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We made a trip to Agde.
Agde is a small town in Southern France near the Mediterranean Sea at the mouth of the river Hérault. The city was founded about 550 BC by travelling Greeks broadening their zone of influence. Later came the Romans … and then all the others dreaming of conquering the area and establishing a new empire.
Finally in the 5th century Agde became a diocese and in 872 a cathedral was planned, however, only finished in the 15th century: La Cathédrale Saint-Ètienne. Around the cathedral there is an Old Town area from medieval era.
So … we focused on this special part of the city. (Below there is an impression of the narrow alleyways with modern wiring – Old Town Agde is a living quarter!)
However, before plunging into the medieval spot …
We are now since some months in Southern France – it’s an interesting, sometimes demanding & always relaxing experience. Concerning the relaxing part … I miss my cookbooks!
I’ve got quite a lot of cookbooks & I really enjoy reading cookbooks – if looking for new recipes or simply for entertainment. Nothing is better for chilling than a good cookbook – my personal view!
I really miss them because they are stored away in some moving boxes – out of reach at the moment. Of course I’ve got some cookbooks on my iPad, but only few – it’s at least some alternative. (To be honest: although I’m a fan of digital books for quite a lot of time & don’t miss any paperbacks, concerning cookbooks … I consistently enjoy having a classically published cookbook for poking around in the chapters!)
You know from my page on books that I piled up quite a lot of books – maybe you’ve also noticed that this page got somewhat slimmer since last year! When storing away my cookbooks I started with all of them … then, however, I started sorting the cookbooks before filling the moving boxes. Every now and then I had bought a cookbook during all these years which didn’t quite fulfill my expectations – let’s put it this way. So I split up with some of my cookbook guys and sold them resp. donated them.
So now … I’m looking forward to the moment when I may unearth my collection of cookbooks … soon!
Coming back to Agde!
Approaching Old Town at the banks of the river Hérault you spot at once the cathedral. When skirting the monument you’ll get the impression that is more a fortification than an elaborate cathedral. I think it’s due to the ongoing attacks and invasions during the early and medieval centuries when it was necessary to be prepared for defense – all the time.
There are also ramparts around Old Town, remains of them. The ramparts date back to the initial formation of Agde continuously renewed during the centuries. The cathedral seems to having been just incorporated.
Around the cathedral there is a maze of alleyways where you may get lost because all alleyways seem to look alike … Often it’s far too small for cars to pass through. Also the houses, adjoining without any gap in between, are rather high with 3 … up to 4 stories.
We were looking for old churches, L’église Saint-André, from the 6th century with some columns back to this era and a view of the foundations. While we found this church at once, the other one, L’église Saint-Sever … remained hidden, enclosed among buildings – as it is like the medieval style.
Otherwise we had no problems when looking for a café, bistro … to relax and enjoy some cold drinks.
The medieval Old Town is a living quarter where people reside, work and eat … I think modern times are hidden behind these old walls. Below is a photo of an old entry door: have a closer look at the door lock – there is a keypad for entering a numerical code! (Not to forget air condition boxes her and there … the wiring …)
Old Town is along the river Hérault with many restaurants. Following the river you’ll end up at Cap d’Agde, a small resort at the the seaside. (As I learnt later: famous for naturism!)
After some hours we left … the statue on the central place just at the entrance of Old Town now from behind.
