Russia
2006 Journey Day Two
Montpellier
, France
[
15 July, 2006
] The day started with lessons in car rental - miss the pick up time and a reserved car is no longer reserved.
The car rental company was very helpful with our sleeping late. Their assistant provided a ride to the aeroport for additional
cars compared to our original SNCF (French train) station. We ended up with an upgraded Citroen multi purpose vehicle
with
automatic transmission - a first time for Euro travel.
After leaving the aeroport, we traveled to the coast line - from Sete to Agde. In 30 kilometers of shoreline, not sure if we ever
saw an available parking space. To say that the beaches are packed is an understatement. After finally locating a parking spot,
we enjoyed the beach for the remaining afternoon. The beaches with dunes in the background are cleaned daily. Water quality
is excellent with high clarity and smooth sand bottom - no kelp or rocks
One interesting stop was Frontignan. In progess was a type of boat jousting with colorfully painted boats powered by several
rowers. Located on a high perch is a single jouster poised to stike the oncoming jouster. The loser is obviously the one in the
water. Located on each boat is two musicians - as the rowing accelerates, their music (drum and wind instrument) also speeds
up.
The evening was ended with an outdoor Greek restaurant - a few tables in the niche of narrow pedestrian path. The slender
access paths lead to open courtyards and even more restaurants. The pedestrian routes appear to have large polished limestone
pavers; thus, very smooth walking compared to cobblestone. Hanging large Spanish type lanterns provide the right amount of
lighting.
Overall, the inner city is classic French architecture - only 3 to 4 stories with belle époque balcony railings. The natural color
and age is allowed to appear. Our tastefully remodeled room has two balconies and overlooks a restaurant courtyard,
which means umbrellas up during the day and lowered at night.
The town of Frontignan River Jousting
The Hotel du Midi scenes
The Montpellier city scenes
Lobby Return
Created with
Fusion 8.0
Last Updated on
July 16,
2006, CE