Narbonne 2025

We spent a little bit of time in Narbonne last week; we wanted to combine some sightseeing with our evaluation of what it might be like to live there. 

One of the main sites is the unfinished Cathédrale Saint-Just et Saint-Pasteur

The center of town has quite a few interesting "normal" buildings as well 

The main square is bordered by the Archbishop's Palace 

The Canal de la Robine connects to the Canal du Midi (which links the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea). It runs through the middle of centre-ville, and makes a pleasant walk.

Les Halles (covered market), famous throughout the South of France, is a Belle Époque building full of interesting food

Less than a half-hour drive from town is Narbonne plage, a seasonal spot on the sea

with a fantastic view of Canigou, part of the Pyrénées 

There are a number of archeological sites and museums where you can learn about the Roman history of Narbonne.

For more photos, see the Narbonne 2025 album.

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Our evaluation included:

Checking online (ahead of our trip) for apartment rentals, bank branches, parking options, public transportation 

Walking/ driving through a few neighborhoods (even missing a turn made a fun discovery)

Eating out 😊 - nice diversity!

Discussing the town with the tourist office representative. This (as usual) was the most enlightening. We asked about neighborhoods, the hospital, the bus system, the beach scene, and baguette recommendations (always important!).

Overall:

Narbonne is a bigger town than Sète, and you can rent more for less, but the services are not as good. The bus system doesn't run very late, and only one runs on Sundays and holidays. The hospital handles emergencies and basic diagnostics, but for surgery, people go to distant cities - Toulouse, Montpellier, Perpignan... 

Our bottom line - Narbonne is still great to visit, but not for us to live in. 

Bordeaux 2025

We went to Bordeaux for a short visit in November - it was a little last-minute, which is unusual for us, but we still did quite a bit of research!

The city of Bordeaux is known for its 18th-century architecture and wide riverfront, while the region has been a wine center since the Romans planted vines along the Garonne river nearly 2,000 years ago.

[I've added quotes from the tourist office guide]

Place de la Bourse, with the Water Mirror in the foreground. (Alas, no water in the mirror, since it's winter 😕)

"PLACE DE LA BOURSE

This product of the Age of Enlightenment is the most comparable city square to Versailles. Previously called the Royal Square, along with the 'Stock Market Building' it became the place where trade prices were set in the 18th century. In the centre of the square lies The Fountain of the Three Graces." 

"MIROIR D'EAU

The key element in the regeneration of the riverside carried out in 2006. It is the largest water mirror in the world (3450 m², plus an 800 m² underground reservoir) and has become the city's emblematic spot where locals and tourists alike love to gather. Off in winter." 

Place de la Bourse 

Mayor's Garden

"MONUMENT AUX GIRONDINS

A tribute to the inhabitants of Gironde lost during the French Revolution, 'Liberty Breaking its Chains' stands proud at the top of the 43m column (1895-1901)." 

Monument aux Girondins

Colonnes Rostrales

Bourse, from bridge 

"GROSSE CLOCHE

A historic town belfry and the only remains of the old defensive gate of the 13th century. The weathervane on top represents a golden lion, symbol of the Kings of England. Cast in 1775, the bell weighs 7,800 kg."

"PORTE DIJEAUX

A gateway into the city from the West since the Roman era, it was rebuilt by Michel Voisin between 1748 and 1753. Under Louis XV, it was called Dauphin's Gate in honour of the French Dauphin, the future King Louis XVI." 

"Basilica St. Michel built in the flamboyant Gothic style with a separate tower, crypt & 19th-century organ." 

St. Michel

Gambetta 

"GRAND THÉÂTRE

A masterpiece of European architecture, the stair of which inspired the architect responsible for the Opera Garnier in Paris. It is fronted by a columned portico with twelve stone statues (9 muses and 3 goddesses (Minerva, Venus, Juno))."

"ÉGLISE SAINT-PIERRE

Built between the 14th and 15th centuries on the site of an old Gallo-Roman port. The square and the paved streets that branch off make up Bordeaux's old town." 

"ÉGLISE NOTRE-DAME

Constructed by the Dominicans, the church is typical of baroque edifices of the Counter-Reformation. Its parvis has been the set of numerous period drama films."

Eglise Notre-Dame 

Fountain at Bourse

"Pont de Pierre 

Commissioned by Napoleon, this elegant bridge has 17 spans enabling it to cross the River Garonne." 

Stone Bridge 

"PORTE CAILHAU

This defensive structure, built between 1493 and 1496 on the site of an old gatehouse, was the main point of entry into the city from the river for almost two centuries." 

Place du Palais, Porte Cailhau

We drove up along the Gironde estuary, looking at vineyards and chateaux 

The Gironde (estuary)

I had a little language fun - we stopped at a wine collective so we could compare a number of different styles. One bottle was described as containing a mixture of grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and un petit verre d'eau. Hmmm? 

I said, " a small glass of water?!?" 

And the wine fellow said, "oh did you want some water?" 

I said, "ah, no, I was laughing about the name of the grape"

He laughed and showed me the name: Petit Verdot! (Sounds exactly the same 🤪🤣)

Wine tasting - Pauillac (poh-yak)

Back in town...

