but this post is going to be my top picks, a couple of other good places, and one not recommended.
Sharing top place are La Table d'Emilie and La Maison du Camille creperie, for very different reasons.
I've written about La Table d'Emile before, it undoubtedly has the best food and dining experience in Marseillan.  It is pricey, but totally worth it. The food is delicious, fresh, well presented and imaginative; the decor and environment is first class - in a gorgeous old house (just don't lift up the expensive tableclothes - the tables are plywood); and the service is everything you would expect in a classy French restaurant (snotty).  A meal is an event there, so it takes a long long time (3 hours just for a lunch), but it is worth every minute.  Finally, even though it is a posh Michelin restaurant, it understands kids.  There are definitely no nuggets and fries on the menu, but the three course kids meal is simpler than the adults' menu - last time we went Andy had ham and melon for starter, followed by steak with mashed potatoes and peas beautifully designed in the shape of a turtle (they must have a stencil or something), then ice cream. It is still a beautifully presented meal just like for adults, but with ingredients for kids - skillfully done. All in all this restaurant is a must-go-to in Marseillan.

L to r (Joe, me, nephew Thomas, sister Susie, sister Mary, Andy)

The tuna (if I remember correct, some kind of fish anyway) starter

 La Creperie gets my vote for very different reasons.  It is in a great location on the port and is open for drinks, snacks, salads, and simple meals (they also do crepes but I haven't had one there).  Its reasonably priced, especially compared with some other places on the port, the service is friendly and quick, and you can sit outside and watch the world go by, snuggled up in their oversized furniture.  It just has a cool, relaxing feeling to it, and is a great place to go when you just want to sit in the sun, have a drink or a bite to eat and watch the world go by.

Other restaurants that I would heartily recommend are Chez Phillipe and Rive Droite pizzeria, again for different reasons.  Chez Phillipe is another posh restaurant with beautiful food, in a lovely atmosphere inside an old house.  It is pricey, but worth it for a really good meal. The food is absolutely delicious there (the first time we went there was with a big group, everyone had something different and everone loved their meal), the setting is lovely, and the service OK. The only reason it isn't in the favourites is that it is along the same lines as La Table d'Emilie, but doesn't compete.

Rive Droite Pizzeria is entirely different. This is a place you can go and have an evening meal for less than Euros all in (in contrast to some of the others where you are looking at 30,40,50 a head once you add in apperitifs and wine) and feel like you had a good meal (pizzas are 8 Euros each, less for kids).  The atmosphere in the restaurant is lovely - a big space filled with solid tables and colourful chairs.  The service is good, every time we've been it has been the same waiter who looks after however many tables are there, and seems to be constantly reading his book behind the bar too.  Its also a perfect place to take kids.  We went with ours, and with baby Thomas when he visited and didn't worry about him dropping food on the floor.  The food is good but simple, definitely not the luxury food of some of the other restaurants, but good for what it is, and a nice, cheaper, evening out.

I could go on and on about other nice restaurants, but I think the four above are a pretty good representation.  The only restaurant I would not recommend is La Taverne du Port.  We've been there three times, because I always think it SHOULD be good, but it just isn't.  The ambiance is fabulous, with walls lined with old liquor bottles and a general nautical feel, but the food is too expensive and, to be honest, just not that good. Every time we have been disappointed with our meals - fish overcooked, soggy salads, stodgy rice. And, as the kids point out - "they don't understand what a kids meal is". Some restaurants (see La Table d'Emile above) can manage to give good food to kids with a few little touches here and there , but La Taverne du Port fails, just serving smaller portions of (the already not very good) adult meals.  I know lots of tourists think highly of La Taverne du Port so maybe I am missing something, but it is the only restaurant in town I don't want to go to again.

I would love to hear from anyone who disagrees with my assessment. 

