No Turkey, but Still Thankful

Thanksgiving in France is just another day.  And, though there is plenty of fowl (chicken, pintade, duck, goose) in the markets, we haven’t seen any turkey.  We celebrated by taking a day trip to Perpignan and eating out at a little Italian restaurant around the corner from our apartment in Narbonne.  We gave thanks, even without the traditional meal, for our families and friends who’ve supported us as we pursue this (crazy?) adventure.

We are now settled into our second long-stay Airbnb in Narbonne, France on the rue des 3 Pigeons. We’ll be here for 3 weeks.

Narbonne is a medium sized city (huge by comparison to where we’ve been the last few weeks!) that is near the Mediterranean coast in southern France. Our apartment is ideally located within walking distance of everything, including a wonderful indoor market that is open every day (but only until 1:00).

If you’re lucky enough to snag a stool, you can even have lunch inside the market – charcuterie, shrimp, baguette, and, wine (of course!) – but only on a day when you haven’t had much breakfast!

The apartment is bigger than where we stayed in Paris, but not as well-equipped. We improved the kitchen by buying a small skillet and sharpening the knives with this handy tool that we bought on our Spring trip to Japan.  It doesn’t take up too much room and I knew it would come in handy!!

We enjoyed returning to Perpignan.  The drive from Narbonne is less than an hour and mostly highway.  This town (as I mentioned in an earlier post) is close to the Spanish border and evidences a lot of Catalan influence.  It is also home to the most enthusiastic Tourist Information office we’ve found, and has extremely helpful signs that not only tell you what direction to go but how long a walk it is to the next sight.

The most important sight in Perpignan is the Palais des Rois de Majorque – Palace of the Kings of Majorca. This part of France was once part of Spain and the center of the Kingdom of Majorca.  The castle is impressive and the history is so interesting.

On the way back to Narbonne, we stopped at the Fortress de Salses built by the Spanish king Ferdinand to protect what was then the northern Spanish border. (Roussillon was part of Spain until 1659.) This impressive structure was built in less than 10 years and housed 1500 soldiers and 100 horses.

Another day trip took us to Collioure, even farther south and right on the coast.  It is a beautiful town, that must be bustling during the summer. The foundation of the church is actually in the sea and its belfry doubles as a lighthouse.

The homes are colorful and the flowers are abundant.  I had to take a picture of a lavender ceramic drainpipe that has a face with an open mouth at the bottom!!

In the last few days the winds have been strong and mostly from the south. I don’t know if that accounts for the dramatic skies we’ve been seeing, but they are remarkable.  I had a hard time choosing among the many pictures because they are all so beautiful!