Bonjour mes amis (blog 5) June 12-19

JUNE 12 Thursday – Visit to Le Harve – Arrived around 9.40am via train from Paris in fine rain and overcast sky. Wandered around towards centre ville and sat in a café to get my bearings and check out map while sheltering from the rain and drinking Chocolat Chaud of course.

Wandered around and found Le Havre Musée d’Histoire Naturelle and quite amazed at how small it was. It was shut for the morning so I decided to head off to the waterfront and mariner to find Les Beaux Arts where there is held the second most reknown collection of impressionists art in France, outside of Paris.

Monet was born in Le Havre and spent his childhood there so there are quite a few ‘Monets’ on display including ‘Waterlilies’ and ‘Sunset’, the latter famous for instigating the word ‘impressionist’ and hence the new movement at the time breaking away from realistic works.

This Gallery was also quite small but just the right size to spend a couple of hours and ponder over the works without fighting through crowds of people. Found a great little restaurant for lunch where I had Chevre aux Fine Herbs Provence, D’Agneau with Bearnaise Sauce and a glass of Rose followed by Sorbet au Citron with Vodka. Absolutely starving and wish I hadn’t worn my backpack as my legs are dropping off!!

After lunch I walked back to the museum to find they had on display, in a temperature controlled room, a Lesueur exhibition including original drawings and paintings from his journey to Tasmania in 1801. At the age of twenty-three, he sailed from his home at Le Havre to Australia and Tasmania. On this four-year venture, Lesueur and the naturalist François Péron collected some 100,000 zoological specimens representing 2,500 new species, and Lesueur made 1,500 drawings.

It was extremely good fortune that my random visit coincided with this exhibition relating to Tasmania. I spent some hours viewing it and was amazed. The front desk attendant was very helpful and interested in Tasmania and insisted I meet the curator the following week when she returend to work. I explained I would be back in Tasmania but he wrote down her name and number for me to call. After a lengthy conversation and armed with posters, bookmarks and lots more knowledge, I relunctantly left and headed for the train station with 20 minutes to spare! Tres parfait!

Very scenic train journey back to Paris as the rain subsided and the countryside was very lush and green. It looked like mainly dairy farming area with healthy looking black and white cows and I didn’t see any vineyards or olive groves. I could see Giverny, the little town where Monet lived, in the distance when getting closer to Paris.

I arrived back in Paris around 8.15pm and did the Metro double change back to Froggy Flat but got off at a station I thought was fairly close to us and ended up walking around for half an hour before getting on the Metro again and getting off at another stop which ended up being the right one. This system can be very confusing and takes some mastering! I am so pleased Benedicte gave us a lesson on how to work out the routes in our Adult Education class last year.

 

JUNE 13 Friday – Today I decided to take it slow, after 6.5 hours solid walking around Le Havre with backpack, and rest in bed while Jan got up and went to the Picasso Museum. I would loved to have joined her but my mind was willing and my body not able. I arranged to meet Jaime and his friend from Tassie, Connie, at the main fountain in front of the Louvre at 11am. It was great still meeting up with people from home and I enjoyed having a Chocolat Chaud with them before heading off into Napoleon’s Apartments. Jaime and Connie headed for the Ancient Eygyptian rooms. We arranged to meet Jan at the café on the first floor for lunch. After walking around for a couple of hours on marble floors you really have to sit down for a while.

After the Louvre, I went back to Rue du Temple to visit the hairdresser before going out tonight to the Lido. Jan is great company and always willing to go out-and-about rather than stay in and rest. We were late leaving our apartment and had to jog/run between trains (two stops) to get to the pickup point at the Tuilleries Gardens. We just made it but it was a hot evening and it took us around 10 minutes to cool down, puffing and panting, while waiting for the  mini bus to take us to the Lido. There were seven of us, all women, 3 Irish women (a mother and two daughters), a Spanish and Italian lady and Jan and I.

The Lido was exciting with stunning sets, costumes and routines and we had plenty of room at our table to get in and out easily, apparently this is not the case at the Moulin Rouge. Dinner was great with a glass of champagne and half bottle wine each. The Italian lady could speak a little English and Spanish so she translated now and again and we enjoyed their company.

The show was as good as Circus Soleil here and included an ice rink that came up out of the floor with two iceskaters doing a routine and another scene had water fountains everywhere, two gold painted strongmen in slow motion, it was amazing. Afterwards a minibus dropped us back to the apartment taking the worry out of riding the tube after midnight.

 

JUNE 14 Saturday – Jan and I went of to the Musée D’Orsay today to view an extensive collection of impression art and it was amazing to stand in front of originals I had studied at uni. We had a nice lunch in the Museum restaurant behind a huge clock. I had vegetable soup and salad.

In the afternoon I visited the Musée d’Art Moderne Centre George Pompidou and stayed there until nearly 7pm looking at all types of contemporary artists work including Picasso, De Chirico, Derain, Matisse, Pollock, Man Ray, Kadinsky, Beuys, Warhol etc etc.

The visit was ‘unreal’ with two floors of the major contemporary artists represented from 1900-1960 being the main feature of my attention. I even stood before Duchamp’s famous objet d’art urinal, ‘Fountain’ 1917, and walked into a room installation by Joseph Beuys, Felt Room; a room lined entirely with rolls of felt from ceiling to floor with a grand piano in it. I had to pinch myself as I had completed a major essay at uni on him. It just went on and on with surprises and I walked and walked ignoring the pain barrier as I knew the opportunity was major and, of course, you can take photos of whatever you like!

Jan and I had dinner at home tonight and made up a great fruit and cheese plate with lots of yummy extras and a wine or two.

I got home with not much time to rest and change ready for the Illuminations Bus Tour we had booked for that night. Another race through the underground walking hundreds of stairs up and down, still wondering why there are only a few escalators in this Metro, placed mainly at the four major stations?

The illuminations tour took 1.5 hours around Paris after dark in a bus and I would advise anyone who takes this in the future to sit on the left side of the bus as this is the side all the features appear. Unfortunately we were on the right but still enjoyed the whole thing, especially the Eiffel tour covered in thousands of lights which flicker on and off for 6 minutes on the hour.

 

JUNE 15 Sunday – Jan packed this morning ready to leave later today and the realization that the end of the trip is looming became very apparent. I will miss Janelle as she has been great company and we have covered a lot of territory together and eaten many memorable meals.

We are meeting Jaime at Montmartre as Jan hasn’t been there yet so we set off on the tube, only two changes, and then took a mini train to the top near Sacré Ceour Basilica so Jan could see the view. The hill is around 130 metres high in the north of Paris’s 18th arrondissement on the Right Bank.

Sacré Ceour is amazing again, I went last week but still am enthralled. It has origins in the afternath of the French Revolution and featured in the French film ‘Amelie’ and claims to be the location at which the Jesuit order of priests was founded. There is a huge fresco painting on the ceiling shining with masses of gold leaf and bright colours. Nuns were singing again which sounded incredible. Jan stayed for the mass and I met Jaime on the steps and went for a Chocolat Chaud.

The place was overrun with artists wanting to draw our portraits. There seemed to be as many of them as we tourists, most likely because this area was frequented by such artists as Dali, Monet, Picasso and van Gogh.

We had lunch in a great little restaurant on the corner looking out over the square watching all the colourful goings’ on. The waiter was remarkable, in French dress of striped pants which apron and t-shirt and little peaked cap and very fun and friendly, we left him a good tip.

We took the mini train down a different route past historic buildings including Au Lapin Agile, a famous cabaret founded in 1860 and frequented by Braque, Modigliani, Apollinaire and Picasso and immortalised in Toulouse-Lautrec posters. This is still an authentic French cabaret with songs, poetry, and humor in a publike setting. We took the Metro home and Jan was soon picked up by the airport shuttle bus and I was on my own. A strange feeling after four weeks amongst fellow travellers.

