Memorial to Jean Moulin the resistance fighter

Memorial to Jean Moulin the resistance fighter, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

It seemed to be a day for discovering memorials of the atrocities of World War II .

Copied from the internet:

Jean Moulin, the son of a professor of history, was born in Beziers, France, on 20th June 1899. He was conscripted into the French Army in 1918 but the First World War came to an end before he had the opportunity to see action.

After the war Moulin joined the civil service and rose rapidly to become the country's youngest prefect. Influenced by his friend, Pierre Cot, a radical pacifist, Moulin developed left-wing views. During the Spanish Civil War Moulin helped to smuggle a French aircraft to the Republican Army fighting against the Royalists.

Moulin refused to cooperate with the German Army when they occupied France in June 1940. He was arrested and tortured by the Gestapo and while in his cell he attempted to commit suicide by cutting his throat with a piece of broken glass. After recovering he was released from prison.

In November 1940, the Vichy government ordered all prefects to dismiss left-wing mayors of towns and villages that had been elected to office. When Moulin refused to do this he was himself removed from office.

Over the next few months Moulin began to make contact with other French people who wanted to overthrow the Vichy government and to drive the German Army out of France. This included Henry Frenay, who had established Combat, the most important of all the early French Resistance groups. He also had discussions with Pierre Villon who was attempting to organize the communist resistance group in France. Later, Moulin was accused of being a communist but there is no evidence that he ever joined the party.

Moulin visited London in September, 1941 where he met Charles De Gaulle, Andre Dewavrin and other French leaders in exile. In October 1941, Moulin produced a report entitled The Activities, Plans and Requirements of the Groups formed in France. De Gaulle was impressed with Moulin knowledge of the situation and decided he should become the leader of the resistance in France.

Moulin was parachuted back into France on 1st January, 1942. Moulin brought with him a large sum of money to help set up the underground press. This included working with figures such as Georges Bidault and Albert Camus who had both been involved in establishing the Combat newspaper.

Moulin's main task was to try and unite all the different resistance groups working in France. Over the following weeks he arranged meetings with people such as Henry Frenay (Combat), Emmanuel d'Astier (Liberation), Jean-Pierre Lévy (Francs-Tireur), Pierre Villon (Front National), Pierre Brossolette (Comité d'Action Socialiste) and Charles Delestraint (Armée Secrete). After much discussion Moulin persuaded the eight major resistance groups to form the Conseil National de la Resistance (CNR) and the first joint meeting under Moulin's chairmanship took place in Paris on 27th May 1943.

On 7th June 1943, René Hardy, an important member of the resistance in France, was arrested and tortured by Klaus Barbie and the Gestapo. They eventually obtained enough information to arrest Moulin at Caluire on 21st June. Jean Moulin died while being tortured on 8th July 1943.

Below the monument is this little cage containing an urn of the soil from where he was murdered.



Earlier I had walked by the Theater and noticed this plaque on one corner.



The word Biterrois is what the people from Beziers call themselves. Like if you are from Toronto you are a Torontonian. On the last day of World War II the Nazies murdered ten people from Beziers at this place.

In between visits to monuments I attended all three of Beziers Friday Markets The Flower Market, The Food Market and the everything else Market. Here are a few of the pictures there are more on my flickr account just click on any of the photos and it will take you to them.

In the everything else category:



Still with the everything else category:



Lots of livestock:







And of course the good stuff:





Had lots of fun just looking around but of course I had to make some purchases.

Steps leading up to the Pont du Canal where my three day hike began.

Steps leading up to the Pont du Canal where my three day hike began., originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

My three day hike from Beziers to Sete began on February 16, 2010 at the steps which lead up to the Pont du Canal, literally the Canal bridge. This viaduct carries the Canal over the River Orb, high up in the air. In this photo you can see the river to the left below the Canal.



Day one of my walk was gray with very light rain all day gave me a good chance to test out my new rain gear the rain suit and my water proof Tilley hat both worked really well. Not far out of Beziers I saw my first boat moving on the Canal. Before I got to the end of the Canal I saw a few more looks like people are starting to get their boats ready for summer.



Day one was Beziers to Agde 25.2 KM and I was very relieved at the end of the day. I had been concerned that I might not be able to carry the back pack, I'm two years older since I last carried a full pack. I only had the pack off for a coffee in the morning and while I ate my lunch other than that I walked from 0930 to 1630 without any problems. My feet and legs were tired that night but a nights rest takes care of that.

Agde is a nice little town but just as you enter you pass in front of the church, often I see church architecture which doesn't do much of me but this one was just bug ugly. I didn't get inside so perhaps all the beauty is on the interior.



Day two from Agde to Meze a cool day and cloudy all day but no rain. I enjoyed walking along the canal there was always something new to see. Walked past this floating B&B I suppose if they didn't like you they could always move to a different location while you were out.



For a while I though I had taken a wrong turn and walked into Spain. You see these large bull cutouts on hillsides everywhere in Spain advertising a brand of Sherry.



All of these boats are rentals and this is just a small area of them there were lots more. The Canal must be bow to stern boats in the height of summer.