Agde

Agde is our closest biggish town (with a train station and hypermarket and stuff like that).  It is only about 5km away - a 10 minute bus or car drive, or 30 minutes on bikes with the kids.  It is a town split into three main parts: the historical centre, the incredibly touristy beach area of Cap d'Agde, and the other beach area of Grau d'Agde.  Agde also has a huge naturist village   (we haven't been there, as the kids are the age to be totally and utterly embarrassed).
Yesterday we planned to go to the swimming pool, but after getting the bus into town and then walking quite a long way to the other side of town to get to the pool, we found out it was closed for maintenance, so just spend some time wandering round Agde instead.
We've been to Agde lots of times, but yesterday as we were waiting 50 minutes for a bus home, we admitted that with hindsight, Agde might have been a better place than Marseillan to live, just because of the train station.  I adore Marseillan, but having to get a bus to the train station every time adds another level of complexity (OK, not much, but still a bit) to every journey.  There are also a lot more facilities in Agde, and right in the centre in the winding streets it is still very beautiful.

Classic view of Agde from across the river

The (closed when we wanted to go there) swimming pool with slides

Walking to the pool

Giant flower pots

Finally, just some of the many things you are not allowed to do in the park in Agde (though everyone seems to do them anyway. There were bikes and moped and we even saw some unleashed dogs near a fire (no kidding) though I didn't really feel I could take a photo.....:

Hockey :(

Sooo....guess what - we can watch NHL hockey here :(((
Luckily most of the games are on too late as we have a 6 hour time difference, so a 7 pm Eastern start is 1am in the morning for us.  But today's afternoon game between Washington and New York was perfect timing, and I  have lost my family to hockey - something I never expected to happen in France!
It's not that bad really though as I have been sat outside on the terrace, in the warm evening air, with a glass of vrac (the cheap wine) enjoying reading and trying to pretend I'm not sunburnt.  I can't really complain.  But, I hope the NHL doesn't schedule any more afternoon games for the playoffs - please!

L'élection présidentielle

Sitting here watching the French presidential election debate reminds me that I haven't written anything about it.  It is different living here in Marseillan, so far away from l'Assemblée nationale in Paris, to living in Ottawa where I see Parliament every day on the way to work, and everyone loves to talk politics.

But, the election is happening. Unless you read the newspapers you wouldn't really know it though, as there are no lawn signs or other advertising like in Canada, just posters on designated billboards.  As you can see below, the posters are pretty dreadful - I can't imagine that anyone would change their vote based on them.

In this area the issues seem to be jobs and immigration. Not enough, and too much, respectively (as far as I can gather).

I haven't talked to enough people about the election to get a sense for what people are thinking, but I did see how they voted in Marseillan: Sarkozy won the first round (1468), followed by Le Pen (1347), with Hollande third (1100).  Horrible that Le Pen did so well. 

Les sports

Sports have taken a bit of a back seat here, compared to our (too) hectic schedule in Ottawa, but we've been keeping at least a little bit active.

Andy has joined the local Judo club. They train/practice/meet (not sure what word you use for Judo) twice a week and it seems like a great little group.  The instructor is kind of quiet, but all the kids seem to obey his every word.  Parents aren't allowed in while the class is going on, but I snapped these in the time before class.  They are doing that holding hands and run around in circles then let go and fall down thing that is so fun.

 Joe decided to try tennis while he's here and goes every Wednesday morning (no school on Wednesdays here) to the Marseillan tennis club.  The club is for 8 to 10 year olds and they do 90 minutes of tennis lessons followed by an hour of random sports, it is a different thing every week : basketball, soccer, running, table tennis, one week they even spent an hour doing long jump.  Joe is too embarassed of me to allow me to hang around taking photos of him, but he does enjoy it.  Joe's also trying to keep up with his running while we're here, but we've not found any good races for him yet.

Stewart and I have just been jogging.  Stewart is awe-inspiring as he goes out everyday rain or shine.  Me, I go a couple of times a week when I'm in the mood, and I have the spare tyre to prove it!! Feeling fat and contented.....

We've also all got bikes, which is fun.  But I think all of us are missing our Ottawa sports, especially the kids.  Joe pines for Hockey, so much so that he's already registered in summer Hockey camp for when we get back to Ottawa late August.  Andy is lookign forward to going back to gymnastics.