 

JUNE 16 Monday – Met Jaime and Connie went on trail of Musée a la Mode but it was closed, the view of the Eiffel tower was worth the trip though. We went back to Isle de Cite near Notre Dame and Isle St Louis to Le Pylone to buy some presents. This street is unbelievable with all sorts of specialist shops and Pylone has items/gadgets designed to have a function but are tres moderne and quirky.

We had lunch in this street too, 12.90 euros menu which was excellent. I had soup au legumes fraises, tante de boeuf sauce au poivre verte with a little green salad, thick slice of tomato and a some light fried potato slices. For dessert I had the same as Jaime, Tartes aux pommes.

After lunch it was ‘au revoir’ to Jaime and Connie. Jaime has been a delight to be around and I have enjoyed catching up with him after the group has dispersed. His manners are always impeccable and he is very thoughtful in his actions, always watching out for those around him. I hope they have a wonderful time traveling on to Florence, Rome, Venice and Vienna.

In the afternoon, I decided to get out in the open air and do a leg of my bus pass. I did the ‘blue line’ leaving from Notre Dame. It went out to the Bastille and along both sides of the Seine and back to Notre Dame and I saw some great sites and went over about four bridges.

I walked over to Boulevard Saint Michel and down through the Latin Quarter for a look at all the food displays in restaurant windows which never fail to amaze and spreukers were out trying to get me into their restaurants. Did a lot of window shopping around here and back towards Saint Germain des Pres.

I took the Metro home from ‘Odeon’ with only one line change at ‘Chatelet’ and experienced the usual after work peak hour, stuffy cars with everyone jammed in like sardines. Very ‘at home’ with my route home now and don’t even have to check my map.

It’s 10.15pm and I have packed my suitcase and have everything ready for leaving tomorrow. I am looking forward to it but it is going to be a big few days. I am being picked up here at 5.15pm tomorrow (Tues 17) by a shuttle bus to be taken to Charles de Gaulle International airport where I fly out at 9.30pm (5.30am Wed your time). I will be home in the morning Thurs 19 at 9.30am.

I am getting ready early as I intend to make the most of my last day and come back in the afternoon to pick up my bags. Froggy Flat has been a great place to stay and I would recommend it to anyone planning to come to Paris. It is only 100 euros a night, is very comfortable and is a good size. If and when you are interested, check it out on the web, search Froggy Flat + Paris on google.

 

JUNE 17 Tuesday – I took the green ‘hop-on-hop-off’ route around Paris which covered quite a lot of territory including the Arche de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. It is a great way to see all the sites and save your legs. My only regret was I didn’t have time to go to the large department stores Printemp and LaFayette, these will have to wait until next time.

I hopped off near the Tuileries Gardens and had lunch at Anglina’s which wasn’t as nice as our previous visit and a bit disappointing for my last day. I decided to take the tube over to Saint Germain des Pres and have a Chocolat Chaud at Les des Magots for dessert to cheer myself up. This was exquisite and it is a wonder someone hasn’t decided to serve this type of hot chocolate in winter in Australia.

Running out of time so back on the Metro Rue du Temple to Froggy Flat and to have my hair washed at the hairdresser over the road for the flight home. Alexandra from Froggy Flat has been very kind and has let me keep the keys to pick up my bags later at 5pm. In return, I did all the washing and the cleaning of the bathroom as a surprise gesture for her. Jan bought her a nice potted plant and left a thank you note which she also appreciated very much.

I went downstairs 15 minutes early waiting on the street only to find it had been cordoned off and a protest was underway which continued systematically throughout Paris that evening. The French still like to revolt if there is any sign of Government changing the rules to do with working hours and conditions.

I began to panic after 30 minutes and didn’t have the phone number for the bus company to find out whether they were coming or not. I was just about to go into a shop and try and ask someone if they could find the number for me, not easy in a place like Paris, when after 45 minutes the driver came sprinting up the street for me. Phew, quite a relief as it was such a hot day to be standing around on the side of the street with three big bags and not a taxi in sight.

I am writing this at Charles de Gaulle Airport waiting for my flight. It took 2.5 hours from the apartment to get to this lounge. I am through customs and now enjoying duty free shops!!! Having a Rosé in a cafe while I spend some time uploading photos on wi-fi access. I will soon be home and looking forward to seeing you all. Thank goodness I arranged to have two flexidays at work and don’t start until Tuesday as I am absolutely exhausted and think I will actually snore on the way to Dubai!! – AU REVOIR FRANCE

 

Bonjour mes amis (blog 4) June 5-11

JUNE 5 Thursday – I am exhausted today after Le Catastrophe and with very little sleep, the thought of having to move rooms again is not something I am looking forward to. Very tired in class and hard to focus and Flora was horrified by the story of my night and said I did not have to do any homework tonight.

It has taken an hour to move this time as I was still half packed from last  night and I have a bed in a bedroom and can’t wait to go to bed tonight.

I cooked myself some lunch of pasta and tomato, ham and cheese and after eating about a third, had to stop and throw up. I have now thrown out all food items in the fridge as the temperatures obviously haven’t been low enough to keep it cool.

I felt sick all afternoon and had to lay down and muster up enough energy by 5pm to meet the others to go and visit Benedicte’s brothers workshop. He is an interior decorator and has invited us over.

We took the tram to the outskirts of Montpellier where his workshop and shop are situated. He has some amazing bric-a-brac and furnishings restored in a faux antique style which is very appealing.

We were amazed when he showed us how the process works and we watched workers sanding and painting pieces transforming them into very attractive items.

His talented daughter and another girl do all the paintings to decorate the pieces which add the final finishing touch. If this shop was located in Australia, it would be very popular

They set up a table and served us an aperitif and nibbles outside the workshop and we had a really great time. I had to drag myself away from the shop and only bought one item – an ornate wine carrier that I am going to carry on the plane – should be interesting to say the least!

Benedicte, her brother and five of our group had dinner in a quaint square where the history dates back to 1562 and persecution of the protestants. The restaurant was Aux Arches de la Chapelle and the atmosphere was amazing with people coming and going through the square, lots of other little restaurants and a gypsy singing next to our table!

The food was excellent again, I had Salade Mixte, L’Escalope de Volaille au Poivre Vert and Creme Caramel and a Kir Royale, around 25 euros. After such a wonderful afternoon, we thought the least we could do was shout Benedicte’s brother dinner for his hospitality and time.

 

JUNE 6 Friday – Today is our last day in Montpellier and we are all sad to leave here. School was fun but saying goodbye to Flora was hard and Rhonda and I stayed and chatted for some time. We have promised to email from time to time and Flora loved the book Rhonda gave her written by a French woman who lives in Tasmania called ‘A Frog in a Billabong’.

Half the group had a wonderful lunch at a little café near Eglise St Anne called Le Pre Vert salon du thé (see pic), it is colourfully decorated and has arty little touches making it a delight to visit. Others grabbed something quick and did last minute shopping.

I ordered Tarte courgettes and ratatouille served with salade, vin rouge and caramelized applie with mousse peche (one of the best flavoured desserts of the trip), cost approximately 17 euros. (We are all going to miss the salads in France, there is salad on every menu and it is the norm to have one prior to main course or for lunch.)

One other group member wanted to go to a Michelin Star restaurant while in France so I logged on and searched to see what I could find in Montpellier. There was a recommendation of a restaurant called Les Vignes, doesn’t actually have a Michelin Star but recommended by the Michelin site, and I went searching around Montpellier to find it last week but couldn’t. This afternoon I tried one more time and ‘bingo’ found it. It was gorgeous, traditionally French and had a great menu.

