Like Lemmings to the Sea

June 5, 2014

With the Mediterranean tantalizingly close and the ever present desire of Betsy and Steve to seek the ocean, an excursion was planned to Narbonne-Plage. Previously we had come very close when we visited Carcassonne so we felt confident we could make the trip without missteps. The GPS only failed us a couple of times and, after rolling through acres of vineyards, a sliver of forest and a handful of towns, we reached the city of Narbonne. In retrospect we should have paused and explored this 1st century BC city founded by the Romans. In any case, we, like the lemmings, barreled forward with Betsy at the wheel of the Jumpy to Narbonne-Plage. As we topped each vineyard covered hill, expectation grew that we'd glimpse the storied sea. After a few false hopes, we could see it gleaming on the horizon.

     

Because it was early in the season and not all that warm, we had an almost deserted beach that swept to what we speculated was Spain. A spit of land jutted onto the horizon and it was exciting to think we were close. In any case, the die-hards ( that would be everyone except Mimi) at least waded in the cold water. Betsy and Steve declared it warmer than the Pacific and submerged themselves. Rider and Roby definitely wanted to play at the beach, sample the water and get buried in the sand. Even Sylvia, Joshua and Canon made sure they could boast of "swimming" in the Med.

Admittedly the vistas were lovely and the sun was the warmest of the trip. It was a pleasant way to spend a few hours! After beachside showers for the sandy ones, we withdrew to a  restaurant and tried the seafood expecting it would be locally caught. Steve and Betsy ordered pricey Mai Tais that bore no resemblance to the actual drink while the rest of the adults consumed beer...always a safe choice in a foreign country. Josh won the prize once again as the most adventurous eater when his plate arrived with half raw seafood threaded on a stainless steel contraption. Imaginative presentation, seriously bad taste.

Taking a different route home through yet more of the grape growing region and into Toulouse cut the travel time but also cost about $21.00 in tolls. There are several major toll roads in the Southwest and, with children in tow, this was perfect. Overall, for the amount of time we spent in cars, all the children were amazingly well behaved especially if they could access their iPads. Even Canon was content to peer over his sister's shoulder or laugh at Rider's antics.

A successful day was claimed as we had actually touched the sea and arrived home with no sunburns!

Beautiful day for everyone.