Our arrival at Palavas-les Flots was met with a giant thunderstorm which went for 12 hours (continual rolling thunder and flashes of lightening). The rain poured all night and met us in the morning with humidity and eventually more sunshine. This seaside town has the best sandy beach we have seen so far but lots of tourists as well. It has the funniest chairlift, which goes over a small canal to the other side so you don’t have to walk to the bridge to cross it. It’s about 50m long and costs 2 Euro.

I have almost saturated my desire to shop at markets… having been through  100 of them now… but I managed to fit in another one here. I found myself today getting into the back of a van (encouraged by a French man) with a curtain with canonball sized holes in it, to give me the necessary coverage for privacy, to try on a dress. ‘What I am doing?’ I asked myself. I must be desperate! I managed to get the dress on without exposing myself or getting driven off in the van and happily paid for it afterwards. I swear it was worth it!

Ordering tea off a menu and not knowing what you’ll get because nobody can explain it to you is quite an adventure. Last night I almost ordered bulots but discovered they are whelks, or sea snails in the shells. I should have tried them but I didn’t want to walk out hungry! So far we haven’t had a bad meal in France. Is it possible?