For our last night in Montpellier, Wendy, Elaine and I went along to Les Vignes and had a 7 course degustation menu. We had a memorable night and our stomachs felt like the guy in the Monty Python movie who has one too many biscuits and explodes. The rest of the group enjoyed their night at Le Chat Perche near Aux Arches de Chapelle.

The food and evening at Les Vignes requires a detailed write-up of which I am too tired to do today and will update blog soon and insert this portion.

 

JUNE 7 Saturday – It’s only 4.45am but with the excitement of visiting Paris and the nostalgia of leaving this exquisite city, Montpellier, thoughts are flooding in. I have already sorted and packed most of my belongings so the best solution is to continue with the ‘blog’ and a cup of tea!

I am looking forward to being in the same hotel as the rest of the group and the convenience of the central location in the 6th arrondissement. The hotel ‘Clement’ is situated near the café ‘ Les Deux Magots’ founded in 1812 and frequented in the past by the emerging controversial ‘surrealist’ movement, led by André Breton, who met to discuss their ideas. Other literary figures such as Elsa Triolet, André Gide, John Giraudoux, Picasso, Light Fernand, Prévert, Hemingway, Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir are also associated with the Café from early 1900s.

We have been ‘full-on’ in Montpellier with activities and the second week of language school with 1-2 hours homework most nights and, while enjoyable, I am looking forward to Paris and all this week holds.

11.30pm – we flew up early this morning from Montpellier and made our way to Hotel Clements in 6th Arrondissement in Paris, near to Notre Dame, Saint Germain des Prés, Boulevard Saint Michel, the Seine and lots of other things.

The day has been quite overwhelming travelling in a group of 13, all with bags and purchases, getting on and off buses and through airports while having been awake since 4.45am.

This afternoon we visited Notre Dame, an emotional experience as the architecture and grandeur is breathtaking, with exquisite stained glass windows. I lit a candle for mum and dad as I have in every major church we have visited in France. We then wandered over and back across the Seine and walked around Ile St Louis, with its quaint little streets filled with tempting shops, and the Latin Quarter a colourful and lively area of this city.

I am sharing with Kerry for my stay in Paris. It is made up of 2 rooms, one double with a small bathroom off it and one tiny single one. I am in the single one which is around 3 metres by 2 metres and looks into a tiny internal courtyard around 4m x 4m. While it is petite, it has French charm and is better than sharing a bed next to someone who snores. I need the light on all the time as it is too dark to see otherwise.

Kerry streaked up the stairs and took the double room that looks out over the street. It is light, bright and sunny but noisy at night as there is a bar over the road that doesn’t shut down until the wee hours. The bathroom entrance is off this room. Seems I have ‘bummed out’ on accommodation the whole way through this trip apart from two nights in Montpellier and these last two nights in Paris.

For dinner we split in two groups as 13 was a bit overwhelming for some little restaurants close to our hotel. Claire, Bert, Jan, Kerry and I went to Chez Fernand where the kitchen was entertaining and the food superb. A small window allowed us to peek in at the chefs with their immaculate starched uniforms.

There seemed to be a lot of them in a small space with the Head Chef standing near the window checking all the departing dishes. They were a team and worked like clockwork and they all seemed to be having a good time which is quite unusual in mid-service in most busy kitchens.

I had Magret de Canard, caramel de gingembre, pois gaoutmands vapeur 19.50 and vin rouge 6 euros. Most of us had the chefs dessert plate, 11 euros, which was unbelievable (see pic) and it tasted as good as it looked.

JUNE 8 Sunday – I am shattered, exhausted and had to stay in bed until around 10am this morning. My legs are about to drop off, after walking around all day, this is a good thing as the calorie intake is enormous and the food unbelievable. I just have to keep going as there is so much to do and see in a short time.

We started the day with a leisurely breakfast at St Clements and Wendy and I arranged to go to the Catacombs together. We worked out a route on the underground and headed out to test our navigation skills. Not a simple task on the French Metro which is very, very confusing and numerous changes are required for most locations we want to visit. The stations can be huge with a myriad of tunnels to negotiate leading to other the lines you need to access for a change. The lesson Benedicte gave us in class prior to this trip has been invaluable to me.

We waited in line for 20 minutes at the Catacombes which wasn’t too bad as it gets busier later in the day and entered the site via a vertical, circular, narrow stone stairwell that just seemed to keep going down and down. We hoped the exit wasn’t going to be up, up, up but unfortunately it did and we struggled on as one does in Paris with its lack of escalators, lifts and air conditioning.

The Catacombs are quite macabre with 6,000,000 people buried down there from 1700-1800s with their bones stacked in decorative patterns. I said prayers all the way through even though I am not super religious. It was quite an experience but I didn’t hang around for very long and waited at the exit for Wendy who enjoyed ready all the plaques etc. The exit is in a totally different place so we had to mind the next Metro point.

These underground trains run on bus wheels with guides holding them inside the rail lines. This allows them to go very fast between stations and screech to a halt when they arrive. Inside the carriages, it is super stuffy and there are lots of people traveling on them. It is very busy at peak hour and can be insane with everyone packed in like sardines. It is the cheapest way to get around though and pretty efficient as they arrive every 1-2 minutes.

Wendy and I made our way to Montmartre to meet Benedicte and the rest of the group had a light salad lunch in a little café opposite the Moulin Rouge while we waited for everyone else to arrive.

Benedicte guided us up to Montmarte via tiny little streets at a leisurely pace in the sunshine. It was great to wander around this beautiful and historic bohemian area of Paris. We visited all the famous locations here including Le Lapin Agile where Picasso and other famous artists and writers used to meet to discuss ideas over food and wine, such a cute little building (see pic).

Up the top in the main squares near the cathedral, there are artists EVERYWHERE, all wanting to draw your portrait for around 20 euros, it gets a bit tiring after a while. The artwork on display is great but overpriced also. The restaurants have heaps of atmosphere and good food but still charge for being in Montmartre. There is one exceptionally quaint one with plants all over the front Le Poulbel, see pic. Montmartre is packed with people so be prepared to push through crowds if you visit here.

I tried to find Claire Stride’s daughter, Kathryn Martin, at Roses Café but the person I spoke to didn’t know of her… don’t know if there is another Roses Café?

The famous Sacre Coeur cathedral is up here with about 1,000 steps in front for you to walk up from lower Montmartre if you are brave enough, we chose to walk down them. The ceiling frescoes are unbelievable in this building with bright colours and gold leaf, great stained glass with nuns singing in a mass made the visit all the more memorable. There is a constant stream of tourists leading in one door circling through and behind the altar and out the other door.

On our way down through the streets we wandered past quaint little patisseries and boulangeries with incredible displays and arrived back at a square where there was a black street performer colourfully dressed doing an act with a fish bowl on his head!

We had dinner at a place recommended to Rhonda by some friends called Bouillon Chartier Restaurant. Another extensive menu and reasonably priced with the venue being the real drawcard. It is a massive ornately decorated ‘hall’ with tall ceilings and wood, guilt and paintings circa 1800s. It must seat around 150-200 and while I enjoyed our experience, I think I prefer the smaller venues as it was a bit too like ‘bulk food’ for me. Everyone else seemed to really like it though and it was very cheap.

I ordered salade frisse aux lardons, assiette vegeterian (plate of veggies) and abricot sorbet with a glass of vin rouge, 18 euros. I had an upset stomach the next day which luckily improved by night time.