Half way through the day I came to the end of the Canal du Midi at Marseillan the canal empties into the Etang de Thau and boat traffic headed to the Mediterranean go the lenght of the Etang and then through the short Canal Du Rhone into the Sea.

Where the Canal du Midi enters the Etang de Thau at Marseillan



From here on in the trail leaves the water edge and for the most part follows along highways also the guide book needs to be updated in one place it tells you to follow the N113 which would have been a rural road however it no longer exists it has been update to the D613 which is a major highway with lots of traffic. I carried on because I wanted to get the practice in but I wouldn't do that part of the walk again or recommend it.

Bernie chillin in the hotel at Meze.



The last day from Meze to Sete had some nice points to it I enjoyed the little town of Bouzigues on the Etang and had lunch of Moules et Frit (Mussels and Fries) at a water side restaurant with this lovely view of the Etang.



Shortly after lunch I had a good view of Sete across the Etang only 14 KM to go, all of those structures in the water are Oyster Farms.



Arriving in Sete there were a few boats out sculling on the Canal du Rhone. All day today the weather had been perfect I didn't see a thermometer anywhere but it must have bee around 20 degrees. It was great to get the rain gear off. According to the guide book I walked 73 KM but with the amount of wrong turns I made it must have been a bit more than that. Three days to walk it and around 30 minutes by train back to Beziers.

I didn't take time to explore Sete just as I arrived at the station there was a train ready to return to Beziers so I took the train. It is only a half hour trip by rail and I hope to go back there the next sunny day to walk along the sea shore and explore the town.

My Mocha Cake

My Mocha Cake, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

I bought one little Mocha Cake yesterday at the Bakery next door and I was so surprised at the production the lady went through to package and sell it to me. She put it in a box, wrapped it and even put a ribbon on it. By the way the cake was very good.

I was invited to go to Roqueburn yesterday to the annual Mimosa Festival, with Geoff and Lesley a couple of English ex-pats who are friends of my landlord. So glad I went we had a wonderful day . Rogueburn is a little town nestled in the hills along the river Orb less than an hour north of Beziers.



A wonderful atmosphere with crowds of people descending on the little town from all over the area. Lots of vendors with their stalls set-up all along the main street selling anything from crafts to cheese, and of course bouquets of Mimosa.



I can't resist the wonderful local cheeses and there were several available that were made on the local farms, and of course they were handing out lots of free samples.



When my eyes fell on this one I knew I just had to have some and of course it was very old, very expensive and very good. It was selling for almost 44 Euros per Kilo I bought a small piece for 11 Euros and have been enjoying it very much.



I took several of my bumpy short video clips.



There was a nice parade just before we left in the afternoon.





I not sure if I will be able to blog for the next few days or not. My plans are to leave Beziers in the morning on a three day hike along the Canal du Midi to Sete on the Mediterranean. Stopping the First night in Agda the second night in Meze and coming back to Beziers by train from Sete on Thursday evening. If I find Internet Cafes along the way I will add some short posts if not it will be Friday before I have a chance to blog again.

Beziers Town Hall Door Knocker

Town Hall Door Knocker, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Still cold but sunny it got up to 4 degrees today but it was nice out in the sun. I even sat in the sun on my balcony and read for a while.

Spent part of the day exploring the side streets of Beziers , I'm getting quite comfortable with the town and seem to have a general idea of where I am most of the time. Found a lot of lovely little shops that I hadn't seen before especially the antiques shops. So far I have only window shopped but I did see a couple of small paintings that were very nice. that's what I usually buy myself as a souvenir of my travels, one was quite small and would fit in with the stuff that I'm shipping on to Pru to pick up in Paris on my way home, so chances are good that I will talk myself into that one.

This is the shop window and if you click on the photo it will take you to my flickr site and I have put a note next to the one I liked.



Some more shop windows:

Anybody planning a wedding, want to do it Beziers style.



It was a rug shop but they also had a Buddha collection for sale:



All of the glasses were, "Le Lot 35 Euros" :



My only purchase of the day was a nice new leather belt which I bought from a Senegalese man who had set up a small display in the Allees Paul Riquet.

They have turned on some of the fountains this one is at a round about but the one that I want to see is a large one in the Allees but the last time I checked it was frozen over.



Thought you might like to see a close-up of my Mimosa, it's a shrub or small tree which has been in bloom here since the first of the year. Not many in Beziers but I did see one coming into town on the train yesterday afternoon. If the weather is good I might see a lot more tomorrow I've been invited to go to the Mimosa Festival in Roquebrun a town a little north of here .

Friday Flower Market - Beziers

Friday Flower Market - Beziers, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Another lovely sunny day but still very cold, it got up to 3 degrees this afternoon.

Off to my friendly neighborhood laundry early this morning and then back up to check out the Friday Flower Market. Very colourful and I took the opportunity to act on a suggestion from Pat and Marc, previous guests in this apartment. When I said yesterday that I had to keep the screen down because the lady next door closes here shutters if I raise it, they said their solution to the problem was to put a large bouquet of sunflowers in the wind and just think of her as the friendly neighborhood watch. So I have thrown caution to the wind raised the screen and since sunflowers are not in season I bought a large bunch of Mimosa and a pot of Daffodils.(Not in bloom yet)





Of course I have to make my daily stop at the the bakery which is just steps from my front door.



