Destination: Montpellier, France

Back in 2016, I had the opportunity to visit the south of France for a week. It was around this time of year (March) when the French high school I was working at in was administering les bacs blancs, a sort of “mock exams” for students who would be taking the exit exam at the end of the year. I wasn’t needed that week to teach, so by some sheer luck, I had a full week off– what better way than to jet off somewhere new in Europe?

Although I didn’t live in Paris (still don’t, to be honest), I was *relatively* close by in the neighboring region of Normandy to take trips over. However, it wasn’t until I found a ONE EURO (yes, 1€!) bus ride from Paris to Montpellier. Granted, it was a 10 to 11-hour journey, but really, who can’t say “no” to such an incredible deal? With that said, I made up my mind to spend a week in the south of France for the first time, hopping from town to town along the way. I booked my Flixbus ride, found a Couchsurfer to stay with, and soon enough was on my way.

After finishing up classes with my collège on a Wednesday (as I alternated between two schools chaque quinze jours), I wasted no time catching the regional buses to Rouen, where I spent a night at a fellow assistant’s studio before catching an early bus to Paris the following morning. From there, I finally took the 1€ bus to Montpellier– despite such a good deal, I was surprised that there weren’t many passengers on-board. Perhaps it wasn’t the time of year to travel…

The saying that “you get what you paid for” was none other evident than my 1€ bus journey. Yes, it was incredibly cheap, but I hadn’t expect for it to be quite the arduous trip. I was well-aware that it would take 10 hours, since I was literally going from the north to the south of France, but sadly, setbacks happened along the way:

First setback was the snow, as we passed through the central region of France– even in March, the country still snow! That created a massive traffic jam that set us back by 50 kilometers (s’now joke…pun intended). Next was having two passengers arrive back on the bus 10 minutes late during one of our pit stops, which pissed our driver off. The icing on the cake, however, was our driver getting pulled over by the police for speeding, as she was trying to make up for lost time. The fact that all of this happened in one day is absolutely unbelievable, and I was just about ready to be done with the bus ride.

We pulled into Montpellier about half-an-hour late (which surprisingly isn’t too bad), and I caught the tram over to my Couchsurfer’s flat. She was a French woman in her thirties, and I happened to be her first-ever guest; I spent two nights with her, and she was kind enough to take me around town in her car, as well as explore the city itself.

Although I was exhausted after a long day’s journey, I still hung out with my host. We went into town and had a late dinner at a wine bar. Plenty of charcuterie and strong wine were consumed, and it wasn’t until I crashed on my bed when we got back past midnight that I was so glad to sleep.

The next day, my host and I took her car to the beach, located about a 20-minute drive away. Although I had seen the beaches in Normandy, they were rather rocky unlike the sandy ones I grew up with in Los Angeles. That said, the beach near Montpellier was great, as it was sandy itself. Despite the rather windy morning, the sun was shining, and our eight-kilometer walk along the Mediterranean shores reminded me somewhat of home.

We drove back to her flat and, after having lunch and baking a cake together, we headed out once more in the afternoon to the city center. I got to see the main spots, including la place de la Comédie, la porte du Peyrou, and les Arceaux, a Roman aqueduct. It was interesting to see the architectural difference from the north of France, where I was living, as Montpellier (and other south French cities, in general) had more of a Roman influence to it. All the same, it was a pleasure strolling the wide, pedestrian plazas and taking in the jovial atmosphere that weekend.

My host and I caught a VO film (version originale) at one of the theaters in town. It was my first time going to the movies in France, and it was especially nice to catch a film not only in English, but also sans dubs. It was the recent Coen brother’s film, which was funny, and I enjoyed myself with a bit of anglophone familiarity in a foreign country.

It was a matter of heading back to my host’s flat afterwards, having dinner (and the cake we’d baked that afternoon) and watching a show together before we went to bed. It was my last night in town, and the following morning I left my Couchsurfer’s flat (as she had work that day) to explore Montpellier on my own before catching the afternoon train to my next destination. I retraced my steps to return to the familiar spots (place de la Comédie, place du Peyrou…), as well as explore le Corum and l’Antigone, which were conference centers. I also purchased a French book (Camus) at the latter for the road, as well as to brush up on my reading comprehension in the language. Soon enough, I caught the afternoon train to the next city, thereby saying goodbye to Montpellier.

Overall, my time in Montpellier was a slow, laid-back start to my week-long trip in the south of France. Even if I didn’t consider much to be happening in town, I actually enjoyed the leisurely pace of it. My stay with my host was pleasant, and I enjoyed the slow-paced atmosphere of the city– a great start for the rest of the week to follow!

More to come soon– stay tuned!

 

— Rebecca