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| Daniel's studio
We then headed to a part of the beach a little further than we went yesterday. There are some very modern homes in that part of town. We went to have lunch at one of the restaurants on the beach. Karen suggested a quick swim before eating for the three of us that wanted to have a dip. We got cooled down and then went back to the restaurant in time to order.
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| Modern houses near the beach |
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| View of Sete from the beach
I ordered the "couteaux" (razor clams), which we definitely can not get in Toronto. Alain had a salade nicoise.
   Karen ordered a cafe gourmand for dessert, which many restaurants now feature-- one gets served a lovely little tray with a coffee (usually a noisette (black with a bit of frothed milk)), and some pastries and, in this case, ice-cream. Lots of lovely tastes and not an overwhelming quantity.  After lunch, Karen took Alain and I to see one of many photography exhibits that is part of the 6th annual Rendez-Vous Photographique called " imageSingulieres". The exhibits take place in a number of venues around Sete from May 28-June 15. The event reminds me of a smaller version of the Contact photography shows in Toronto in May.  The exhibit we saw featured the works of Seguei Procoudine-Gorsky entitled "Voyage Dans L'Empire Russe" featuring photos he took between 1905-1915 in Russia. Procoudine-Gorsky was born in 1863 in Fournikova Gora and died in 1944 in Paris. He was a scientist by training and improved upon a German process for making colour prints, using three different filters. Tsar Nicolas II commissioned him to document the Russian Empire. Procoudine-Gorsky travelled the country taking thousands of images which he took with him when he left Russia after the Revolution. The American Library of Congress acquired the collection from one of his sons in 1948.      The exhibit was extraordinary- the colours amazing and the pictures very clear. A long-gone world. We stopped for a coffee/Perrier at Brasserie le Victor Hugo. It is hard to remember that Sete only has a population of around 40,000 people (though this expands in the summer). There are many restaurants, cafes, bakeries and stores in town.   We got back to the house and Alain and I had a nap--- all this sun, and chillin' out makes us tired. We then had dinner on the terrace with the Swiss collector and his artist friend.  We had a delicious meal of Karen's homemade fish soup with rouille (a bread, oil and spices mix that one spoons into the soup).   Sunday June 15 was a bit cloudy and threatened rain. Karen and Alain and I headed into Sete. We dropped Alain off for his run by the water and we headed to the indoor market to get provisions for lunch and dinner.  Driving into town We went to the wonderful indoor market. The following photo is of the people from whom Karen buys her fish. This was our lunch, a gorgeous looking dorade.  We then stopped at a stall that had wonderful spanish meats and cheeses. We got a gorgeous chunk of manchego cheese. The seller included a fig compote which she said would go well with the cheese.  
Saveurs et traditions La Catalane
Finally, some fruit. Because Sete had an early spring, the fruit ripened early and was bountiful. We have had amazing apricots, peaches and cherries since we arrived.
  We walked to the bank through one of the many squares in Sete.  We picked up Alain who had run 6.2 km and headed back to the house to rest and then have lunch. Lunch was wonderful- Karen grilled the dorade with some vegetables. We had the fish with rice, and salad and then a taste of the manchego cheese we had just bought. As there was a bit of rain, we ate inside in a covered area just beside the living room.  
Enclosed deck where we had lunch
  After lunch we all went for a walk down by the port. Karen and Daniel pointed out some very interesting historic plaques, including one for the Exodus boat that sailed from Sete to Israel in July 1947.    We took some pictures by the water. The weather had turned quite a bit cooler by late afternoon.     There was also a plaque to a large group of Spanish Republicans fleeing from the Spanish Civil War in 1939 who travelled to Mexico from Sete.  We then went to another photo exhibit in a gallery in an old fort by the sea. The photos were by Gaston Paris (1903-1964). Paris worked at the magazine VU where he was an acquaintance of Man Ray, Kertesz and Robert Capa. He took pictures of current events as well as daily life in Paris. From the end of the 30s to 50s he worked for Detective magazine. Paris also took photographs in Morocco and Algeria during the 1940s and 1950s. He left over 15,000 negatives at his death in 1964.    We then headed up the hill, past an old cemetery and the sign for the Musee Paul Valery, who was born in Sete.  As we had our main meal at lunch, Karen made us a fish soup with a crab base for dinner with fruit for dessert. Karen, Alain and I went into town after dinner to see the new David Cronenberg film, Map to the Stars. Tomorrow morning (June 16) we head to Paris. We have not yet been able to buy our tickets, as the train strike continues. Another adventure awaits us. Stay tuned! |
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