Getting Closer

Saturday turned into a lovely warm day, so we walked into the village and through possibly the tattiest brocante sale yet. Then back to sit by the pool and read for an hour or so.
8.30 start and into Montpellier for 10.30. Rode around the city centre , a curious mix of traditional and austere modern but still with an unloved feel that seems to be typical of this corner of France.
It has been interesting to see along this coast especially Cassis and Marseille but it's not an area I would want to spend a lot of time in and the riding has been on the whole busier and less rewarding.
We're in Balaruc les Bains now, just North of Sete. After a bright start the wind has picked up again so we're debating whether to explore, shop or both.
I've just read an article about Marseille and the northern part we rode through. Apparently it's the poorest part of the poorest city in France. That makes sense. We saw a woman with a bucket and large spanner opening a fire hydrant to get water as we passed and thought that she must have no running water. It's that sort of sight that you wouldn't see from a car as the main road is on a flyover above the whole area. It' been very intense to see so much so closely.
I've worked out that even with our 3 weeks break at Domaine we will have ridden a loaded 50+km ride on average about every second day. If I'd thought this through in those terms after our practice around Rugby I'm not so sure I'd have been so keen to do this. So I'm very glad I didn't do the maths.