Biking to the Mediterranean

After our return from Marseille and our exploration of Montpellier, it's time for another bicycle ride to the nearby fishing villages on the Mediterranean.  We head off down the path along the River Lez toward Palavas-les-Flots, but turn onto the path along the canal just before the village.  Passing through the town of Villeneuve-les-Maguelone, we round the peninsula through the coastal wetlands where Cathedrale de Maguelone is located and head toward the sea.

Map of the region

The scenes of the sky and the wetlands are spectular.

Passing through the wetlands

The fishing village of Palavas-les-Flots, our lunch destination, is just appearing across the water.

Palavas-les-Flots in the distance

The boats moored on the edge of the canal offer rental, cruises, and private living.

Canal boats

Across the water, the cathedral appears and we cross a small bridge (that opens for ships with an outboard motor) and circle the cathedral on our way to the sea.

Cathedrale de Maguelone across the way

Continuing along the canal

To the Mediterranean

At the entrance to Palavas-les-Flots, we pass a fabulous sand sculpture on our way to lunch.

Sand sculpture

We park our bicycles at the harbor and lunch on Moules Chorizo and Salad de la Mer.

Moules, salad

Near our restaurant, a poster for an exhibit catches our eye:  Permis de sourire ("permission to smile") by Albert Dubout, a French cartoonist.

Permission to smile

Cycling back along the River Lez, we stop for [more] flamingo pictures, a sight we never see at home outside of a zoo.

Flamingos passing the day

After the flamingos, the path passes through horse farms, where we say hi, take pictures, and are generally ignored.

Horse country

After the horses, we pass fishermen sitting on the banks of the Lez for a lazy day of fishing.

Afternoon fishing

Reaching the Port Marianne district in Montellier, we spot a wall painting by the same artist whose work we have been admiring in the old town.  One photo and we're on our way to drop of the bikes and walk back to our apartment.

Art on the modern wall