 

JUNE 9 Monday – I spent a relaxing morning walking around with Jaime and Benedicte. We visited the Luxemborg Gardens, Napoleon’s Tomb (grandeur at it’s best with many famous French people buried in the crypt below, including Apollinaire) and Apple Mac Paris (what a feast for the eyes and how I would have loved to have a Macbook Air to take away with me)! We strolled past the Sorbonne on the way to Boulevard Saint Michel and gazed over the historic architecture and the enormity of the university buildings.

We had lunch at Les Deux Magots in Saint Germain des Pres, I had a herb omelette and water 8.50 euros. We sat outside in a little shaded terraced area under large umbrellas. This is another premium café/restaurant with a style similar to Angelina’s and if you visit Paris you must go there.

During the afternoon we all went on a river cruise on the Seine and watched the beautiful city-scapes as we traveled under many of the bridges in Paris taking photo after photo because every scene looked like a postcard.

That night some of the group had dinner in the Latin Quarter while Rhonda, Kerry and I had dinner at Le Train Bleu which had been recommended to Rhonda and was situated in the Gare de Lyon. It lived up to its recommendation and was a grand set of rooms, again with guilt, wood and painted ceilings.

The food and service were also great and we had an enjoyable night. I had 

 

JUNE 10 Tuesday – Today we went on a bus trip to Monet’s Garden organized by Adult Ed in Tassie. The garden and house are tres pitturesque, and I can imagine the tranquility and quality of life he had there. No wonder he was inspired to paint all the beautiful scenes from here.

We were allowed to walk all through the colourful fragrant garden and into the house (after queueing for a long time) through most of the main rooms where there were many photos. It was divine with the dining room and furniture all in yellow, one of my favourite colours in a house. It was so welcoming and bright and with Monet’s love of food and recipes, you could imagine the happy memories around this table.

It was very sad to learn that the last years of his life were very lonely and struck with family tragedy. There were hundreds of tourists crawling all over this place and my suggestion is if ever come here, stay in the area and get up early and arrive at opening time. We were very lucky as it was the most perfect summer weather on the day we went with lots of flowers blooming.

The lilypond is across the road and for some silly reason, I left this until last. I had to hurry all the way around taking as many photos as I could and then realized the only exit was back over the road to the main garden right up at the top righthand corner of the property which was the furtherest point away from where our bus was, around a kilometer along the village road and on the other side of the main highway. I literally ran all the way back and got there just on time but totally exhausted and further weakened my already weak knee. My advice is do the lilypond first!

I had imagined there would be grassy areas to sit on and ponder the beauty while sketching or writing but this isn’t the case. There are a few bench seats for hundreds of people and absolutely nowhere else to sit at all and no grass. The village of Giverny is quaint and also very interesting but time got the better of us and we were back on the bus off to Paris via Versailles as half the bus had a tour there as well. It gave some of us a chance to snooze off for an hour of much needed catnap.

Benedicte took us to a famous restaurant after we arrived back not far from bus drop-off point and the Ritz Hotel, called Angelina’s in Rue du Rivoli. It was circa 1800s and very beautiful. The food ranged from club sandwiches to a la carte and it is reknown for the best éclair au chocolate in the world. The presentation and service were fantastic with waiters wearing long white aprons in this room of colonnades, guilt and mirrors. The display of sweet pastries in the glass case as you enter was a masterpiece in itself.

I ordered Salade Angelina Foie Gras, un verre vin blanc and, of course, the éclair au chololat! It arrived with some gold leaf adorning it and I don’t think chocolate éclairs will ever be the same for me again! Total cost around 33 euros. The only slight problem here was the heat, it was a hot day and no air conditioning or fans! Angelina’s and Les Deux Magots are my favourites for daytime dining.

Tonight we had our farewell dinner and everyone agreed it needed to be close to the hotel as we had all worn out our legs of the previous days. There are absolutely amazing restaurants just a few streets from here covering all price ranges. Benedicte made another excellent choice very close by in restaurant La Bastide de’Opio.

We also had our kitty to contribute to our cost. This kitty is made up of money from ‘fines’ if we forgot and accidentally spoke English instead of French during our compulsory first hour of French each night over dinner. We ended up with around 52 euros over the 3 weeks.

I ordered Petite Tartin de tomates, courgettes et basilic shooter de jus de tomates a la fraise. For le plat, Poule Roti au romarin, pommes sautees a l’ail et l’olivettes, vin rouges – Saint Chinian ‘ les Metairies’ and a digestif of Absenthe. Total cost around 30 euros.

It was a great night for our last night together and we all contributed to a small gift for Benedicte of sparkly earrings and Claire made presented them to her on behalf of all of us. We were all a bit teary as this has been a fantastic journey and Benedicte has had a BIG job!

 

JUNE 11 Wednesday – Today we all depart in different directions. Some are off to the UK, Scotland, USA, Netherlands, Portugal and Germany. Some of us are staying in Paris for a few days and Janelle has offered for me to share her apartment in the Marais, 3^rd arrondissement, on the other side of the Seine. This is great for both of us as it breaks the cost in half and gives us company for going out and about in Paris.

I spent the morning packing and shared a taxi with Jan to move all our gear over to the new apartment. We had a lovely lunch with Di, Jaime, Wendy and Benedicte before leaving at Les Deux Magots, had a beautiful salad with fresh green beans, artichoke hearts, avocado and cheese, and a glass of vin blanc.

Froggy Flat is great and at 100 euros a night, I can recommend it to anyone planning to come to Paris. It is only 100 euros a night, is very comfortable and is a good size with bedroom, lounge, kitchen with fridge and stove, bathroom and a washing/drying machine. If and when you are interested, check it out on the web, search Froggy Flat + Paris on google.

Back on a sofa bed but happy to be here with Jan and, once settled in, we decided to go out and find a little restaurant for dinner. We found one that was a bit ‘kitsch’ but the food was traditional and full of flavour. It was decorated with memorabilia from 1950s and 60s movie stars with animal print seats etc, still wondering about it really. We chatted our heads off and got to know each other over a great night.

 

Bonjour mes amis (blog 3) June 1-4

A QUICK COMMENT SUNDAY NIGHT JUNE 15 – Just in bed with my laptop and unlimited WI-FI access so feeling pretty comfie. Jan left this evening to fly back to Australia so I took myself across to Saint Germain des Pres to have dinner at Les Deux Magots (famous restaurant where Surrealists and others used to go to discuss and write ideas in formative days). I shouldn’t have done this as I already had a huge lunch at Montmartre today!!

I now have the apartment to myself and was writing up next blog to bring it up-to-date when I logged on to WordPress and found a whole heap of comments posted over the past few weeks. I was very pleased to hear from everyone – thanks so much for commenting and for some reason they have only just come through. I was beginning to think it was boring and no-one was reading it!

I just have to add that this has been the most fantastic trip and life won’t ever be the same again. I am ready to come home though and am looking forward to seeing everyone again. I am still going to pack a lot into the next two days and have bought a ‘hop-on-hop-off’ bus pass so I can cover a lot of territory in a short time. – AU REVOIR MES AMIS

SUNDAY June 1 – Today is a rest day for most of us. We have been packing as much into each day as we can and decided, when rain was forecast for today, to cancel proposed trip to Sete and just relax in our rooms and around Montpellier.

Most of the group went to the food market opposite where I am staying in Antigone and a few tried to go to church but found all doors locked and screened over. Very strange as, through the week, the doors are wide open welcoming visitors.

I joined the others in the afternoon in Place de Comedie where they were having lunch at a café. Bert, Wendy and I then walked around the centre ville and up to the ‘Arch de Triomphe’ where we found the old Acquaduct used for bringing water to the city. We went through some back streets and found a quaint little café La Pré Vert (pic) and scenic streetscapes for photographing.

