Some information about Narbonne
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The centre of Narbonne, bisected by the flower-bordered Canal de la Robine, is an attractive place for shopping and sightseeing.
Without a doubt the best place to head for is the 100-year old Halles (covered market) by the bank of the canal. This award-winning market is said to be one of the best in France and the crowds milling around the 80-plus stalls are testimony to this claim. Open from 6 am until 1 pm daily, the market is overflowing with local produce: glistening displays of fresh fish and seafood, piles of melons, peppers and tomatoes, all the many varieties of charcuterie (cooked meats). It is cosmopolitan as well though ... it's one of the few places in the area with a good selection of non-local (and even non-French) cheeses. Can't be bothered to cook? The traiteurs will sell you a freshly roasted chicken wrapped in a greaseproof bag, or a variety of freshly prepared cooked dishes.
On Thursdays there is also an open air market stretching along the canal bank near the Halles, with flower and clothes stalls, among others. The canal itself is lined with waterside cafés where you can refresh yourself in the shade of the plane trees.
There are plenty of restaurants in Narbonne, including Chinese-Vietnamese as well as the more usual French and Italian. There is a five-screen cinema, by the canal a short distance from the Halles, and a theatre in the Avenue Domitius out to the east.
If the weather is not up to expectations you can swim at the futuristic Espace de la Liberté. This gleaming glass-and-steel edifice was opened in 1989 to commemorate the bicentenary of the French revolution. It has an Olympic-sized indoor pool with waterslides, a smaller paddling pool for children, and an outdoor pool. You can ice-skate or play ten-pin bowling here, and recharge your batteries afterwards with a meal in the restaurant.
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