Sète, Halles de Sète and the Mittwochsmarkt

Sète, the first day.

It was supposed to be something special, so we decided to have breakfast outside. The city center was a good option for that. I had read that there is a market at the Halles de Sète every day starting at 7:00 a.m. And of course, the local fishmongers offer their fresh catch there. After all, Sète is the most important French fishing port on the Mediterranean.

With the experience from the Hamburg Fish Market last year, we set off early. We walked the few meters from the harbor to the city center. We turned into Rue Gambetta from Place du Pouffre. Already in the square, it looks different from other days, probably. Flower vendors offer their goods there. At the beginning of Rue Gambetta, we are enticed by the scents of a rich cuisine.

Paeallas are already being prepared at various stalls. A rich cuisine is on offer, I would love to start with the main course right away. Past the vegetable stalls, regional cheeses, baked goods, it's a food lover's paradise.

I believe we have arrived in gourmet heaven. So we visit the Halles de Sète first. We are amazed and we take 2 kg of mussels for dinner. There is no rush, the halls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. every day and we will definitely come back. Some guidebooks describe that the hall is open until 3:00 p.m. That might be possible, but if you want to get fresh fish, you should be there early. When we visited the hall a second time, it was around noon and the fishmongers were all busy dismantling their stands.

Oysters, gambas, various fish, as well as pastries, ham and cheese platters are offered for immediate consumption. This offer is eagerly taken up at lunchtime.

We continue our tour of the market. Along the way, we try all sorts of delicacies, starting with fried fish balls, potato pancakes, pastries, cheese, olives, we buy some tomatoes, zucchini and peppers for a ratatouille and we also sit in one or the other cafe to observe the hustle and bustle in the streets.

So we return to Gustav in the afternoon and there is a big surprise, the keys have made themselves disappear. Luckily, we have a spare key for the side door, but the thought that the key might have fallen into the wrong hands necessitates a lock change here.

The lock on the Fly needs to be drilled out, the lock on the side door will be installed on the Fly. We secure the side door with a bolt. It is not a standard lock, so a replacement has to be procured. It is Wednesday, Heike sets off, I search the internet. Heike comes back without any loot, but I have found something, Amazon, delivery to Sète for a reasonable surcharge, I believe it's around 6€ odd, express delivery until Friday 9:00 p.m. We want to leave early on Saturday, and I have given the marina as the delivery address. I have to tell you, the marina informed me on Friday after 3:00 p.m. that the package had arrived.

Now I'm considering whether we shouldn't have a crate of beer, Franziskaner Hefe Dunkel, sent to us from Amazon every week.