In France, everything closes on a Sunday (even churches it seems), apart from cafes and restaurants and after lunch only serve drinks and light meals. On Monday, half the shops are still closed all day. Seems odd as the centre is brimming with people.

We had lunch in Place de Comedie en térasse, I had crepe Aveyorronaise with emmenthal, roquefort, chicken and potato followed by crepe chocolat chaud 9.50 euros with a vin rouge and Gin Sunrise 10.50 euros.

Some people had baguettes with one person breaking a tooth off at the gum on a baguette. It is a relief to know we all are covered with travel insurance and, while these incidents are stressful and painful, at least there isn’t a worry about taking action or the costs involved. Within a very short time, she had a temporary tooth fitted that looked great and will last until back in Australia.

It poured with rain this afternoon and the square was the perfect place to sit ‘en terrase’ in le café, people-watching, and sipping cocktails and wine! There were many giggles to be had when we finally moved to catch the tram home.

I have begun to realize the dogs here in Montpellier are not like our pet dogs. They seem to be an appendage, not a pet. There are the females, young and old, who have small dogs on short leads and take them everywhere, into shops etc but don’t ever seem to acknowledge they exist. They just tug on the lead and nearly pull their heads off. I don’t like watching the poor little things being ignored. I have seen the same dogs in the afternoon as I have seen in the morning, still being dragged around.

There are also big dogs here and these generally belong to the city ‘ferals’. Every one of them has a big dog that looks like it could take your arm off in one foul swoop, around 30% are bull terrior or bull terrier cross. These look ferocious and are bigger than a pure breed of bull terrior. I have noticed some with muzzles, thank goodness.

They live in groups on the side of the street near Place de Comedie in shop alcoves or steps with clothes and bags strewn everywhere. There are generally groups of about 6-12 with their dogs on short leads, about a metre long, tied up with just enough lead for them to lay down, it’s sickening. Their owners are a sorry sight too usually acohol or drug affected, very sad and this is about the only darker side to this otherwise beautiful city.

I am puzzled why the local Municipal Police don’t move them out and expect it is just a matter of time. I noticed a woman who was selling her drawings in the street being ‘booked’ when only a few metres away there was a colony of these people with rubbish and dogs everywhere. Consequently, there is a lot of ‘doggie doo doo’ on the streets and for the first few days here, our male members managed to flatten a few accidentally until the rest of the group went on alert and warned them not to step in it.

Madam Professeur, Benedicte, has a big job watching over us all but seems to be taking it all in her stride with only a few stressed moments; imagine all of us and a painful ear infection as well, it is not easy but she is very helpful and vigilant.

 

MONDAY June 2 – Today class doesn’t start until 11am as a lot of new students are arriving for the summer intake and need grading before school starts. Most people here seem to grab petit dejeuner ‘on the run’ and today I also wandered through Place de Comedie and purchased a ‘pain au chocolate’ and a ‘café espresso’ and had the breakfast of the locals.

We are now in another location and not at the beautiful old Institut building which is a bit disappointing but I am lucky to be in a class with a great teacher, Flora. She is enthusiastic, helpful and fun and I have learnt a lot, even starting to grasp passé compose! I have to focus fully in class with everything spoken in French and am happy we only have 3.5 hours to attend each day.

Members of the group seem to be in pairs in different classes at the school and with the new intake we also get new class members. Rhonda and I have some people from Scandinavia, Iceland, Germany, Canada, USA, Ireland and Belgium in ours, ranging in age from about 17 to 74.

Lunch today at Café Le Riche in Place de Comedie, Salade Chevre Chaud 8 euros and Perrier 3.20. Some of the group went on a walk around the old city organized by l’Institut. I spent the afternoon wandering around shops, Le Polygone and LaFayette and to La Office du Tourism for information about getting to Palavas les Flots, a beach where I want to dip my toes in the Meditteranean.

Time flies when you are having fun and suddenly realized I had very little time to race back to my room and change for dinner. It was still very warm when I arrived downstairs to catch the tram for dinner in a short sleeved outfit when the heavens opened up again with a downpour.

Today, Benedicte arranged a booking for us all at a traditional French crepe restaurant for dinner and each night we have a new experience of ‘La Cuisine Francais’. There are 13 in the whole group and restaurants are petite with tiny rooms so it can be a challenge to fit us in sometimes.

Creperie La Kriersker was very quaint in an old building and we all enjoyed an aperitif of Kir Royale Cassis and the many selections of crepes. I ordered Oeuf Epinard Crème (egg, spinach and crème fraiche) and for dessert Crepe Framboise Chantilly (raspberries and cream) with a glass of vin rouge – total 13.30 euros.

 

TUESDAY JUNE 3 – Today we went to Palavas Les Flots, a coastal area close to Montpellier. There are huge marinas, canals and beaches along the foreshore. Bert and I walked along the beachfront and dipped our toes in the Mediterranean. It felt around the same temperature as Tassie in Summer.

It was a colourful place with lots of restaurants, a casino and holiday apartments. It reminded me a bit of the Gold Coast but not quite as big. When we arrived it was cloudy and warm but as the afternoon passed it became hot and sunny. We had to drag ourselves away to go back to Montpellier and our homework for ‘l’ecole’ the next day. In comparison to the others, our class seems to get the most.

Benedicte booked another lovely restaurant in a little square for dinner, Le Come in Place St Come, this time the style was haute cuisine. The climate this time of the year is great for sitting outside and dining. Restaurants butt up to each other in each square and diners fill these tables every night.

The food was delicious (see pics) and I ordered Tian d’aubergine au pesto de chevre, mesclum au citron vert, essence de balsilic as a starter. Then for le plat I had Carré d’Agneau, frite de potate douce, sauce vin rouge. For dessert Chocolat blanc et truffe noire glacée, mouse marron, émulsion de chocolat chaud, total cost including aperitif and wine 40.50 euros.

 

WEDNESDAY June 4 – Today is Liam’s birthday and am feeling a little homesick. Just as class finished I got a phone call from him, Anissa and Hamish which was really nice. He assured me it didn’t cost him anything, I hope he is right as we spoke for around 20 minutes.

We had a trip planned to Nimes today and the schedule was tight so we had to leave school immediately it finished, take a tram to la piscine Olympic and wait for the bus. I was talking on the mobile the whole time much to the amusement of a lot of people on the tram who were listening intently to my Aussie accent.

The bus trip was great and the landscape between Montpellier and Nimes very picturesque, just as you would imagine in the south of France with vineyards and olive groves. We first went a bit north of Nimes to Pont du Gard the famous Roman acqueduct, an amazing site (see pics). I had a little sleep for part of the journey and woke up just as we were turning into a road with a sign saying ‘8 minutes to Uzes’. Uzes is a place I wanted to visit but it will have to wait til next time. Apparently Uzes is the beginning of the water system via Pont du Gard to Nimes.

Before we left Pont du Gard, I bought an icecream that was violet flavoured and a beautiful mauve colour, it tasted as divine as it looked.

We then went on to Nimes and more Roman ruins. Bert, Rhonda, Elaine and I went to the ancient arena, or amphitheatre, a fantastic site and sitting in the seat you really get the feel of what it must have been like in days gone by. Bert and I happened upon a room with displays of  helmets and other pieces worn by gladiators. To my horror you can touch them so I am hoping they are only copies. It is such a pity there is traffic driving around the outside of this amazing monument as the smog isn’t doing it any good and it badly needs restoration and protection. It is the only complete roman arena of this size in the world.

