After a hectic summer, I have been playing catch up with work, trying to earn more money since I'm not able to teach university classes. Then recently, I learned that a new law in China would prevent teachers from outside China teaching students there. VIPKid is still offering classes to parents who bought packages, but the country suddenly called a moratorium to teaching for a week at the end of summer. I was free from my 12-3 teaching hours for nearly a week. I wasted no time in planning an outing, this time to Beziers.
The lights and water were beautiful, like fireworks on the ground.
Earl and I have traveled to Beziers before. Here's a link to a previous post when we considered moving there in 2015 as we visited towns and cities on our reconnaissance mission. But I was hesitant because the Catholic church and rioters killed 20,000 Cathars in Beziers during a crusade in 1209, known as the Albigensian Crusade. It just seemed like bad karma to move there. Bezier is beautiful though with a large swathe of park running through the middle of downtown and buildings in the Haussmann-style of Paris.
A Facebook post for people who live in Languedoc, the former name of our region of France, alerted me to a light and music show in Beziers. The musical fountain occurs at 10 p.m., so we needed to stay overnight. We convinced some friends to come along and traveled the two hours. First, a stop at the nearby beach Valras Plage. We had lunch in the square that faces the beach then spent some time in the cold Mediterranean (I don't think it ever warmed up this year) before dozing on the sand.
The beach was not very crowded just two days before La Rentree, the day the French return to work and school
The park in Bezier was decorated with all kinds of colorful creatures.
Us at the restaurant Pica-Pica
Strange lay out of the deviled eggs with caviar and lobster included
At 10 p.m., the music started. The fountains and lights had been going for a while. I think just the lights and water spurts were magical.
I'm not sure if the music added anything to it. Some of the songs included YMCA, Laissez-moi Danser, and Formidable.
Definitely worth watching.
Some of the illuminations in the park
The next morning, we had breakfast and wandered around the park, posing for a selfie in front of this Titan fountain.
With Sue and Steve
This theater has topiary chess pieces in front of it.
We stopped in Narbonne on the way home and had lunch at a restaurant along the Canal du Midi.
Please join this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.
In 55 days, I'll be in France again.
Can't wait!
Here I am in the French countryside in 1985 as an au pair.
In 1991, I dragged my husband along for the first time.
Bicycling around Provence and across the Pont du Gard.
Eating ice cream in Aix en Provence.
And just a few years ago in Isle sur la Sorgue in the south of France.
Do you see a pattern? I'm pretty much always smiling and happy. Well, it's vacation, what's not to like?
I'm looking forward to our vacation in France, in preparation for our move to France in the fall.
Thanks for playing along with Dreaming of France and please visit the blogs of others who join in too.
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