Time to head home, but taking it at a more leisurely pace than our mad dash south a couple of weeks ago. The weather across the western Mediterranean is still very summery and forecast to stay that way
until mid-October.
Back across the French border, but not before a quick stop off on the Spanish side at La Jonquera where we'd found diesel at €1.68. on the way here a week ago. In France it can exceed €2 per litre.
We usually scoot on by. La Jonquera gained notoriety as a hot spot for roadside prostitution and one of its 'clubs' acquired the dubious reputation of being the biggest brothel in Europe. It's changed, not an underdressed young woman from Eastern Europe in sight. Maybe the authorities have clamped down on the place's more insalubrious cross border business opportunities, or the oldest trade in the world has gone the way of high street banks and these days is only accessible through an app. Anyway, La Jonquera feels comparatively normal now.
We hoped to find to for somewhere to stay near Narbonne. There are more free aires at the western end of the Côte d'Améthyste than around the Bassin de Thau. We considered the harbourside parking at Gruissan but decided it was a bit of a trek from the motorway. Instead we headed to an aire on the shores of the Etang de Leucate. We could see it, there were mohos parked in it, but the surrounding road works were confusing and we sailed straight past the entrance. We ended up instead at the nearby camping municipal in Leucat.
Whereas the landscape of Herault beside the Bassin de Thau is green and pleasantly wooded, further west in l' Aude department it is somewhat bleak. It looks dessicated, pale grey rocky hills line the shores of the shallow lagoons, here and there, big vineyards bring a splash of green. What was once the epicentre of France's 'vin de table' production transformed itself over the last half century and now is home to a clutch of famous AC wines - Corbiere, Minevois, Fitou.
Over the same period the littoral was transformed too, from an under populated former malarial swamp into a major summer holiday destination, thronged in July and August, eerily quiet otherwise. A couple of the resorts, Cap Adge and Pavalas Les Flots feature big, brash Spanish Costa style high rise blocks. Most places, however, make a lame attempt at
emulating the vernacular architecture of the area in low rise 'villages de vacances.'
Leucate is typical. During high season, buzzing with holidaymakers, the place is probably ok, or at least if it's dreadful then it's ghastly with a purpose. Now it's just empty and soul-less, the uniform blocks of 'traditional" villas shuttered, most shops closed until next May. It feels post-apocalyptic.
There's a lagoon side and a Mediterranean side, we walked to the latter. The beach is huge, stretching away endlessly, the distant Pyrenees smudging the horizon to the west like wispy clouds.
Leucate is water-sports central judging by the number of hire shops - all closed. The lifeguard station on the beach resembles a regional airport control tower. it was a substantial structure but looked small in relation to emptiness of the sea, big sky and unpeopled beach.
Next day we headed back to Loupian, visit no.11! As ever when you return somewhere it's just the same but always different. We decided to visit the remains of a Roman villa just down the road from the campsite. It's amazing that we've been here so many times but never got around to seeing it
The villa was occupied from the early Imperial period up to the fifth century CE. At its height it was a substantial edifice surrounded by farm outbuildings. The villa's main export was wine, a substantial enough enterprise to have its own amphora factory and a small port on the Bassin de Thau.
Little remains of the actual buildings other than the outer walls, most are no more than 30cms high, protected by a warehouse sized rectangular frame covered in peeling plywood.
What have survived are substantial fragments of mosaics thought to date from the third century.
What makes them unique is it seems that two teams of craftspeople were at work, one from the Levant and the other from Aquitaine. The mosaics influenced by the style found in the eastern Mediterranean are decorative, using natural forms to create intricate interwoven patterns.
The mosaics which resemble other examples from western France are more representational. Some depict figures on gods or the personification of the seasons.
Others are more abstract but still show an interest in creating the illusion of 3D shapes on a flat surface, like Op Art.
The difference between the two is intriguing because it mirrors the divide between the art of Christendom and the Islamic world which emerged in the early Middle Ages. Yet these mosaics predate the spread of Islam across the Mediterranean by three centuries.
The site had a small museum. In truth nothing of real significance had been unearthed. A small gold ring caught my eye. It was inscribed with a shortened Latin phrase - 'be happy!' it said. So much of history is focused on big events or people, famous or infamous. However through mundane objects ordinary people reach out to us. Be happy! Then and now, I was touched.
Though it's not much more than a week since we were here the Loupian site feels different. In September it was full of different iterations of ourselves, sixty somethings from northern climes in motorhomes and caravans. Come October German schools have a two week half term break. Now there are lots of smallish blonde haired tweenies scooting around on bikes. We had noted the same influx in Corsica and Elba on previous autumn trips.
About 7pm. the Gallic ambience was reasserted when the campsite restaurant's PA crackled into life and blasted out 'La
Marseillaise'. Impromptu shouts 'Vive la France!' made us wonder if we had stumbled upon a National Rally motorhome owners club outing. The explanation was more mundane, the French national Rugby team were playing Italy. The campsite had hired a giant screen for the occasion. The restaurant was packed by kick-off at 9.00pm. and support became evermore raucous as the wine flowed and France trounced Italy 71-7.
We had made sure that we would be in Loupian over the weekend so we could return to Meze market. It was great, it always is.
There seemed to be lots of women in fancy dress wearing various shades of pink. The last time we were here in October the narrow streets of the old town were festooned with bras of all shapes and sizes. 'Rose October' in France aims to raise awareness about breast cancer, Meze had gone to town. This year their response was to encourage people to cosplay in pink and to replace the lingerie related streamers with pink umbrellas
We paused to watch a pink garbed dance troupe. It was a traditional dance of some kind, but it didn't look particularly local, there was more of a Spanish feel to it, especially the flamenco style clapping.
One of the reasons we come here is the dedicated cycleway that runs eastwards from Meze all the way to Sete.
I have not been cycling much recently but managed 13 miles along the trail yesterday, to the point where it leaves the glorious landscape behind and begins to wander through a bit of retail sprawl.
The transition is marked by an enormous Burger King - France does love American style fast food.
I probably overdid it, when we cycled into Meze the next morning I really struggled with a flare-up and felt so fatigued I had to push my bike part way back. The problem does seem to be triggered by exertion. I'm hoping when I finally get to talk to my GP at the end of the month he can pinpoint the issue and either fix the issue or at least suggest ways of managing it better.
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