2 vikings and A traveler

La Recreation, our bateau home for the past many months, is back where we started in February, Grau d'Agde, Chantier Allemande. This time around, late August, it's still summer, holiday season, all shops are open, except lunch/siesta time, buzzing with activity, market day is everyday, and tourists are everywhere.
Plus, grateful tribute to France below.

Beach along the Med between Grau d'Agde and Cap d'Agde

Our favorite lodging in Agde - Hotel L'Ephebe, friendly family-run river-front cozy home away from home.

So happy to see a thriving duck family in Agde - 4 ducklings that made it to juvenile stage.

One of the few rough roller coaster points in this journey was witnessing the sad(?) fate of cute eager ducklings. They only got to enjoy a few days or weeks of life on earth. (Or did they live in fear and hunger most of the time, but didn't look it. Was DH Lawrence right then - he never saw a wild thing feel sorry for itself.)
This noble graceful but firmly protective lady started with 10 ducklings when they first came a-calling...

The numbers dwindled almost daily,

and then there was one,

and then they were all gone, just 4 weeks later.
Nature.
"C'est la vie," said a local frenchman, with a shrug.

My little favorite survived though, at least during the time we were there in Villeneuve les Beziers. A feisty but good natured tagged juvenile.

Villeneuve les Beziers

La Somail

Argens Minervois

Capestang

Blending ancient history with contemporary times

Beziers

Narbonne

I could barely lift that 'frisbee' he wanted me to toss him.

Charles Trenet's childhood home in Narbonne - La Mer, is the only song i recognize from him. Quite an amazing life he led.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXQh9jTwwoA

Museums in Narbonne
Archbishop's Palace, Vieux (old) and Neuf (new), Archaeological Museum, Gilles Aycelin Tower and Dungeon, St. Justus and St. Pasteur Cathedral, Cathedral Treasury.

Roman Horreum
Subterranean hallways, galleries, storage rooms, and wine cellar room (that had a lovely deep aroma of grapes when you are inside the room)

Tourist office map of the canal/river journey, from sea to sea.
Our journey covered many villages and towns between Agde on the Med, and Buzet near Bordeaux.