Uncovering the Truth About This Charming, Medieval French Town
By Barbara Diggs
By Barbara Diggs
Was there some mistake? I
had just arrived at the train station in Beziers, a large medieval town
set upon a towering ridge in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of the
South of France. And I was feeling a little confused.
I'd
heard a lot of contrasting information about Beziers. Some people
insisted that it was a dispirited, neglected town whose saving grace was
its medieval core. Yet I knew that it was home to a number of expats
who raved about its charms. So, which was it?
With
the words "neglected" echoing in my ears, I left the train station only
to find myself facing the Plateau des Poetes, a lovely park bursting
with deep green pines and flowerbeds set with daffodils and white
tulips. The large pond at the park's center had a family of ducks
gliding on its surface, while a swan or two nestled on its banks.
Not
dispirited. Not neglected. In fact, even though I'd just arrived, the
park was so tranquil it made me want to settle on a bench with a good
book. And that's what I did. I pulled out my guidebook and set about
readjusting my expectations of Beziers.
After I wrenched myself away from the park bench, I headed toward downtown, encountering one delightful scene after another.
By
chance, I had arrived on a Friday, the day of Beziers weekly flower
market. This meant the entire length of the Allées Paul Riquet—a long,
tree-shaded esplanade lined with shops and cafes—was smothered in
hundreds of brightly-colored blossoms. A saxophonist wandered around
playing jazz standards, and the mood was downright festive, as locals
inspected the flowers and chatted with the vendors.
As I made my way to the
medieval quarters, Beziers continued to give the impression of being a
perfectly agreeable French city, filled with boutiques, restaurants and
shops, and even the chic Parisian store, Galleries Lafayette. Locals
seemed friendly and cheerfully helped put me back on the right path when
I got lost.
By the time I started
exploring the old town, I was firmly on the side of those expats who
sang the praises of Beziers. If the modern town was agreeable, the old
town was superb. Like so many French old towns, this one consisted of a
maze of little streets, many cobblestone, lined by beautiful
19th-century buildings and an assortment of little shops.
The
medieval quarter has a number of "don't-miss" items...I wandered the
excellent food stalls of Les Halles, a glass-iron-and-brick market hall.
I also visited the Eglise de la Madeleine, the infamous site where
7,000 people were brutally massacred during the Crusades—now a simple
stone church adjacent to a peaceful square.
My favorite experience,
however, was carefully winding my way down the town's steep slopes to
the "Pont Vieux," the 12-century stone bridge, whose graceful arches
cross the River Orb. The bridge offers an absolutely stunning view of
Beziers perched on its rocky ledge, crowned by the massive stone façade
of the 13th-century Cathedral St. Nazaire.
With
time running out, I climbed back up the hill to catch the views of the
Beziers countryside from the high point of the Cathedral grounds. I was
not disappointed: the landscape, with its wide grassy stretches and
winding river, is nothing short of pastoral perfection.
And
it's not only the scenery that's appealing. Property prices in the
Beziers region are very reasonable: a small, renovated, two-bedroom
house with a garden can be yours for around $110,000.
As
I gazed at this bucolic scene, I reflected on the expats who were
living out there, enjoying such beauty and proximity to this charming
town on a daily basis. And I thought: How lucky.
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