September 20, 2022 Another gorgeous day on the Mediterranean coast. We just can’t get over how the Mediterranean is, so today we ventured out on it, taking one of the tourist cruise boats.

Each morning I walk down the street a short distance to by each of us a freshly baked Pain au Chocolat. This morning the shopkeeper recognized me when I stopped in, As for the delectable morning treats, they may be the best we have ever had during our various times in France.

Interestingly enough, we have yet to buy a baguette while in Sète.

Sometimes you just want to step back from all the butter and sauces of those fabulous French restaurant meals and have something simple.

So we put the kitchen in our apartment to good use and had a simple meal with plenty of vegetables sans sauce.

Someone photo bombed my selfie I took aboard the boat.

I think sometimes Capt. Jeff need this sign on our Canal boat, lol.

Hard at work.

Could it be called triple cleaning?

A large jellyfish near the boat.

A harbor cruise boat.

Where there is water there are fishermen.

The shore was rocky.

The water is so intensely blue.

Cemetery.

The farther from the harbor break wall we traveled, the choppier the water became.

Too far away to tell the state of dress or undress.

One of several ships we could see farther out on the water.

The first fishing boat of the afternoon returning to port with its catch.

Maybe a beacon ship?

The second ship to return to port with its cath. All the narration on the boat was in French but sometimes we could get a sense of what was being said.

The arrows show the building our apartment is in and the alleyway we take to get down to the promenade along the canal.

Our boat, and with that our last full day in Sète (which is pronounced ‘set” comes to a close.

We are not the type of people that when they travel schedule every minute being tourists scurrying from one thing to another. Today we did as many others in Sète seem to do, walking along the the canals, visiting the jetty, and savoring the delightful food from the sea.

Making the apartment home for a few days. It is not “clutter”, it is having our things out where they are easy to get to.

We are also back to eating like we usually do. A light breakfast, a meal in the late afternoon and a small snack in the early evening.

Closeup of a trawler along the canal. Fishing is an important part of the economy in Sète.

Marina with cruise ships in the background.

Over the horizon is Africa.

It is a long way out the jetty to the lighthouse and the surface is definitely uneven.

A forest of masts.

A small beach tucked into the corner of the jetty.

Once back at our apartment I went online and the significance of this plaque on the side of the jetty. Here is a link to an article in English that explains more about it.

Colors are real. We are so glad we decided to walk all the way out here.

One of the few signs that also had a brief description in English.

Beautiful model posing in front of the sign.

Old man resting in front of the sign.

I thought it made for an interesting photo.

Reflecting on today’s reflection.

Everything a fishing boat needs.

Bins full of nets.

Interesting how fine the nets are.

My wife spied these two jellyfish right beside the dock we were standing on.

We watch for ten minutes or more as the slowly moved around with the unique motion they have.

We estimated the larger one was a foot across.

The two stages of a boats life.

The walkway we took coming back from the lighthouse.

Our meal was a specialty of Sète.

What is a meal in France without wine? Ms. White or Rosé got to pick the wine.

The dish was way, way beyond delicious.

I used the last of the baguette to wipe my plate, it was that good. There is a story behind how we ordered this dish. We saw a sign in front of the restaurant saying today’s special was paella. That worked well for my wife as she is very hesitant to order anything she doesn’t know what it is. Unfortunately they were out of paella when it came time to order, but the server, who spoke French pointed to the dish we ordered and indicated it was very good. When the dish was placed on the table in front of my wife and she saw the cuttlefish tentacles I was sure what was going to happen. All was well in the end when picked them out, put them on my plate. Remarking how good the food was, she added she wouldn’t have ordered it if she knew what it was, but was glad she didn’t because it was so delicious.

An interesting olive tree.

Note to self: Traiteur means takeaway food, not sit down restaurant. You can easily guess how I learned the meaning of the word.

September 17, 2022 This morning we left our canal boat adventure behind and traveled to the town of Sete where we we spend a few days relaxing and doing some sightseeing. We have rented an apartment and the street it is on turned out to the quintessential French neighborhood street with small shops and restaurants galore. All I can say is my wife did a fantastic job of finding this place.

Morning reflections.

just as the reflection wavers and begins to fad, so is our time on Canal du Midi. But change is always opens new opportunities.

Capt. Jeff and one of his deckhands doing some last minute cleaning. I simply cannot say enough about Capt. Jeff’s unbelievable boat handling skills. He was way beyond awesome no matter what the situation, and some of them were very, very difficult due high winds or extremely tight quarters.

The final inspection. We passed with flying colors.

Check out time at the office.

All six of us being very experienced travels, we tend to travel light.

We all rode together in a taxi to Beziers where my wife and I went to the train station and the other four went to a hotel. It was forty minute train ride to Sete. This is the scene at the Beziers train station as the train was some forty minutes late.

I stood with our bags during the trip, but my wife was lucky and got a seat nearby. At the stop after she took this photo even all the aisles were packed with people.

Sete is right on the Mediterranean. Our apartment is a half block off this canal, though much further up the canal where it widens out and is lined with cafes and restaurants.

Our apartment is on the 2nd floor (third American floor) of this building. Our host turned out to be wonderful, meeting us about a half block from the entrance, then provided us with all the information we needed to have an amazing stay.

Band playing for a birthday party a block from our apartment.

The apartment is perfect for our needs.

The kitchen is small but completely furnished, being just right for two people.

Resting her tired feet. We had been out looking at the neighborhood and shopping for a few groceries.

All the stations on the TV were in French so I connected my computer to the TV and streamed an American football game from a college near where I grew up. It is a small college named Mount Union and they have been the small college national champions many times over the years.

I watched the entire game, which had Mount winning 55-7. Technology and knowing how to use it can be a wonderful thing.