Palavas-Les-Flots
19 – 27 December
Mix an historic fishing village with a modern resort town; add a water tower converted into a revolving restaurant and voilà – Palavas-Les-Flots. Nestled between large but shallow salt water lakes and the Mediterranean, Palavas-Les-Flots boasts a series of canals leading into your choice of several canals to other towns, the salt lakes, or the sea.
The salt lakes support many species of fish, large eels, two types of herons, large flocks of flamingos, many other types of waterfowl and is a major staging area on birds’ migration routes.
On the other side of the village are the Mediterranean and a pleasure vessel harbour for about 1000 vessels. With a depth of 5 meters and two large travel lifts the harbour is definitely functional. In addition much of the inshore fishing fleet is accommodated in the major canal running through the town.
Fresh fish can be purchased every day from the canal docks.
Like most of the coastal towns on the Med, Palavas has numerous summer activities and amusements, including in this case a ski lift surrounded by palm trees. And while it only takes one across the canal it is indeed a chair lift. The small "cranes" in the background are actually lifts to help you do air sommersaults on a trampoline.... Come oooonnnnn down Aydin.
The old village center is a rectangular labyrinth of narrow streets of single family homes and small family run businesses.
The village church played host to Belgian refugees during and after WW I.
Christmas Eve (Le Reveillon) we attended midnight Mass in this packed and beautiful church. For Roger this was a completely new experience. For Marie-Claire it was in many ways a new experience since this was the first time she had ever heard a Mass entirely in French, having grown up with them conducted largely in Latin. While many things remained very familiar and she was still able to recite most of the Catholic Catechism, she was surprised by the much more relaxed atmosphere and the higher level of participation by the parishoners. While it is almost 50 years since she attended Mass she was raised in the Catholic Church by her mother who, as an orphan, grew up in a convent.
For 10 Euros a night we enjoyed a Halte de Camping Cars (literally a motor home stop) beside one of the village's canals, and wrapped around a marina for small craft. While not a campground per se, it had electricity, water, toilets and more or less “hot” showers and an incredible view.
From the canal, boats like this can be in the Mediterranean within 15 minutes, or in the Sete to Rhone Canal in 5 minutes and through this linking to canals throughout Europe – another very interesting and relatively inexpensive way to travel.
Every day at about 1600 a flock of 200 or so flamingos would fill the salt lake behind the canal - a truly incredible sight and sound.
So this is where we spent Christmas 2006 and while we definitely did miss family and friends we
had turkey (filets) at home Christmas Eve before Mass, a late and full lunch on the seafront on Christmas Day, and our very own Christmas tree.
A footnote: We did a lot of cycling along the major inter-city canals, and in one of our trips we came across a new version of Marie-Claire’s (almost) favourite car. Click on the picture to see the make.
Will it be in her stocking next Christmas? Merry Christmas to all – and to all a good night.
Mix an historic fishing village with a modern resort town; add a water tower converted into a revolving restaurant and voilà – Palavas-Les-Flots. Nestled between large but shallow salt water lakes and the Mediterranean, Palavas-Les-Flots boasts a series of canals leading into your choice of several canals to other towns, the salt lakes, or the sea.The salt lakes support many species of fish, large eels, two types of herons, large flocks of flamingos, many other types of waterfowl and is a major staging area on birds’ migration routes.
On the other side of the village are the Mediterranean and a pleasure vessel harbour for about 1000 vessels. With a depth of 5 meters and two large travel lifts the harbour is definitely functional. In addition much of the inshore fishing fleet is accommodated in the major canal running through the town.Fresh fish can be purchased every day from the canal docks.
Like most of the coastal towns on the Med, Palavas has numerous summer activities and amusements, including in this case a ski lift surrounded by palm trees. And while it only takes one across the canal it is indeed a chair lift. The small "cranes" in the background are actually lifts to help you do air sommersaults on a trampoline.... Come oooonnnnn down Aydin.
The old village center is a rectangular labyrinth of narrow streets of single family homes and small family run businesses.
The village church played host to Belgian refugees during and after WW I.
Christmas Eve (Le Reveillon) we attended midnight Mass in this packed and beautiful church. For Roger this was a completely new experience. For Marie-Claire it was in many ways a new experience since this was the first time she had ever heard a Mass entirely in French, having grown up with them conducted largely in Latin. While many things remained very familiar and she was still able to recite most of the Catholic Catechism, she was surprised by the much more relaxed atmosphere and the higher level of participation by the parishoners. While it is almost 50 years since she attended Mass she was raised in the Catholic Church by her mother who, as an orphan, grew up in a convent.
For 10 Euros a night we enjoyed a Halte de Camping Cars (literally a motor home stop) beside one of the village's canals, and wrapped around a marina for small craft. While not a campground per se, it had electricity, water, toilets and more or less “hot” showers and an incredible view.
From the canal, boats like this can be in the Mediterranean within 15 minutes, or in the Sete to Rhone Canal in 5 minutes and through this linking to canals throughout Europe – another very interesting and relatively inexpensive way to travel.
Every day at about 1600 a flock of 200 or so flamingos would fill the salt lake behind the canal - a truly incredible sight and sound.
So this is where we spent Christmas 2006 and while we definitely did miss family and friends we
had turkey (filets) at home Christmas Eve before Mass, a late and full lunch on the seafront on Christmas Day, and our very own Christmas tree.A footnote: We did a lot of cycling along the major inter-city canals, and in one of our trips we came across a new version of Marie-Claire’s (almost) favourite car. Click on the picture to see the make.
Will it be in her stocking next Christmas? Merry Christmas to all – and to all a good night.
posted by Retired and on the Move | 7:56 AM
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