The Etang du Thau is the largest of the string of lagoons stretching from the Rhone to the Pyrenees. Sete is on its Mediterranean side and the town of Balaruc les Bains is on its interior. Balaruc is noted for its thermal springs; also as a French retiree enclave. There are numerous campgrounds, but we luckily found a spot at one of three
aires and enjoyed the place enough to spend an extra night. Mostly we shopped the market, cooked, and ate. The Etang is one huge marine farm and is especially noted for its Bouziques oysters.
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Tielles at a pizzeria in Balaruc; I should explain that tielles,
and their red sauce, came to Sete via seafaring Italian immigrants |
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The market had a rotisserie wagon or two and so we opted for
poulet roti and frites, with an onion/tomato slop, for dinner |
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In town, a few blocks from the aire, is a hole-in-the-wall
seafood store; I arrive early in the AM just as the oyster truck
is delivering... |
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| Thus |
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The entire store; you can't get much fresher than this, though; I
bought a dozen #1s and shucked them all later without
wounding myself; great oysters |
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| Beautifully landscaped little town |
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Thermal foot bath at the TI; the main thermal springs are now a
resort |
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| The aire de camping-cars |
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| In the main square, men doing what men must do |
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| But wait; here, in an adjoining square, mixed doubles...hmmm |
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Driving on in morning mist, past the lagoon, where the
Bouziques oysters come from, toward our next destination,
the Cirque Moreze |