After lunch I decided to take the train to Narbonne which is only one train stop away. Once again the weather is causing train delays. When I bought my ticket the agent said the train is delayed 40 minutes as soon as I got out in the lobby of the station the board changed to say that it is now delayed one hour. I decided to call Pru for a chat and while I was talking to her the board changed again it was now delayed one hour and a half. Having lots of time to spare I bought a newspaper and went to sit in the lounge. I just got comfortable when I noticed the board had changed again now the train is once again only delayed an hour so now I have a matter if minutes to get to the right platform and jump on board.

It was cold in Beziers but no wind, in Narbonne it was three degrees but lots of wind which made it much worse.Not cold enough that old men of the town would interrupt their game of Boules, I watched them for quite a while and in my opinion they were very good, making some incredible shots. They kept a close eye on me so I had to do my filming secretly, don't blame them I wouldn't want some tourist filming me either.



Narbonne has a beautiful Cathedral but it looks a bit strange, it was never finished. It is one of the tallest in France but they only built the choir and never went any further so from the inside it is almost as long as it is tall.







In the middle of a plaza near the Cathedral they have preserved a bit of the old Roman Road that used to pass through the area. Yes that's my shadow........



Not to be out done the train back home in the late afternoon was delayed at least an hour and for an added attraction they changed the platform after everyone was out on the platform waiting for the train .

Blizzard in Beziers LOL

Blizzard in Beziers LOL, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

A special welcome to all of my Maritime Camino Friends who started following the blog today.

Blizzard of course is a joke but is it ever cold here today and as you can see there was even a light snow flurry early this morning. I get the local weather forecast for back home emailed to me every morning and I think it was warmer on Campobello by a few degrees than it was here. There were icy spots on sidewalks earlier and people were rushing to cover them with grit. I spent most of the day out around the city and feeling sorry for the local people they look like they were frozen.

I absolutely hate my little camera it has been giving me grief ever since I've owned it. Yesterday after I got all the way out to the Etang de Montady it refused to work altogether, fortunately I had my flip camcorder with me.(Camino friendly only weighs 3.3 ounces) The battery was recently charged but the camera says it has a low battery and shuts down. So all of this to tell you that I did a long walk through the city today out to the outskirts where the new modern mall is to find a camera shop and have the battery checked. I had charged it again last night it tested fine and the camera worked all day, yesterday I was tempted to throw it in the canal.

On the way to the mall you walk by the new arena. Beziers has Bull Fighting in the summer, fortunately not this time of year. But then I have been there got the t-shirt and will never do it again. It was my birthday gift to myself a few years ago in Portugal, where they tell you they don't kill the Bull, which is true they don't kill it in the arena they just torture it to within an inch of it's life. Then they take it out back and kill it.



Looks to me like they hung the little red elf, but people tell me he is climbing up the rope to get in the apartment. I have seen these all over the city, wish I could find them in a shop I would ship one back home.



My traveling buddy Bernie has been having fun today. He comes from a large family of sock people who are all over the place.

Bernie wants to ride the Carousel



Bernie is looking for a job. Click on the photo then select all sizes from my flickr account so you can see what job Bernie is considering.




My window with the screen down on the left and the view from my window on the right. This is the view from my kitchen window and I have to keep the screen down because when ever I'm working at the kitchen counter, which is just behind the window, the old lady across the street rushes around and closes all of her shutters. It's a very narrow street.

A walk along the Canal du Midi from Beziers to L'Etang de Montady February 10, 2010

A walk along the Canal du Midi from Beziers to L'Etang de Montady February 10, 2010, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

A cool day but no rain so I decided today was a good time to walk along the Canal du Midi from Beziers to L'Etang de Montady which is about 12 KM out of Beziers. I made it there and back in around seven hours, without a back pack and I am one hurting unit tonight. Obviously I need to do more walking to get ready for Le voie du Puy the first of march.

As I said it was cool but for walking it was quite comfortable and there was lots of things to look at along the Canal . I will have to remember to take bread for the ducks next time. Quack a few times and these little fellows come racing across the water to see if you have something for them.



When I started the walk this morning I walked past the nine locks just east of Beziers. I guess it must be too early in the season I didn't get to see a boat going through the locks, as a matter of fact I didn't see a single boat moving on the canal all day.



My destination was the L'Etang de Montady which is an incredible piece of medieval engineering which still works today. In the middle ages a bishop designed a method of draining the Etang (Swamp, marsh or pond) by digging drainage ditches which drained the water to the center where an underground tunnel carried the water away. Thus the pie shaped land so all of the ditches could drain to the center. These are a couple of videos that I took from two different locations above the L'Etang: (Hope you don't get sea sick these were taken with my flip camcorder and I don't have the steadiest hand)
This is a short clip that I took along the Canal Du Midi nears Colombiers:

And last but not least this is a view looking back at Beziers from the banks of the Canal du Midi