And Off to Narbonne for the Day

March 6th

I knew this, but you need to be a bit skeptical about what guide books say or do not say. For example, Rick Steeves tends to omit certain major cities in a country, so you have to use another book to get all the information. While I am usually a big fan of Lonely Planet, they definitely underplayed Narbonne. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narbonne,_FranceIf you are a student of very early history, Narbonne is a must-see.

The Tourist Information had a good map describing twenty-one different sites to see. Following are the top sites which I visited.

The Horreum, which means public warehouse in Latin, was built at the end of the 1^st Century BC, and is more than fifteen feet underground. They were first noticed in 1838, explored between 1935-1941, and opened to the public only in 1976. Now it also displays many ancient artifacts, including a collection of amphoras found in 1990.

Via Domitia in the Town Hall Square, dates back twenty-one centuries. (Another reminder of what specs we are in the universe!) The Via Domitia linked Spain to Italy in the 2^nd century and was uncovered in 1997.

The Merchants Bridge, or the Pont des Marchands, a UNESCO site, is rare and linked the city to the suburbs. While it reminded me of the bridge in Florence, it is not as grand with its very modern sh

The Archbishops’ Palace, claimed to be the second most important group of archbishopric buildings after Avignon, contains a archaeological museum and art museum.

The Market Hall is open daily, and there are street vendors on Thursday, so I went on the right day! (But, I bought nothing!)

I was glad that I visited Narbonne and thoroughly enjoyed my visit! Next stop:Montpellier!

Disclaimer: While there is Narbonne folder under pictures on my laptop, I must have deleted the photos I took without checking to see if they were in the folder....