The journey Continues

Well it all started yesterday. The weather had been cool and wet for a few days. Most uncharacteristic, but now it is warm and dry, so we decided to walk along the river Lez. It is to the East of the city and runs roughly North South and ends up at the Mediterranean not far away. Our map shows an area which has a sort of nautical name so we headed for there. Did I mention that the architecture takes your breath away?

We missed it completely and carried on along the lovely river into more and more boring, industrial territory. We were passed by many bicycles and runners, so we assumed that civilisation would exist somewhere beyond where we could see. We were right. All of a sudden we were in the area called Lattes. This particular part consists of a ring of high class residential blocks surrounding a circular lake. Did I mention that the architecture takes your breath away? On this sunny day there was nothing else to do but sit by the lake and take in the scenery. It was an ideal opportunity to reflect on the fact that we are in Montpellier proper, where the history is King and the prices are high, but did I mention that the architecture takes your breath away?

Al of this philosophy on how beautiful it all was and how lucky we were to be there, made us thirsty, so a hunt for the refreshments commenced. We came upon the real reason for the delightful modern surroundings. It is a marina! and what a marina it is. Lots of large luxurious boats all moored just walking distance from the residences, with easy access to the river, which, in turn, provides easy access to the Mediterranean.

Well, the local patisserie was very civilised and provided a full range of cakes and pastries, together with drinks, to the lovely sheltered area on the water. Pam had a soft drink and a raspberry tart which was divine, and I had a beer called Desperado, and it was flavoured with Tequila, which gave it a sweet finish. Delightful. Did I mention that the architecture takes your breath away?

Sufficiently fortified, we set off in search of a bus stop as our walk had taken over an hour and the feet were sore. The bus timetable revealed that the next bus would be an hour away, and we could walk back to town in that time. So we did.

The walk took us back along the river, and we suddenly realized that our original target had been a fairly boring area just out of town. Boring because it is still under construction. We stopped for a coffee and discovered low prices and high quality. Next store was a fruit shop which sold all the most interesting cheeses. We must go back. Did I mention that the architecture takes your breath away?

Well that was yesterday. Today, I went shopping. The kind of masculine shopping that Pam hates. I wen to almost exactly the same area but on the other side of the auto route. There I found Whitehorse Road, Box Hill, complete with the big furniture shops, computer shops, car yards, Mega marts, and traffic. The architecture did NOT take My breath away!

Everything out in this part of town is cheap, boring and international, but that's what I wanted. I bought a casserole dish, a good knife and a backpack, not to mention a number of restorative coffees and cakes. Who wouldn't! Did I mention that the architecture doesn't take your breath away?

Then I checked out the car yards and they all told me that buying a car in France is a nightmare. At least I'm prepared for an adventure when I do it.

Lastly, tired and in need of a cup of tea, I went to the supermarket before heading home. Lo and behold! Chick-less check outs! Yes, the express lanes have no human being, although there is someone watching therm all. You just scan your bits and pieces and put them all on this platform which presumably weighs them to ensure that they are what you scanned, and then asks for your credit card. Unfortunately, they didn't like Alan and rang the alarm frequently. The lady in charge was very patient and asked for my passport and the police. Not really. She just informed Me that my foreign credit card could only do a credit purchase, and I needed to sign for the purchase and then show something to verify my signature. Neat eh?

I crossed the road and caught the bus home. Interesting, the bus tickets here have no regard for distance. They just last one hour, and you can have as many trips as you like and go as far as you like, as long as it is within the hour. The bus (No. 16 for those who are interested) went all the way from the area of Lattes to our place on the other side of town which was very convenient. Needless to say, I missed my stop and was forced to walk back through an absolutely magnificent area of old house, patisseries, florists and fruit shops. Did I mention that the architecture takes your breath away?

Well, that's got that off my chest and I've had a cuppa. Photo's to come later. We are now going out for dinner in town to catch up on each others' news.