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| Lunch in the park |
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| Open air market |
Last weekend I took a quick trip to Montpellier with three other friends. The weekend really couldn’t have been more perfect. We left Saturday morning by train and arrived about two hours later in the charming little coastal city. Our hotel was outside of the city center but accessible by the city’s tram system which was new and very nice. We said the whole weekend that the one day tram passes were the best value things we bought. We paid 3.80 euro each for 24 hours of unlimited tram usage. That’s a bargain when a one way ticket cost 1.40 euro and we were staying so far away from the city.
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| Roman aqueduct |
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| Arc de Triomphe |
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| The park |
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| Pretty overlook in the park |
After settling into our hotel, we set out to see the sights; however, in Montpellier, we soon discovered, there are not very many sights to see, aside from the majestic Arc de Triomphe. What Montpellier lacks in tourist sites, it overcompensates for in liveliness and character. The city was beautiful and charming and full of life. I’m sure it didn’t hurt that the weather was beautiful – sunny and not a cloud in sight! After a picnic in a park for lunch, we spent the afternoon strolling through open air markets, breathtakingly beautiful parks, the lively Place de la Comedie, and main boulevards and tiny side streets. On our way, we stopped in lots of little local shops, everything from vintage to dresses to furniture. We also saw a street show going on and a group of people sitting in hand woven nests. One of the favorite parts of the day was stopping at the park just behind the Arc de Triomphe, which sits on a hill overlooking the rest of the city. It was absolutely lovely.
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| View from the top of the hill |
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| Les Palmiers! |
That evening we returned to our hotel and had dinner at a steakhouse near there. The restaurant seemed to try to emulate some of the American chain restaurants like Logan’s Roadhouse, Cheddar’s, or Chili’s, and it was very amusing to experience the French version of that. They even put a lot of random “American” references on the menu.
After dinner we went back into the city and saw the Arc de Triomphe at night. It was just as beautiful all lit up.
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| Arc de Triompe at night |
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| Place de la Comedie at night |
The next day we got up and took the tram to the bus station to go to a nearby beach, Palavas-les-Flots. When we got there, there was an enormous crowd waiting for the bus. When the bus arrived, it was chaos. Everyone was pushing and shoving to be able to make it onto the bus. They even made an announcement that women and children were to be allowed on first. The disorder was unreal. We didn’t make it on that bus and waited for the next one. This time we were ready. We pushed our way on first and were able to find a seat even. Twenty minutes later, we arrived at the beach. We spent the day lounging in the sun and snacking on a picnic that we had brought with us. The boys bought a volleyball and we created our own court in the sand. After three very competitive matches, my friend and I won the “tournament.” It was so much fun.
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| Some of the coolest Irish people I know! |
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| Palavas-les-Flots |
Later that afternoon, my other friend and I ventured off in search of a bathroom. We had trouble finding a restroom, but no trouble at all finding a perfect shopping street. We came back an hour later, shopping bags in hand. I ended up buying three dresses over the course of the entire weekend. Once we got back and met the boys, went back to Montpellier and took an evening train home to Toulouse.
It’s now a week later and officially spring break. Three friends and I are leaving early tomorrow morning for Bordeaux where we will catch a flight to Rome, Italy. The round trip flight only cost 50 euro! We will spend three days in Rome and then take the train to Naples where we will visit Pompeii, Mount Vesuvius, and the Almafi Coast. I think it is safe to say that this spring break may be the coolest ever!
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