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Mediterranean MontpellierBy Caroline M. Jackson
Travel tips.I would recommend picking up a rental car to visit this area. Speed limits vary depending on weather, e.g. autoroutes 130 kmh when sunny and 110 when raining. Bone up on your conversational French before departure. Languedoc/Roussillon area gets an average of 300 days of sunshine annually. We flew direct non-stop from London Gatwick to Montpellier on British Airways http://www.britishairways.com Tourism France: http://www.franceguide.com Images by Hamish M. Jackson |
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Situated
in the south of France, Montpellier is a city with two faces, one old and
one new. Because it is central to many other fascinating Mediterranean
towns, it is a perfect base for those travelling by train or car to places
such as Nimes of denim textile fame or Avignon with its famous bridge.
Founded
in 985 by Jews, Muslims and Christians, Montpellier is the capital of the
Languedoc-Roussillon region which lies just west of Provence. The new
section of town boasts postmodern architecture and broad leafy boulevards
which open onto spacious plazas, the largest one being the traffic-free
Place de la Comedie in the center of town. It is here that many of the
65,000 university students congregate to soak up the sun between classes or
enjoy a drink at one of the many outdoor cafes and restaurants.
People-watching appears to be a full-time occupation here with a cell phone
in one hand and a cigarette in the other.
My
favorite area was the pedestrian-only old town with its narrow winding
streets and grand 17th and 18th century townhouses. Every alley leads into
small treed squares where locals sit around cool moss-covered fountains or
sip a glass of wine in one of the numerous bistros. Overhead fly the
‘sweeing’ swifts which occasionally dart through the fine mist rising from
the mossy fount. However, tranquility didn’t always reign here as a large
wooden cross depicts at the Place des Martyrs de la Resistance. 
On
arriving at Montpellier by train, the best thing to do is to head for the
tourism office at Place de la Comedie and obtain a French street map which
will help you unscramble the puzzle of angled streets. From here you can
catch le Petit Train Touristique for an interesting trundle through the old
town towards the handsome aqueduct which was originally built to supply the
town’s fountains. Take your map with you as there is no English commentary.
Our
second day in Montpellier was a Sunday – a day when almost everything closes
down. After a leisurely continental breakfast and chatting to our Algerian
host at Hotel Ulysse (a Citotel booked through the Internet), we waited for
a public bus that never came. Eventually we decided to walk into town and en
route met up with a charming couple who encouraged us to join them for a
visit to the local farmer’s market. This venue was a beehive of activity.
Ducks and chickens with heads and feet intact, lay in cold repose. Octagonal
mauve lavender soaps were stacked up like the steps of the Giant’s Causeway.
With the sun’s rays filtering through the overhead canopy, jars of comb
honey shone like amber. Local jam made from unsweetened grapes with slices
of apple, quince or figs looked tempting. Blushing peaches and alizarin
cherries lay in round baskets under an umbrella of cascading strings of
garlic. Merlot bottles of wine from nearby vineyards stood next to jars of
olive oil. The cheese counter was the epitome of lively interaction among
the locals. No latex gloves here and customers insisted on checking
the aroma of each product before purchase - perhaps a moldy puck of goat
cheese, a pot of sheep’s yogurt or an hors d’oeuvre of Montpellier butter
flavored with tarragon, watercress, capers and anchovies. For the sweet
tooth, one can sample Grisettes de Montpellier – small marble-size sweets
made of honey and liquorice, rolled in crushed brown sugar once used for
trade by travelling pilgrims.
With
our knapsacks well stocked with fresh fare, we set off by train for the
nearby Mediterranean town of Sete. A picturesque working port, its
pastel-colored Italianate houses stand cheek-to-jowl along the Grand Canal
which is part of the Canal du Midi. Sete is a town that assails the senses.
Motorbikes buzz through the streets and over the bridges like angry hornets,
the smell of things fishy assails the nostrils, diesel fumes emanate from
colorful fishing boats. The eyes feast on the red pantiled roofs of
sumptuous residences peeking out from treed Mont St. Clair. Little wonder
that this destination is favored by artists and photographer alike. Popular
seafood restaurants abound with menus advertising fresh caught mussels, sea
snails and large oysters from the nearby salt-water lagoon. Further along
the harbor we came across magnificent cruise ships which were soon to set
sail for the exotic ports of Casablanca, Tangier and Tunis.
The
next day we decided to sample a little medieval history and travel south
east of Montpellier to the walled town of Aigues-Mortes (“Place of Dead
Waters”). Built during the reign of Louis IX , it was an inhospitable
barren place infested by malaria-carrying mosquitoes. However, rising out of
salt marshes and lakes, the site was protected from overland invasions and
from enemy attack by sea. Its 13th C. fortifications have been perfectly
preserved and for a fee, visitors can walk along the ramparts and climb up
the Tower of Constance for a view over the checkerboard of red-tiled roofs.
In the distance one can also see the Carmargue – the marshlands where herds
of semi-wild white horses and black bulls freely roam along with thousands
of pink flamingoes. One of the oldest buildings in Aigues-Mortes is the 13th
C. church called “Our Lady of the Sands”. During our visit, a wedding was in
progress so we had the pleasure of watching a chic French fashion parade
unfold before our eyes. At lunchtime, we threaded our way along the narrow
streets to one of the outdoor restaurants in Saint Louis’ Square where we
sat under the shade of a plane tree. No sooner had our plat du jour arrived
than the heavens opened and our fish were soon afloat in our plates. The
“Place of Dead Waters” had become very much alive.