Recycling

I'm a bit surprised I've never blipped this before. It's the one surviving fragment of Narbonne's medieval town wall, mostly destroyed in the 19th century. If you look closely at the top, below the modern balustrade, you'll see that this bastion incorporated Roman stonework -- including an inscribed stone and bits of statues.

In Roman times Narbonne was the most important town in southern Gaul, the capital of the province, but it has woefully few standing remains now, thanks in part to this thrifty re-use of building materials. Much of the rest of the Roman stonework used in this wall is now in the city museum's collection, and in a couple of years it will be the highlight of the new regional museum, Muréna. The project is fraught with problems, but let's hope that Narbonne finally manages to pay some kind of homage to its illustrious past instead of just ignoring or demolishing it.

We were in Narbonne to do a bit of Christmas shopping in les Halles -- see the extra for some Christmas fare. There was a good festive atmosphere, and we are now well stocked for any eventuality including some kind of national famine. 

At home I made two dozen mince pies. This time I was less lazy and made frangipane to cover the tops. I can confirm that it's well worth the effort -- lighter and more delicious than plain pastry. I also made a lame attempt at icing my Christmas cake -- you won't be seeing me on GBBO anytime soon. Later, wine and nibbles by the fire and a quick stir-fry for dinner. 

PS last night's film was OK, with good acting from Daniel Auteuil as expected, but really rather predictable.