Next stop! Montpellier.
When I lived in Arles it was always a place we talked about going but I never did make it with the team. There was even mention of going to church out there at one point because someone we knew went, which is a long way, I might add. In any case, I did eventually get there only as part of a family stop. After Lesley and Travis were here they raved about it. So it seemed we must do it.
I remember the day being incredibly hot, the city seeming a little less inviting than I’d hoped and well, I think we got off on the wrong foot. When we arrived we drove around for quite some time trying to find a park to picnic in but after circling long enough and realizing that the “parc” on the sign was actually the name of a hotel, we gave up and pulled over. Mom, dad and I ate next to the car on a sidewalk, and as it would happen a French woman stopped to tell us there was a park around the corner which would be much more suitable, clearly she wasn’t digging our lack of respect for the most important meal of the day. Already a decent way through our baguette, salami, pesto and cheese we didn’t budge and when we got back in the car, we never did find it. Once we finally made our way out of hell and into a more reasonable area in the city, my parents went one way and I another. I tried on dresses a Lafayette, the Esprit dress I’d been eying up for months was on sale, but I didn’t give in. After being sick of trying on dresses and feeling incredibly overheated I made my way back outside to wander the streets. With no idea what could be found I took the town corner by corner in whichever direction seemed most interesting. I ended up finding a triumphal ark, a reflecting pool, a garden, a lookout and plenty of lovely shops for window gazing (but not enough time to pop inside!)
While I wasn’t thrilled with Montpellier, I’m sure given more time I might have really come around.