"PALAIS ROHAN

This building was originally the Archbishop's Palace in 1784, but in 1800 it became the Gironde Prefecture, then an imperial palace and royal residence, until finally becoming the city hall in 1837."

Palais Rohan

"CATHÉDRALE SAINT-ANDRÉ & TOUR PEY-BERLAND

This Gothic-style cathedral hosted two royal marriages. The first between Eleanor of Aquitaine and the future Louis VII and the second between Anne of Austria and Louis XIII. The Pey Berland Tower, a bell tower built in the 15th century separately from the cathedral, offers a unique view of the city (50m)." 

St Andrews Cathédrale 

Here's Jaques Chaban-Delmas, Mayor of Bordeaux for 48 years

Palais Rohan 

Pey Berland Tower

Bordeaux at night (thanks to Marie-Claire!)

Château du Hâ

I didn't stop long enough to get *any* photos of the vineyards - they were perfectly golden, beautifully reflecting the afternoon sun...

This photo by Marie-Claire along the Gironde will give a slight idea! 😊

~~~

See more photos in the Bordeaux 2025 album.

Our schedule:

Nov 6 - drive ~5 hrs (pouring rain!)

7 - Petit Train, Tourist office, lunch, walk town

8 - drive chateaux, see wine country 

9 - more town, wine-tasting 

10 - drive home (sunny!)

Details:

We drove a total of 1060 km.

Our dates were fairly fixed, so I was watching the weather forecast obsessively! At first, it was forecast for all rain, all the time, but by the time we arrived, it was mostly clear.

We did get rained on a bit...

In the city, we used the public transportation system (trams and buses; there are no metros; we could have used boats, but didn't). We ordered 72-hour passes ahead of time, which took about a week to arrive (https://boutique.infotbm.com/products/121).

The system was mostly shut down Sunday morning, as there was a half-marathon going through the center. But by the time we finished lunch, we were unaffected.

The Petit Train was easy to get at the last minute; the Tourist Office was half a block away, and sold the tickets (https://www.visiter-bordeaux.com/fr/decouvrir-bordeaux/visite-de-bordeaux-en-train-touristique-electrique.html?subid=Menu-BT).

We brought an ice chest for our "Swedish Breakfasts" (sandwichs), and got coffee from the hotel. Most lunches and dinners were out.

I used details of tours from Get-Your-Guide and Hop-on-Hop-off to mark landmarks on my map. These were nicely clustered, and not far from tram stops.

The city center is not wheelchair-friendly! We constantly scraped the footrests, and always had to reverse at crosswalks.

Shingles Vaccine - Done!

Shingles Vaccine - Done!

We just got out second dose of the Shringrix vaccine, and things couldn't have worked out better!

A year or two ago, I started investigating vaccines against shingles - we had both had chicken pox as kids, and didn't want to risk the later-in-life shingles. At that time, the only available vaccine in France was the single-dose Zostavax, which didn't have very high efficacy. I also personally knew someone who got it, and had a pretty strong reaction. By then, it had been discontinued in the US.

Since Shringrix is a 2-dose vaccine, with the second injection 2-6 months after the first, I looked at how and where to manage that.

In the US, I could have bought a single dose, using a discount card, for $150. But then I'd have to find a way to get the second - I can't manage 2 months in the states.

It was available in both Spain and Switzerland, and either would be a doable set of trips. Both required a consultation and injection fee on top of the vaccine (~185€ each dose).

Well, I decided to procrastinate a bit. A few weeks after I got back to France, I discovered that the Shringrix vaccine had *just* been approved by France! In April, I asked my doctor about it; he said it wasn't covered, but he gave us prescriptions for it. I went to the pharmacy, and they gave me the price - 270€! (I still don't know if that was per dose, or for the course. I was too surprised to ask...)

I tucked that prescription away, and let things percolate. 

Time was running out (prescriptions are good for a year), and we had a pharmacy run scheduled for December anyway. I decided to ask again about the price, thinking to clear up what the total would be. Well, knock me down with a feather! It had just moved to the "covered" list the week before! It's now 60€ per dose, plus ~8€ injection fee! We immediately ordered the first dose, and returned the next day for it 🙂.

Now here it is, February, and we just finished our second - we're a little tired, jittery, and have sore arms, but we feel very satisfied! And safe!

Does it pay to procrastinate? 

Sometimes!

Mont St. Michel

Our day trip - Mont St Michel!

It was a fantastic day - cool (22°C/72°F), interesting clouds, and almost low tide here...

View of the abbey from the ramparts 

But, of course, there were *crowds*!

Plus some fairly empty areas...

~~~

We had an easy morning, then drove for 1.5 hours (mostly calm roads). Parked, walked to the bathrooms, ate our sandwiches, and discussed our needs (not much walking, avoid too many stairs and steep streets) with the helpful tourist agent, and hopped on the shuttle.

We walked along the ramparts (1 story worth of stairs) until the path started up, then we turned around and took a different set of stairs down. It was too crowded and steep to continue up, so we looked at another path (also steep after just a few steps). 

We decided we were done, and headed for the shuttle - we could have stopped at the barrage (a photo op), but we felt we'd seen enough.

Just a note to our future selves, and to others who can't walk or climb far - it's still worth going! You won't see the interior of the abbey, and you won't get the views from the absolute top, but you get plenty more!