Get Sète, Go

Yesterday, we hit Sète, an island-like place, that is not a real island, but is basically an island (but is not an island), near Montpellier. It reminded me a bit of Salcombe, except bigger and nicer and Frencher.

It had been an extremely stuffy night, humid and in the high twenties, so sleep had been a bit restless and it was generally kind of muggy and gross and oppressive. Which I'm not saying to complain, but, you know, setting the scene. It started out like this, a little overcast, but still pretty.

As we ate lunch on the water, the sky started doing this...

After lunch, we drove up to the top of Sète, which is kind of a big hill/island/notisland. At the top is Jono's old school which in Napoleonic times was apparently a military academy (it's in a good position for it - modern pupils probably hate that bloody hill). I took a couple of pictures from a lookout point...

... and then IT PISSED DOWN! Here's Jono as the rains hit.

We hid in the car for a while, and then went to visit Jono's friend Mailyn, who met us at the car with an umbrella, but... yeah we were pretty wet by the time we got to her flat (which was amazing but I regretfully/politely took no pictures). We sat in Mailyn's kitchen drinking coffee, then wine. I found speaking with Mailyn easier than I've probably found speaking so far, I could understand more of what she said (still like... 20%) and Jono said after that she speaks very well (possibly meaning BBC-like). Anyway, Mailyn was really cool, and fun, and she and Jono basically decided to play 'Let's Get The Anglais Drunk' and they won.

Also, I discovered that if a French person ever says 'du vin'' for any reason, and you follow up with 'du pain, du Boursin,' you are guaranteed a cheap laugh. I've used it twice now.

Here be Jono and Mailyn, having dried out a little after the storm, out on the patio.

Mailyn knew the owners of a restaurant nearby, where we went and dropped her name. The owner recommended the 'seiche' (squid), and it was really, really delicious, and Jono had these stuffed mussels, which are probably a bugger to make, but are worth it by all accounts. We also had more wine, and basically I barely remember getting home.