Monday February 6 to Sunday February 12
Monday February 6
For new readers of my blog this year, I am pleased to report that the 150 million year old fossil I discovered on the last trip, in a paving stone at our front door, is still there. Its a Lumbricaria intestinum, or..fecal matter from an ammonite, but hey, it's still fossilized fecal matter.
Also, the Montpellier Tourism Office is still crediting me with the photos I took of remains of a Roman road behind my friends house in Castelnau. Of course it could have been bricks left over from when his house was built. Trust nothing and no one on the internet, including me.
Today we Went with Hubert and Christiane to a town on the coast called La Grande Motte, about 40 minutes from Castelnau. In the early 60's, Charles De Gaulle was concerned that French people were going to Spain to soak up the sun, instead of staying in France so he decreed a stretch of empty scrubby land and beach should be turned into a tourist town and it was completed in the 70's. His vision was sound, it's now a large resort, and a very rich retirement area. It has an expo 67 look and feel to it.
We walked to the very end of the breakwater and had a drink at a cafe. Lynda had caramel ice cream instead of a drink.
Tuesday Feb 7 Strike day
Today is one of the national strike days in France so we stayed close to home. Some cities see public transportation shut down completely but montpellier changed to a Saturday schedule. In the afternoon the trans stopped serving the downtown core.
We walked to a large carrefour about 10 minutes away and bought supplies for the week then stayed home and read.
Here's a screen shot I took at the time of the protest on Place de la Comédie downtown. Not a large crowd really. I would have expected more.
Carrefour is a large chain supermarket but they carry local specialty foods from 50 kms away. Tielle pies are a specialty of the village of Sete, it's a fish pie, with eels, you'll need to acquire the taste.
Every village, town and region in France has its own versions of cheeses, and unique food and, everyone in France is completely aware of them all. The French are very proud of their gastronomy and spécialités, although DeGaulle is reputed to have said that "it is impossible to govern a country that has 435 different cheeses"
Family strung out on the path beside the tram line.
And the star of the whole afternoon show...
Entrance to the first floor of the museum, remember this was a private mansion in the early 19th century
A replica of the Bastille
Interesting marks on the bastille block. Could be fossils in the limestone, or a tool mark, (or bullets?)
Well in the open courtyard of the mansion
Street off the mansion
Courtyard of another mansion close by. À municipality of Montpellier office
We took a mid afternoon break for dessert crepes and a pichet of our favourite Brittany Cider, Kerne Brut.
Patios are every where in France, but here's a table and chairs in front of a jewellers shop. Most common reason, store owners will sit outside the shop in quiet times and have a cigarette and coffee and socialize with other store owners and passers by. Plus a pink table and chairs is attractive.
The old village square
Valentines wreath?
Giant lemons on the little lemon tree
Lynda studying the menu for our favourite restaurant in Castelnau, we'll visit next week
I decided to photograph unusual vegetables.... (well, unusual to me)
Black radish
Green radish
Blue radish
Different coloured beetroot
Navet
This grave was colourful with fresh and artificial flowers
Unique design with a closed door
Headstone was a simple plank of wood, rough cut.
An anchor
First World War section
One of the more eclectic, with beer bottles (corona) and zen stones, small rocks, an old book.
An old 18th century village shop just outside the gates, now selling grave stones. The store name is likely the original name and the never changed it.
Wednesday 8th
Quiet day, Lynda went downtown on her own in the afternoon. I stayed in and caught up on reading magazines on my iPad and listening to a podcast on the very first Britons...from 900,000 years ago. Thinking in time scales like that always makes me feel just a bit insignifiant.
Boules, or pétanque, is a national past time. Here's a set I found in the apartment... made by IKEA! .
Thursday February 9th
Highlight today was a 4 hour lunch at Hubert and Christiane, with their daughter and son in law and 5 grandchildren.
Just a delightful experience to share their family and their food. Appetizers, tapenades, couscous and chicken, cheeses, deserts and a walk around the block to exercise.
Friday February 10
Another blue sky day. Since we've arrived in France we've had just one rain event in Nice and one here in Montpellier, both overnight.
We went downtown in the afternoon to visit the Musée of Old Montpellier. Four rooms in an old mansion, free admission.
While in town, we bought train tickets at the station for Béziers for next Wednesday. We used a ticket machine since there was a long line at the SNCF ticket office. Out bound we are on a TER train, the slower local train stopping at all stations, and returning, we're on a fast intercity train with reserved seats. The TER was more expensive per ticket for some reason. And the ticket machine dispenses both types of ticket, the card and the paper slip and also emails you a scannable ticket.
Chapel built in 1240, on the way to the museum.
An actual brick from the Bastille
Saturday Feb 11 Market Day
Walking into the village
Topinambour
Hache (looks like spinach)
Sunday February 12
Walked to a very large cemetery close to our apartment. It was started in the mid 1800's and is still in use. French grave stones and structures are quite différent from North American ones.
And they are very eclectic. Families decorate the graves with anything and everything that has some meaning to the family, from rosaries to plastic dolls.
The cemetery is behind a fortress like wall, half in Montpellier and half in Castelnau.
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