Nimes is full of historic attractions and great little shops but after managing a stroll down some tiny streets, we ran out of time. We also drove via the Camargue on the way back and were able to view a little village with a canal and boats, pink flamingoes in a marshy area and Le Grande Mottes, an area with very Goudy-esque architecture from the 70’s. I am looking forward to going back to Nime and surrounds one day, it was a great afternoon and we didn’t get back to Montpellier til around 8pm and the cost was only 25 euros.

Dinner back at Bermudas Clafoutis near the main group’s hotel as we were all too tired to do anything else. See pic of doberman dog in restaurant while we ate. I had Salade Chevre Chaud, Pizza Roma and Fromage Blanc de Sucre plus a glass of vin rouge, total cost 13.50 euros.

 

LE CATASTROPHE

Left the rest of the group around 11pm and caught the tram back to my hotel when it didn’t turn the corner after the next stop but continued straight ahead and took me on a different route. A sign appeared saying there had been a blockage on the line and the tram was not going through the town centre. I really didn’t need this as I was exhausted after a hot and busy day trekking around. I didn’t recognize anything for a while and my brain was ticking over thinking what to do next.

I decided it would be best to get off otherwise I would end up down the end of the line somewhere and when it stopped on the other side of Montpellier I hopped off and crossed over to get the tram back. This isn’t the best area to be standing around in at this time of night. Then of course when the tram did come it wasn’t going to my hotel either!!! So I thought best to go back to the last tram before my turn-off and walk the rest of the way.

When I got there Antigone centre was full of lights and lots of people eating and walking around so I felt confident walking back to my hotel. Benedicte and I were texting most of the time so I felt in contact with someone while this was all happening.

Totally exhausted now and back to my room around 11.30pm when I opened the door and the ceiling had fallen in and water was covering the floor. Luckily none of my things were damaged as it was mainly in the kitchen, bathroom and toilet area but the water had leaked through into the main room and was creeping across the carpet.

I almost burst into tears of disappointment, my saga and this hotel has been disastrous and I paid $700 extra for THIS!! The guy on reception came up and inspected and went away for 15 minutes and came back in a tizz. Meantime, Benedicte couldn’t believe what was going on.

He had been on the phone to his boss and apparently the only thing they could do was to have me move to the only other room available which was way over on the other side of the second apartment building, this room wasn’t available via my floor lift I had to go to another floor and along and into another lift to reach it. He assured me there was no other room. He then said I would have to move again the next day as that room was booked to someone else.

So at around 15 minutes after midnight I packed all my belongings which were pretty well established for the 2 weeks and moved and unpacked, including fridge contents etc. I finally got to bed at 1.30am, disgusted with the whole situation. All told, I moved 4 times over the 2 weeks due to factors our of my control. To add to the saga, the maths didn’t add up either as the guy told me the room rate.

The next day instead of doing something after school I had to go back to the hotel and move again. They gave me a better room, one that actually had a bed in a bedroom!!!! It looked similar to the one they display on the internet, however, it was small compensation as I had to pack up on the next day to leave early Saturday morning for Paris – QUE SERA!

Bonjour mes amis (blog 2) – May 27-31

This blog has become a journal and documentation of our trip and is now being used by most of the group and Adult Education.

TUESDAY 27th – My room is located in the modern part of Montpellier called Antigone, adjoining the old city centre. It has a long centre walkway under arches and past fountains and either side of the walkway are buildings with cafes, brasseries and other shops on the ground floor. It has been carefully designed to assimilate with the old. My tram stop is Leon Blum and is three stops from Place de Comedie in the city centre. I then have a 5 minute walk to the Institute for French Lessons.

The Institute has a grand entrance hidden away behind two big wooden doors. The stairway and floor are tiled in marble and are very attractive. The Institute floors are large slabs of stone and are ancient. In the hallway they jut up in places by about a centimetre. This, unfortunately, is a trap for catching the toe of your shoe and poor Kate landed face-first in the hallway on the first day and had to be taken off to hospital for a dozen or so stitches, see pics.

For lunch we went to Halles Castellane, a market of mini shops, all selling specialities de la cuisine. We wandered around and purchased whatever took our fancy then sat outside at a café on the edge of the square and ate our lunch with a glass of wine, of course. I chose mousse au canard, le panne, tartine chevre au legumes et herbs and an éclair au chocolat from Teisser Boulangerie-Patisserie across the road. The waiter was charming and fun sharing jokes with us about our accents and ordering.

In the afternoon, we took a ride on an open-air mini-train, 6 euros, touring around the old city of Montpellier; tres pitturesque and a great way to cover all major points of interest and get your bearings. We discovered many little squares around the town with tall shady trees and always with cafes, brasseries and restaurants with outside seating.

For dinner we went to Bermuda Clafoutes situated a short walk from the hotel where the rest of the group are staying. There was a thunderstorm looming with lightening giving us a spectacular show. The restaurant was spacious, modern but not uniquely French, it could have been anywhere in Australia, but the food was great. I chose the plat du jour of three courses for 13.50 euros, Salade Chevre Chaud, Pizza Roma (Roquefort cheese), Mousse Chocolat + pastis 2.10.

 

WEDNESDAY 28th – Montpellier keeps getting better and better. I am now familiar with the layout of this beautiful town. I am feeling like I don’t want to leave here just yet, everyday I learn more about where I am and become more familiar with getting about and listening to the language.

It is a magic city, the streets are like tentacles of an octopus reaching out from the centre square and the food is varied and delicious. You don’t feel like you are in a city like Sydney or Melbourne because it is free of traffic apart from shop-owners, service and delivery people. Everyone travels  via modern trams, bikes or on-foot so smog and noise are minimal.

I am really enjoying the classroom experience and our teacher, Flora, is excellent, friendly and very helpful. The class is varied and, while we do ‘le grammaire’, we also have some fun with French using a variety of games. All lessons are in French so I really have to focus to pick up what is being said and generally succeed.

I have another member of the group in my class, Rhonda, and the rest is made up with people from all over the world. I am now recognising lots more words in conversation in the street and it’s only my third day. I have been wondering what the words ’shack’ and ‘pertet’ were as I kept hearing them spoken and now know ’shack’ (chaque) is each and ‘pertet’ (peut-etre) is perhaps.

We ate lunch in the open air at Place de Comedie at a café where I ordered a crepe au citron and a vin rouge 6 euros. Benedict found out the next day that a bank was robbed just down the street from where we were sitting.

This afternoon we had a cheese-tasting (le gustation fromage) at L’Institut where about 15 of us joined a teacher who explained each cheese, it’s region and process and use a la cuisine. We tasted a piece of each and tried to guess what style it was and then graded it out of ten according to how much we liked it. It was fun but could have been enhanced with the addition of ‘la verre du vin’ (glass of wine).

We have been ‘busy bees’ secretly planning a birthday soiree for Enid, our most senior group member. Each of us had something to purchase and add to the exquisite table of pate, cheese, fruit, quiche, salad and wine. We met in the largest room belonging to Rhonda and Elaine who gathered chairs and glasses from other rooms and laid out the table for us and decorated the room with balloons.

On Enid’s arrival we sang happy birthday in French, ‘Bonne Anniversaire’, she was truly surprised. We had a few champagnes and I set up my I-pod and speakers for some background music. When Eartha Kit started singing the French song ‘Un Homme’, one of the group, Kerry, put on a mini cabaret dance for us causing much laughter and fun. Drama was added to the night by an amazing thunderstorm and a lightening show lighting up the whole sky.

It was then time for me to go out and catch a tram home to ‘ma chambre’. Benedicte waited with me until I got on the tram and off I went, when, at the next stop, the tram was swarmed inside and out with police and transport inspectors. It was held up for about 5 minutes while they checked out everyone and then the inspectors came through and checked everyone’s ticket. They took off around a dozen people who hadn’t paid.

