I’m dedicating the entirety of this blog post to my new home town Béziers. It is one of the region’s main cities after Montpellier and also one of the oldest cities in the whole of France. Located on a cliff overlooking the River Orb, it is obviously extremely hilly. Fortunately my poor legs and I have become rather accustomed to some steep climbs in the city. Apart from toning up your leg muscles, you can also find some absolutely beautiful views. Overlooking the entire city and the River Orb is its cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Nazaire) and here you are never disappointed with the view nor with the opulent interior of the cathedral itself. It is breath-taking and is even more beautiful at night when all lit up.

Just up the road from the Cathedral is Église de la Madeleine found at the conveniently named Place de la Madeleine. Not only is this another beautiful church, it is also the location of my favourite restaurant in Béziers Le Petit Montmartre. The menu changes each week and the service and food are equally amazing. The only issue is that it is extremely miniscule meaning that it is definitely worth reserving in advance especially for lunch. The Biterrois (the name for the inhabitants of Béziers) are very typically French in their gourmandise. When I first arrived, I went to the city’s Féria du Chocolat. Here you could buy all your guilty pleasures from the city’s best chocolatiers and patisseries as well as attending tastings and workshops. This was a day of self-indulgence for me who suffers from a terrible sweet tooth.

Place de la Madeleine – exterior of the Église de la Madeleine

Altar of the Church

Le Petit Montmarte

Feria du Chocolat

A chocolate woman – naked because this is France

Those macarons, dayum dayum dayum

Another fantastic example of typical French behaviour is 20, c’est le vin. This word play (the words twenty vingt and wine vin are pronounced the same) is a staple of biterrois life and involves going to the city’s main street Allées Paul Riquet to drink wine every 20th of the month all paid for by the local council. You read right – free wine.

The Allées are also the main place for the city’s markets. There are markets most days however my favourite by far is the flower market on Fridays.

To be frank, when I was posted to the region of Languedoc Roussillon, I did want to work in the region’s main city Montpellier. I am now pleased that I’m in Béziers as it has given me the opportunity to see more of the region. The city is in a fantastic location and truly shows off every facet of the region’s spectacular landscape. It can boast of being only fifteen minutes from the Mediterranean Sea, surrounded by vineyards and in the distance the Pyrenees on one side and the Massif Central on the other. It also has elements of the proximity to the Spanish border with the spectacular bull ring.

The River Orb links up with the Canal du Midi on the way to one of the city’s main attractions Les Neuf Écluses (Fonserannes lock). The lock is one of the major achievements of Pierre-Paul Riquet (the founder of the Canal du Midi born in Béziers). I do actually prefer the walk to the locks themselves. This is dependent however on how big a fan of engineering you are.

The walk by the Canal du Midi

The Lock in action

Béziers is however also a paradoxical city. As is the case for many French cities (most notoriously Marseille), there is a dark side behind the beautiful façade. Walking through the city at night, I am often reminded of the Arctic Monkeys line: they say it changes when the sun goes down around here. It feels completely different and in certain quartiers, it can even be quite intimidating if alone. I have not even been to the most infamous area La Devèze where there are problems with gang culture and even Islamic extremism. On the D609 route between Narbonne and Béziers, there are also major problems with prostitutes who sit by the side of the motorway waiting for clients. I found it extremely shocking at first but it makes one reflect on just how clandestine its existence in the UK. These issues are not necessarily specific to Béziers however yet they are aspects of the life here which are frankly horrifying. I have the impression that the local government is not doing enough to help all of its citizens. There is definitely the sense of ‘them’ and ‘us’, especially in their treatment of people who come from the Maghreb ex-colonies. They are usually confined to living in areas like La Devèze or run-down apartments near the train station. I find it difficult to comprehend how the parliament cannot see how helping these people rather than isolating them would benefit the majority.

Next, my view of the other cities in Languedoc Roussillon…

L. x

Some other beautiful sights in Béziers

The theatre at the head of the Allées

Plateau des Poetes