Narbonne - May 20, 2024

 It's supposed to rain around here today, so we're heading east about 2 hours drive toward the Mediterranean where the weather should be dry and partly sunny. Our destination is Narbonne, known as Colonia Narbo Martius to its Roman founders in 118 BC. 

This first settlement in Gaul sat at an important trade crossroads of Roman roads: the Via Domitia and the Via Aquitania. A bit of the Via Domitia remains uncovered in Narbonne's Place de la Ville.

Paulette standing on the Via Domitia

Paulette and Judy taking a break outside the Bishop's Palace on Place de l'Hotel de Ville

The exposed part of the Via Domitia is inside the rectangle about 5 feet below the current plaza.

Narbonne's post Roman history reflects the struggles to control this crossroads territory among the Visigoths, Arabs, Carolingians and Capetians. This struggle also explains why the 14th century construction of Narbonne's cathedral was never completed as it would have required breaking through the city walls, deemed too dangerous to do at the time. Thus the third tallest cathedral in France, Saint-Juste et Saint-Pasteur, has only its apse, choir, and side chapels. 

View of choir and bell tower of cathedral. Notice there is no nave or crossing.

The choir shows its height. The cathedral was meant to rival those of the north of France.

the cloister planted in roses

I can't resist a good gargoyle. There are many to choose from in this cloister.

another little library! I'm seeing these more and more places now. How delightful! There is apparently a French association for these libraries called "Livres comme l'air"  (free books - a take off on the French phrase, "libre comme l'air" meaning free and clear) There is a national organization called Livres comme l'air, but I couldn't see how they were connected to this little library.

The Archbishop's Palace is a reminder of the power and wealth of the medieval church. Although Viollet le Duc's 1845 restoration may not be completely authentic, it still dominates the Place de l'Hotel de Ville.

the Archbishop's Palace....

is now also l'Hotel de Ville (City Hall) and includes the office of the Mairie (Mayor's office)

details above the door invoke the archbishop's status

a fountain built into the facade of the Archbishop's Palace - those are fish standing on their heads and spitting water

Climbing the tower of the Donjon Gilles Aycelin, however, provides expansive views over the town below.

looking out over the Canal de la Robine

We didn't take time to explore the museums of this complex of buildings that now hold administrative offices of Narbonne, but they would be worth exploring. More information about these can be found at this blog post by (of all people) Retired_Travelers: https://ourtapestry.blog/2018/06/09/narbonne-france/

this modern statue in the courtyard of the Archbishop's Palace is both beautiful and thought-provoking.

One interesting item which seems to have been recently restored is a 15th century Flemish tapestry of the creation. The image of 3 kings in royal robes recurs in each scene of the tapestry and represents the trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, making the tapestry read like the Genesis version of the creation of earth and humans. 

tapestry section showing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (notice that all 3 have the same face)

Under Rome, Narbonne was a seaside port and important trading center. It is now 9 miles inland due to changes in the Aude River channel and silting in of the port. But it has an important connection to the Canal du Midi via the Canal de la Robine, which harnesses a branch of the Aude Rivere. This was our view from the quayside park where we ate our picnic lunch.

Canal de Robine along the park is lined with white roses

Paulette along the Canal du Robine

The Merchant's bridge used to have 7 arches - that's how wide the Aude River was here before it changed course in medieval days. Six of the arches now form basements or foundations for buildings that now stand on them.

Back into the main square for an ice cream dessert at a store front with no name. Luckily it was on the ice cream cup! 

No name on this store

but it's La Glace Maison Marguerite (ice cream made on the premises)

With some time to spare, we completed our journey to the Mediterranean by heading to Narbonne Plage (Beach), 18 km (about 11 miles) from Narbonne, through beautiful but rocky terrain. 

the Mediterranean is visible in the background

our road to the Mediterranean

A rocky promontory on the way to the sea

We made our way north a bit to Saint-Pierre-la-Mer where there was a kite festival going on. We stopped long enough to enjoy the kites and put our feet in the sand....

This bear balloon intrigued me. How does it fill with air?

Saint-Pierre-de-la-Mer

Kite festival

....then headed inland to search out the Gouffre de l' Oeil Doux (Sweet Eye Chasm), supposedly an inland lake that somehow fills with salt water. This required a hike and stairs to get to a good view, so I waited while the others checked out the site. The source of how salt water gets to this lake has never been discovered, so it remains a mystery.

Beginning of the half-mile path to the lookout over the lake

the reward at the end of the trail

An hour and a half drive, mostly on 4-lane highways brought us back to our comfort spot of Le Cazal.