Saturday, 18 September 2010

Sete















Sete is OK if you like that sort of thing.
The chief problem mostly being cars; its claim to
be the Venice of Languedoc-Roussian is erm, improbable.
Venice has no cars. Sete is constantly growling with them.
The place has been done up and is now undone, falling apart -
all the modernizations and renovations are cracking and lifting
and generally being seedy.
It was a fishing village.
People are poor and the only substitute for fishing is tourism.

The Dufy expo which I was there to see was excellent, of course.
Its a very long uphill walk to the Musee Paul Valery - should you
go, check out the buses. They are rare- best spot a queue, join it
and get on anything that comes. Once you get to the top its easy.
Getting to a beach was another matter and you begin to see why
everyone has to drive, sigh.

The flea market was fun and I found the intaglio, above, which
cost lunch and dinner and was worth it.
Food all fish-based - nice restaurants separated from the quai
where the fishing boats come in by a road full of cars - that'll be
complex hydrocarbons and sardines, then.

Glad to get back. Mike met my train with an umbrella -rain,
hurrah!! - and we ate at Annies where her mill now has glass
in the windows. Its hardly fallen in at all.
Here are Mike and Hilary toasting its staying power and
Annies marvellous cooking.

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