It takes less time to go to medieval France than to your town
Two hours. That's how long it takes by high-speed train from Barcelona to Narbonne, one of the medieval cities best preserved in the south of France , and headquarters of the best valued traditional buffet food in the country.
It is worth the journey from Madrid it costs a little more than five, but for many it is still less time than it takes to get to our town (not counting the traffic jams that are organized every weekend...).
in just two hours one can go from contemplating the ** Sagrada Familia ,** one of the great jewels of Catalan Modernism, stroll through Narbonne and walk next to the Gothic cathedral of Saint Just and Saint Shepherd, the third tallest in France.
It is one of the witnesses of that medieval past that is still preserved in this city today, and that today lives in the shadow of other more powerful tourist rivals, like ** Carcassonne ,** even though the historical legacy of his cité has nothing to envy him.
Narbonne, France
The best is that It is not about a wide and incomprehensible city, no way. In less than ten minutes walking we reach the cathedral from ** Gare de Narbonne ,** the main train station of the city.
In fact, had it not been for this event, today we would surely be talking about a jewel of heritage and medieval architecture much more important, because perhaps the 41 meters high that make it today the third highest in France (only behind those of Amiens and Bourges) .
To contemplate it from the heights the best thing is to climb all the steps of the Torreón Gilles-Aycerlin (which is also 41 meters high), located just a few meters away and located within the monumental complex of the Palace of the Archbishops -By the way, he second largest in France, behind Avignon. Of course, take a breath because the ascent requires a minimum effort.
Since we are upstairs, we take the opportunity to contemplate the rest of the medieval city, What the Bourg neighborhood, located on the other side of the canal. It is the typical neighborhood of artisans, full of alleys, and connects with the city center by the Mercantes bridge, one of only two built and inhabited bridges in France, and protected by UNESCO.
Taking a walk around here is more than enriching, because among other heritage riches it hides Saint Paul's Basilica, one of the gothic churches oldest in the south of France, built on the remains of the old paleochristian cemetery (3rd and 4th century).
Canal de la Robine, Narbonne
IT ALSO HAS A ROMAN PAST
Because even though we haven't mentioned it yet, Narbonne's past goes back much further in time, specifically until the time of the Romans: was the first roman colony in Gaul founded in 118 BC and capital of the province of Gallia Narbonensis (now Narbonne).
From that time are the remains of the Via Domitia, the first Roman road built in Gaul and that can be seen from the center of the town hall square; have 21 centuries of existence, but these remains were not discovered until 1997, a reason more than enough to explain its very good state of conservation.
Romans are also the underground galleries that make up the Horreum, and that they probably served as a warehouse and other commercial activities, according to those who know the most about this.
Via Domitia in Narbonne
EAT FRENCH
From that medieval period is l the culture of good eating and the table in the purest bourgeois style; they are the ones who begin to demonstrate an interest in traditional French gastronomy, understanding it not only for working l the quality of the products and the elaboration of the recipes, that too, but as a social practice to celebrate any family or social event. That's maybe the origin of buffet food, associated with something festive, to share and celebrate -not to be confused with a unique occasion to eat until you burst, that's not what this is about-.
One of the best representatives of that traditional gastronomic food ‘at will’, by the way, declared Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2010, it is ** Le Grand Buffets ,** on foot just outside the city of Narbonne since 1989 (Let no one be scared by its location, inside a shopping center whose entrance tries to imitate the glass pyramid of the Louvre Museum).
The Grand Buffets
With a bistro aesthetic in the purest 30's style (with a certain kitsch touch, by the way), is considered one of the best buffets in Europe for the number of product references and the selection of traditional French cuisine recipes: sirloin steak with foie-gras, duck breast, veal liver with garlic and parsley, frog legs, Bourgogne snails, flower marrow of salt, cassoulet, blanquette... And that only in the to the rotisserie or grill area in sight.
With more than 70 wines by the glass served at warehouse prices, let's say that the list of things that one can eat and drink here is endless, like the queue that forms every day to enter from 12 noon or 7 pm. Like the waiting list to eat at Les Grands Buffet, between two and three weeks; on special dates such as Christmas and New Year's Eve, the reservation is closed one year in advance. Is it or is it not time travel?
View from the entrance of the gothic cathedral of San Justo y San Pastor