It was quite scarey as I didn’t know what was going on and the police had guns with one guy on the platform having a big gun slung over his arm like an M16 or something. I was expecting someone to come running through shooting at any minute and slunk down in my seat.

We learnt the next day there had been a bomb scare at another location the other side of Montpellier and perhaps they were looking for anyone suspicious as the trams are the main transport out of town.

 

THURSDAY 29th – After school today, Rhonda, Diane and I walked through the ‘honeycomb’ of ancient streets that make up the old city and happened upon a beautiful little café, Restaurant Natur’l in a petite square where three tiny streets meet. We had another very charming waiter, they seem to be everywhere! We ordered the Soup Provencale, which had a superb flavour, and sat and chatted over a wine while looking up at beautiful wrought-iron balconies adorned with flower-boxes and colourful shutters.

I went shopping by myself this afternoon which was a great adventure, trying to speak in French to shop assistants. The big shopping centre is Le Polygon and there are lots of shops, cafes and a supermarket, INNO, within. Lafayette is a big shopping chain like Myer and there’s one in the centre.

I had trouble finding the word for nail polish remover and after asking a few people, Flora managed to come up with it – dissoluvant! The shop assistants are very friendly and try to help by using any English they know.

In the centre, I found a L’Occitane shop and the products are made in Languedoc-Roussillon which is the department in which Montpellier is situated. It is the name for the ‘pays de langue d’oc’. The old language of this area was d’Oc and I now know L’Occitane is pronounced ‘loxitarn’ not ‘lockitarn’ as I have been saying for years.

I needed to buy a facewasher and couldn’t find any as here they use a rectangular toweling glove for washing their face. After much searching, I compromised by buying a mini hand towel.

I also walked up Esplanade Charles de Gaulle, leading off Place de Comedie. It is a long rectangle with a street either side and has a park with grass and trees running along it with an area down the centre for market stalls and a big fountain at the entrance. It’s very pretty and is handy to the town centre for sitting under shady trees.

Musee Fabre is off to one side and I went in and walked around for a couple of hours and looked at the artwork, including marble statues, and amazing salons in which they were displayed. It was a myriad of rooms and corridors and I consider myself pretty good at following maps but I couldn’t figure out the one they gave me for this place! Entrance 6 euros.

I found a hairdresser next door, Salon Jean Vallon, and I had my hair washed and blow-dried today. The hairdressers are very gentle handling your hair, nothing like Australia combing out knots etc. No products unless you ask, no ceramic hot tongs to damage your hair, just Keratase treatment, a warm hairdryer and careful brushing, cost 24 euros.

The rest of the group took a tram to Odeysseum, a big modern shopping centre at the end of the tram line with an Aquarium, Planetarium, cinema and other attractions.

We are all feeling tired today but we had a wonderful dinner at a tangine and couscous restaurant called Les Jardins de Marrakech. It is located in a more colourful area of Montpellier with the shop fronts, people and the smells having a Moroccan influence. I had Tangine Poulet avec Raisins and Oignons and Dessert au Citron, orange slices marinated in rose water, sugar and cinnamon with mint. We had a complimentary aperitif and I had le piquet de vin rouge (jug with 2 glasses of house wine), approximately 17 euros.

 

FRIDAY 30th – We are certainly filling our days in Montpellier with lots of activities and eating out for lunch and dinner each day (with wine). I think we are all going to need a transition period when we get home to adjust to staying in and not drinking wine with every meal! I could, very quickly, get used to being concerned with just myself and what I am going to indulge in next!

You can’t help but notice the difference between Frenchmen and Australian men; they are very attentive and even accompany the women shopping!! The waiters are also very ‘flirty’ and fun. The women are ‘tres chic’ and distinctive with both male and female being very engrossed in each other.

School is ‘full-on’ but the challenge is enjoyable and we seem to move ahead quickly only speaking in French. We also have one hour at the beginning of dinner where we have to speak French or pay a fine to the group funds. We have quite a ‘bootie’ to blow before we go home.

The more experienced of the group, speak French most of the time. Jaime is very fluent and also patient and helpful to those of us who aren’t quite so good. Wendy, who has the least experience, is trying hard and seems to be picking up quite a lot.

Today we travelled on a bus excursion to St Guilhem le Desert organized by L’Institut. We bought take-away lunch to eat on the way and traveled about 45 minutes through classic French countryside with vineyards, stone houses and lots of wild red poppies growing alongside the road and across the fields, so very picturesque.

The route out of Montpellier was interesting and I noticed the suburbs were attractive with modern houses made in the same style as the older ones and all the colours are complimentary. There are good-sized blocks of land and carefully tended gardens. The highway was also great and I wouldn’t hesitate to drive on it another time. The speed limit was 130kms.

After winding through a little town we then passed over a large green, fast-flowing river and the narrow road followed the river until St Guilhem. I was on the window seat beside the river and, after a while, couldn’t look as we were up fairly high on the side of a hill and the bus was speeding along near the edge.

All was worth it though, St Guilhem le Desert is a magical stone village on the trail of St Jacques. Every scene was like a postcard et tres, tres bonne. The town appears to have artists, and craftspeople living within and the shops display their craft. The signs and shops are creatively displayed making it a very attractive place with a central square featuring a huge tree and an an historic grand church, see pics.

There are ancient ruins nearby and I walked two-thirds the way up the mountain to see the fortress on top. I passed other ruins half-way up, (see pics, thanks to Kate loaning me her camera as mine has a stuck lens). It was great to wander on a cobbled country pathway lined with wildflowers and trees, zig-zagging across the mountain. We had some rain there but not for long and because it was warm, it didn’t seem the matter.

Bert, Rhonda, Elaine and I ate in La Creperie, a little stone cave-like restaurant. I had tartine des oignon et chevre and crepe au citron avec chantilly, vin rouge, 13 euros. It was great to find an ATM without many people where I could try out my ANZ access card. It worked and I was very, very pleased and took out the maximum amount in case I don’t find another one for a while! It was also great to find my NAB credit card works here too.

We arrived back in Montpellier around 6.30pm and I decided not to go out but to stay in my room and rest up for Saturday’s excursion.

 

SATURDAY 31st – I am amazed at all the things we are seeing and doing without much effort. Today Kerry, Bert and I went to Marseille on the TGV while the rest of the group went to Avignon. Kerry and I had both previously spent time in Avignon so did not want to revisit on this trip.

The train was comfortable and very fast, we went via Avignon but it still only took 1hr 25mins from Montpellier to Marseille. The cars pressurises like on a plane and our ears popped when we went through a tunnel. When travelling by train, you need to know how to read the ticket and what to do, as there is a number or letter for each platform, car, section of platform your car will be at and your seat to ascertain and find. After travelling for a month around Europe by train by myself some time ago, it all came flooding back and ‘pas problem’.

It was nice to wander at a slower pace and do what we wanted. Marseille is spectacular, especially the Old Port (Vieux Port), 75% full of boats, some old and some new in total 3,500! I have never seen so many people hurrying to and fro in streets! It is avery colourful and multi-cultural city and was the main port of the ancient world where spices and chololate were first introduced to Europe. It has 2,600 years of history and is the oldest French town.

We wandered alongside the walkway next to the sea and there were market-stall after market-stall of colourful flowers. We happened upon the Brasserie La Palange, which proved to be a great choice. I had Daub Beouf Provencale, marinated beef in red wine and herbs and then slow-cooked for hours, 11.50 and vin rouge 2.80. Kerry had the local fresh fish, loup, which looked a little like Blue-Eye in texture and very, very fresh and all tres delicieux.

