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The beach was very broad, and very relaxing and sunny, and not at all crowded, but also a little disappointing, because the waves weren't very large (probably due to the fact that the depth of the water decreased very, very slowly; you could be 200 feet out from shore and still stand up), and because the water was remarkably chilly, not at all like the balmy Mediterranean we'd swum in during our last trip in Italy. (We had been warned that this might be the case -- which reminds me that I'm about 3 days behind in my blogging. I've missed a number of things, but hopefully I'll catch up). Still, we enjoyed our afternoon at the beach, and left feeling relaxed and happy.
We had made a reservation at a hotel in Narbonne, called the Novotel, which is, I think, a European chain. Before leaving Aigrefeuille I had clicked on the link provided in the reservation confirmation e-mail, which purported to show the location of (and give driving directions to) the hotel, so we followed those from the beach. This lead us directly into the center of Narbonne (and into bad, bad traffic), which was odd because we had thought that the hotel was on the edge of town near the autoroute. After coming the the spot designated in the e-mail link for the hotel and not finding it, Suzie spotted an Avis rental car location and went in to ask where the hotel was. It turned out that the hotel was not where the link said it was, but rather was, as we'd originally thought, on the edge of town, which necessitated retracing our steps back through the bad traffic once again. I wonder how many visitors to the hotel have been induced to make the same mistake. In any event, the hotel was absolutely perfect for us. The room was large and clean, the hotel had a nice pool and other facilities, and it seemed to be populated by people exactly like us -- parents with kids going to the beach. The staff was very friendly and helpful, and the price was extremely reasonable. Go Novotel.
The boys swam a little, we watched a little Olympic coverage, and we all showered and got ready for dinner. Before we'd left the States, Suzie had bought me for Father's Day the 2008 version of the famous Michelin Guide for France, and she looked in the guide for a restaurant recommendation and found one that was highly recommended and (fairly) reasonable in price. We made a reservation for 7:30 and proceeded to drive back to the City center.
One of the joys of travel is discovering great things when you least expect them. We had no expectations of Narbonne; before we went, it was just a place we were staying while we went to the beach. But as soon as we started exploring, we fell in love with it. Unlike some French villages or towns, Narbonne seems like a "real" city, a bustling place with real working people, and yet it contains some absolutely charming and beautiful places and spaces. The first of these we found while walking to our restaurant: the Canal de la Robine, which cuts through the middle of the city:
Since we arrived before our reservation, we had time to walk around a bit. There was some kind of festival going on, including a somewhat strange performance by a man in a black topcoat and hat and his trained horses, ponies, and dogs, which was evidently intended for children. There were lots of people all around, the early evening air was warm and clear, and we were relaxed and happy and ready to eat.
What came next was fantastic -- by far the best, most enjoyable meal we've had in France so far. It was, as noted, at a restaurant recommended by the Michelin Guide, called L'Estagnol. Everything about our meal there was absolutely perfect. We sat outside, across the street from the green space bordering the canal, and were served by a waiter who was friendly, efficient, and made us feel completely welcome (he even complemented the boys when they ordered in French). The crowd at the restaurant was large and talkative, which lent it a festive atmosphere. And the food ... oh, the food was outstanding ... are you ready? The courses were:
For starters, oysters for Suzie, which she described (more than once) as being the best she'd ever tasted in her life:
For the boys, mussels on the shell, with a wonderful, wonderful cream sauce:
And for me, an Italian salad with large pieces of a rich, flavorful, delicious ham akin to proscuitto, large flakes of tangy, dry aged parmesian cheese, and a rich but not overpowering dressing. We could have stopped there, but we didn't, so on to the main courses.
For Suzie, a fish dish recommended by the waiter, a filet de morue, or cod, which sounds pedestrian, but which was, in fact, simply devine, perhaps the best fish dish I've ever tasted, delicate, flaky, perfectly cooked in a drop-dead delicious butter sauce. My mouth is watering now just thinking about it.
For the boys, filet of perch, served with a flavorful cream sauce, also perfectly cooked, but unfortunately up this evening against the killer cod.
And for me, entrecote of beef, with a not-too-spicy, but very complex creamy pepper sauce, tender, flavorful, perfectly, perfectly grilled, with a side of potatoes au gratin, rich but not too heavy. Wonderful, wonderful.
For dessert, for the boys, something that was called tiramisu, but which was not like tiramisu I've seen, but was, in fact, in a glass like you'd use for an ice cream sundae, and consisting of some kind of cold, creamy liquid, some red fruit (raspberries, I think), and some type of crumbled up cookie, all mixed together. And for me ... ah, yes, a deep, dark, chocolate morsel, like a small cake, with a rich, slightly uncooked, dense chocolate center, served with a raspberry sauce ... yes, it was every bit as good as you can imagine.
The whole meal took two and a half hours, which went by so quickly, and the portions were small enough (but not too) and spaced out enough that by the time we left, we felt pleasantly full but not at all stuffed. The entire experience was perfect, just perfect.
After eating, we walked around the canal area a bit more. Night had fallen, but there were still a lot of people around. A band was playing music and people were dancing in a little area across the canal. We watched them for a time before returning to our hotel, completely happy and satisfied, for a great night's sleep.
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