“We come to see the sea and for the atmosphere of the South”: the coast of Occitanie acclaimed for the long Ascension Bridge

Venus de Clermont-Ferrand, Franck et Laurence profitent du grand bleu et de la mer. MIDI LIBRE – Y.P.

For this long Ascension Bridge, it is a record crowd in Occitania in general and on the coast in particular. Tourists remain faithful to the classics: sun and sea. Report in Palavas-les-Flots (Hérault) which combines beaches and events for its traditional feria.

"Where is the sea ?", says this father, shorts in jeans, tank top and flip flops, wandering with his stroller, a little disoriented, in the streets of the center of Palavas (Hérault) crowded for this Ascension Thursday.

The attraction of the Mediterranean remains the major asset of regional tourism for this long bridge popular with the French, many of whom have opted for the former Languedoc-Roussillon.

"We come to see the sea, the good weather, the atmosphere of the South which is not very far from home" , rejoice Laurence and Franck, forty-year-olds who came from Clermont-Ferrand to spend four days between Montpellier and the coast, walking with a determined step towards the beach.

The hours of traffic jam to arrive Wednesday morning in the Promised Land and the hassle of parking in Palavas did not alter their simple pleasure: enjoying a buttered ham on the sand, at the edge water, even if for swimming, that will be for another time. They had checked this long weekend off in their calendar for months.

No more TGV space, plane as a last resort

Arriving from Montpellier by electric bike to one of the Palavasian beaches, Karine, a Parisian working in a communications agency, also wanted "sun and sea& quot;, she smiles as she enjoys a pasta, tomato and egg salad.

But even if you booked two months in advance, there was not a single place left on the TGV.

"So I took the plane to come for five days" lance the one who intends to take advantage of it, far from the Parisian grayness.

A few hundred meters away, the red protective grids which mark the area of ​​the arenas and beyond, challenge the uninitiated. Even if the signs announcing bullfighting events remind us that the town is on a public holiday.

This is one of the other assets sought after by tourists, these typical festivities which, from Alès or Palavas until Sunday, Nîmes for the next Pentecost, play their role as a magnet.

"We come to see the party, the feria and we come to discover the city" claims Véronique accompanied by her 14-year-old daughter Charlène, in front of Gipsy World, a cover band singing Djobi Djoba in the bodega village.

See "horses and bulls"

To see "horses and bulls", they adapted their journey. The schoolgirl skipped two days of school to take advantage of the entire week which took them from Aube where they live, to Cahors, then Toulouse, Marseille & ndash; "to see the flame Wednesday" – and therefore Palavas.

We leave them looking "for a good paella", while Farouk, an ambulance driver from Val-de-Marne with his wife and three children, hesitates on the choice of restaurant, cuttlefish or mussels and fries, while the queue lengthens.

"Tranquility and aperitif"

The coastline is in their hearts: they acquired accommodation in Grau-du-Roi (Gard), rented in Airbnb during the year, of which they take advantage as soon as a long weekend looms.

"We love this region, the South, the sea, the good times" they say.< /p>

Next door, on the quays, pizzas in hand, the forty-year-olds from Toulouse Muriel, Jocelyn, David and Jory, opted for the campsite at La Grande-Motte reserved since February, in search of < em>"tranquility and aperitif" are they laughing.

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