We took the mini-train to the citadel on the highest point of the city, La Notre Dame de La Garde and wound our way through back-streets looking at 15th century buildings. The view was spectacular with the two fortresses on either side of the entrance to the port, built by Louis XIV, a feature. We could also see the Frioul Islands with the Chateau d’If and fortress, built in 1533, on the smallest island near the entrance. The fortress later became a prison and then more recently immortilised by Alexandre Dumas in his tale of “The Count of Monte Cristo”.

Our dinner restaurant was chosen by Madam Professeur, Benedict, and proved to be a great success. It is a chic little restaurant with red gingham tablecloths and serviettes and is popular with the locals. Its name is La Tomate and we were required to walk through many tiny rooms, the kitchen and a narrow winding stairway to arrive at our upstairs room. We were puzzled how the waitress could run up and down those stairs all night with our plates and food.

I ordered Croute au Roquefort 5.50, Chateaubriand Bearnaise 13.00, Les Glace, chocolat et pistache 3.50, aperitif 2.50, chemin des papes vin rouge 4.00, café noir 1.50 all very delectable and will require some vigorous walking off today!

 

 

 

 

Bonjour mes amis – first four days

FRIDAY MAY 23 – I arrived in Montpellier on Friday night around 9pm after 36 hours travelling time. I am here with 11 other French students and our teacher from ‘Adult Ed’ Tas. We are learning French at a college here every morning for two weeks and have excursions in the afternoon and weekend. We then have five nights in Paris together and I am staying on for five nights before returning home.

I plan to visit Le Harve on the Normandy coast, two hours west of Paris, purely to visit the Le Harve Museum and check out the early Tasmanian history documented by explorers/scientists such as Baudin and Peron.

They sailed from Le Harve in 1801 to explore the southern lands and documented the waters, coast, flora, fauna and indigenous people of early Tasmania. Peron, in particular, kept meticulous records aiding our understanding of this era and also helping with recording climate change as he regularly documented water temperature and weather.

The Emirates flights were great, I enjoyed them both, lots of entertainment and comfortable, but waiting in terminals was very tiring. I sat next to a nice French woman on my way from Paris to Montpellier and she practised her English on me and I practised my French on her and we managed to exchange a lot about each other.

The people here are very friendly and I have been ‘chatted to’ in queues and on trams where I have to explain “je suis Australienne, je ne parle pas beaucoup Francais” as they speak too fast for me to understand. The people are very distinctive and different looking from other areas I have been, the majority have a Spanish look with brown eyes and there are lots of people of African/Moroccan background here too.

SATURDAY MAY 24 – I had a disappointing first day as my room was not up to standard. I didn’t have a bed, just a sofa fold-out wire base with thin mattress with a small table and chair at the foot. When I folded the bed out, there was no room to walk around the bed except for 500mm down one side. Fate stepped in and blocked the plumbing and the hotel was forced to move me. After much deliberation and discussion, they finally gave me a bigger and better room in which I am very happy. It has a kitchenette, bathroom and toilet at the entrance and I now can imagine myself staying in this space for two weeks.

It was a bit of a downer to be faced with a ‘crumby’ room and isolated in another location, three tram stops from the others. I couldn’t contact Benedicte (Mdm. Professeur) on my phone or the hotel phone (still don’t know why as all OK now?) so I had to work out how to catch a tram, buy a ticket from a weird machine and go in the right direction in order to meet up with them for the first time. By the time I got there, I was on the verge of tears. With the first machine broken, I had to walk to the next stop to find another and I wasn’t really sure of their location once off the tram.

On a brighter note, the day improved and we met and walked around Montpellier, a fascinating place. The architecture is ancient with tiny streets without cars but filled with lots and lots of people. The shops don’t open on Sunday so everyone shops on Saturday. 

I now have some nice food stocked in my room with a small classic French market over the road from here. The food is exceptional and even just having a pannini for lunch yesterday was an experience not to forget. Most cafes and restaurants also have a variety of set price menus for 1, 2 and 3 courses + wine. We ordered the pannini, a glass of wine and a yummy crepe au chocolat for 7 euros.

We also had a fantastic dinner on Saturday night at L’Eden restaurant, I had boeuf rossini and profiteroles au chocolat that were divine and huge!

Another great bonus I discovered is the fast speed internet connection in my room which is very handy. I am now able to check everything out online before we go anywhere and get directions and information and receive and send emails with ease. The feature on this page for you to type in a reply comment doesn’t seem to be working so far and I will check it out prior to updating this blog soon.

SUNDAY MAY 25 – A fantastic day! We took the rail to Carcassonne, about 1.5hrs from here each way, and walked around the ruins of the old city dating back to pre-Roman days, see pics. We met in the square of the old city and had a traditional French lunch, 3 courses and wine 16.5 euros, mixed salad served first, cassoulet with duck and pork sausage and lots of white beans, then apple tart served with a swirl of caramel over it (no cream). We were all exhausted at the end of the day with two 3kms walks from railway station to the old city and walking around for hours, I fell into bed at 6pm until 6am!

MONDAY MAY 26 – MORNING – The group are ‘tres joli’ with one person having done less French than me so I don’t feel so bad not having done conversation; some of the others have a few years experience though. We all try to speak in French and I find I can understand around 80% of what is said but it takes me a much longer to put words into a sentence to return the conversation. I am sure I will improve quickly.

Today is our first school day at 7.45am-1.30pm. The location is a tram ride to the city centre and down a beautiful, narrow and old street with small modern shops on the ground level, see pics. We will be able to do shopping or sit in the square for lunch without any effort.

Ah mon dieu, it is now 6.08am and I must get out the books and refresh myself before facing a day of tests to ascertain my language experience.

MONDAY MAY 26 – EVENING – We had to undergo rigorous tests on arrival at the College this morning to be graded into our classes. Everything is spoken in French, absolutely no English. By the end of the class we were all ‘brain-dead’ with ‘passe compose’ adverbs and ready for wine and more luscious food. Four of us ate in a square at Le Petit Nes, 3 courses + cafe for 13 euros and a glass of wine 3 euros. I had mixed salad, Veal Bourgogne and Tarte au Chocolat with cafe noir and vin rouge. (There is a reason for my diary of food, apparently we have to write it up in French so I am going to use this blog as a record of where and what I ate!)

We all took a ride on a tourist mini-train around the old centre of Montpellier after lunch to see fantastic architecture, statues and fountains, narrow streets and ancient historic buildings. I want to do this again but on foot this time as there is a lot to explore at a slower pace.

I am slumming it in my room tonight with ‘plat du jour a la Lexi’ after a very interesting and puzzling sojourn to le supermarche. It took me 15mins to find cream, apparently there is not much fresh dairy available, ie: the milk is ‘long-life’ on the shelf. There are hundreds of yoghurt options and some creme fraiche but nothing like we are used to seeing at our supermarkets. 

Fresh seafood is featured… the smell emanates through half the shop with me seemingly the only person noticing it! The deli section is delectable with every cheese, cold cut meat and pate/terrine known to mankind. Hence, mon diner consists mousse de canard, jambon avec figs, brie and grapes, mesclin, tomatoes and black olive paste a la Provence! I also have fresh apricots and cherries as it is nearly summer here.

I am having great fun noticing all the dogs, especially the ones coming out of restaurants with waiters throwing them bones etc! No-one knows what a French poodle is over here, there is no such breed? Lots of dogs that look like poodles but called something else.

The weather has been out of the norm for Montpellier at this time of the year with the locals complaining. The first day was cold and we have had rain everyday. It is warmer now but still wet and humid with a thunder storm today with a finer outlook for Thursday. 

Must away and do my homework like a good ‘etudiante’!

Au revoir – Lexi

(PS: time difference Montpellier 8 hours behind Hobart)