a Brigadier General under Napoleon Bonaparte . Such was his reputation that when Swedish king Charles XIII died without an heir in 1818 , Bernadotte was invited to take the royal job and today , his descendants still reign in Stockholm . Quite some career path !
Wandering deeper into the town , my back to the Pyrenees , I stopped off to savour the sights and smells of Les Halles . This gastronomic hub has been completely renovated since 2017 and when I visited , the first phase of the project was open and clearly a popular venue with its wine bars , food stalls and escalators . This ultra-modern market hall is an essential stop for anyone who has bought a Pass Gourmand , a brilliant initiative that enables visitors to taste their way round the city in bite-sized pieces .
More than 22 shops and food stalls throughout the city centre and within Les Halles serve some kind of iconic local flavour in return for a ticket . A sweet macaron , here . A date stuffed with foie gras there . And maybe a glass of Jurançon to wash it all down . Eat in , take away , or pack up your goodies for a gourmet picnic , perhaps with a view of the Pyrenees .
Weather not to your liking ? Not a problem if you drop by my last port of call , the unique Fabrique de Parapluies , a block away from Les Halles on the corner of Rue Montpensier and Rue Nogué . At the turn of the last century , shepherds would stop in Pau , grazing their sheep on the current Place de Verdun , en route to and from the mountain pastures for summer grazing .
And here in Pau , they would catch up on