Day 17-21: Cap D'Agde

Ahhhhh! The Mediterranean at last! Long stretches of golden beaches and the incredible deep turquoise color of the warm water. We are in a condo resort called Port Ambonne with a small harbor on property.

Like all beach areas, the fine food we have enjoyed for the past 2 weeks is harder to find here. Hamburgers, French fries, and pizza are plentiful. We had dinner the first night at a beachside restaurant, and the food was so-so, the presentation uninspired, and again the price was the most impressive part of the dinner! So the second night, we decided to eat at Chez Robert.

Chef Robert prepared a delicious meal of Poulet Sautee aux Champignons, Tagliatelle du Marinara (from on old family recipe for the sauce--the Casino family, not Robert's--at least that's what it said on the jar!) and Tomates et Avocats Fraiches! The food was so good that we didn't even notice the paper napkins. And the price was really, really cheap!

But then it really is all about the beach here.

And lunch at the beach lasts 2 hours. By choice!

Tim's lunch: Bouquet de Crevettes. The freshest shrimp we have found to date.

My lunch: Le Croq Madame. Basically a grilled ham sandwich smothered in melted cheese with an egg on top. Tres Francais! (Debra, there's the egg!)

And now a few observations of beach behavior in the French Mediterranean:

1. The French version of a mid-afternoon beach refreshment? Cafe, of course! But what about cold cokes and beer? They do sell cokes on the beach, but everyone buys hot cafe. I guess if you want something cold, you buy glace.

2. If you are walking with your wife on the topless beach and your breasts are the same size as hers--I'm just sayin'....

3. Some people who take their clothes off on the beach really should put them back on.

4. And some people who keep their clothes on would look just fine without them.

5. On the nude part of the beach, you only get noticed if you are wearing clothes.

6. Naturists can be an aggressive lot. If you walk past the nude beach wearing your bathing suit, they yell at you in French and chant in unison something about “voyeur” until you either turn around and slink back the way you came or take your suit off. If you take your suit off, they all applaud and cheer!