Taking a Slight Detour...

  Well, here we go again. I flew to Barcelona last week (Thursday to be precise) and immediately had a totally frustrating encounter with the Airport car park since I couldn't find the way out and Son was waiting outside in the car for me, ready to rush me to their new Apartment. Hah! Drawing a veil over that, we raced back to Barcelona at high speed and managed to arrive in time for Son and Partner to whisk off to a film presentation. It was something that Son had done the music for, so it was important for him to be there and I guess it was also a nice social event. Anyway, it meant that I had sole charge of Little Grandson for the evening (lovely) and he showed me round the new Apartment, including the outside space which has an enormous Avocado tree (with ripe avocados growing on it). I was pretty impressed with it all, and we then had soup and pasta for supper before collapsing in bed. Well, I collapsed and he went to sleep quite cheerfully after a Dinosaur story and a couple of songs.
     Next morning we were up betimes, as Grandson had an early hospital appointment, after which we were setting off to drive to France and look at the house I liked. Easier said than done of course, as the hospital appointment went on longer than expected  (they were checking him for Asthma and Allergies, which does take quite a while). And then the traffic going out of BCN was just awful.. Friday getaway I suppose. However, we did make good time, stopped for lunch at a French "Aire" where the food was excellent, and got to Bize Minervois just on time.
     The Estate Agent, the lovely Richard Pullen, was waiting most patiently for us, no mean feat  since he and his wife Chitra were planning to drive to  Barcelona (!) to visit their daughter who is at University there. Anyway, we all piled into the village house which I had loved at first sight. And Son did his very best to examine everything closely - as did I. I hadn't really done this the first time, and so needed to look at the details. I still  loved the house, and the space and feel of it, but I could see the impracticality of it. No central heating, no gas in the village, and the fact that the second floor was only accessible through the rest of the house - so not exactly right for letting or BnB. Son also spotted water stains in various places and was adamant that the small swimming pool, which is almost completely under cover, was not right either. All in all, a thumbs down for the house - which I had to agree with. And when we went out into the village for a walk about, at about 5pm on a Friday, and it was deserted! No shops open, no people about. So that was quite decisive for me - I  can't imagine living somewhere that felt so lonely. We walked by the river, and though it was really lovely, it was also deserted. And it was cold. In fact the whole weekend got gradually colder and wetter!
    To cut quite a long story short, we then found the Air BnB which Son had booked, and which was very nice and very comfortable. In the evening we drove to the restaurant I vaguely remembered in Le Somail (an organic restaurant right on the Canal du Midi). This was one of the highlights of the trip: lovely food and very welcoming. Little Grandson fell in love with our waitress Pauline and did drawings for her throughout the evening. And so to bed, knackered!!
    Next day, colder and wetter, Son decided we should take a look at Narbonne, which was only a short drive away. And lovely.. it is a beautiful small city which reminded me of Cambridge, and on the Canal too. So though I was disappointed about the house, I was immediately cheered by the thought of moving to Narbonne. Even the fact that it poured with rain while we walked around didn't deter me. We visited the Tourist Centre and looked in some lovely shops - and may I say Little Grandson was a pleasure to have around the whole time. We then drove around the area, and to the beach and the salt pans, where we tasted the different flavours of salt and then found the restaurant (which Son had discovered) in a derelict-looking wooden hut which turned out to be a fabulous seafood restaurant, crowded with French people enjoying huge platters of every kind of shellfish: we ate oysters, crab, prawns, sea snails (a bit too chewy for me) and all sorts of fresh fishy things - all mopped up with lovely french bread, and then topped off with ice dream for dessert. After that we drove back around beautiful countryside, past lovely vineyards and stopped to sample some of the wines too. A great afternoon even though the weather was awful.
   After supper at 'home' and a good night's sleep. we set off cheerfully next day, only stopping in Perpignan briefly as it was still very cold and  rainy. Perpignan, I have to say, was not a happy place. Everyone was so grumpy, and we met the archetypal bad-tempered French waiter when all we wanted was a warming cup of hot chocolate - no chance. The most exciting part was when Grandson discovered a market stall selling live snails - not that the poor things knew they were destined to be escargots! Anyway, we made a sharp exit from Perpignan and headed back to Barcelona!!
  Back in BCN, where incidentally it was also cold and rainy (it had been an unbelievable 5* there too) we touched base briefly before Son delivered me back to the Airport. Then a pretty unremarkable flight to Gatwick where Daughter was waiting to meet me. Home, to bed, and a couple of days feeling totally wiped out. Time to adjust, physically and emotionally, to a slight detour!