Leslie Takes Europe -- Mommy in Montpellier!

Mardi, 19 novembre.

Wow. It's now been exactly two weeks since Mommy arrived in Montpellier ... but it feels like yesterday that she pulled up in front of the university and gave me a big hug! (I guess time flies when students are striking?) I'm finally getting around to uploading all our pictures and writing about our adventures, but have decided to divide the trip up into several posts: there's no way I could fit everything all on one page! Everything will be accessible from the main page of the blog, but you can also find all the posts on the blog under the label "Leslie takes Europe."

So ... from the beginning. Mommy arrived at the airport last Thursday afternoon. Unfortunately, I was in the middle of taking a test and couldn't come meet her at the airport. I didn't want her to have to deal with the slightly confusing bus/tram system on her own, so I asked our housing coordinator, Sue Watson, for some advice. She ended up offering to pick Mommy up and bring her to the school!

We met up right after I finished my exam and headed to our "hotel" for the night -- a little studio on the top floor of an ancient building in historic Montpellier. At the apartment, she was greeted by the essentials: coffee, chocolate, and cookies!

I think we really struck gold with the apartment itself. (Thanks, AirBNB.) The little studio was located right in the center of historic Montpellier, with all the old touches still intact -- wooden beams, hardwood floors, stone walls. I loved the quirky decorations, from the mismatched chairs to the steamer trunks! And you really couldn't beat the view.

After we got settled in our little studio and woke up with a cup of coffee (and a cookie or two or three), we decided to take advantage of the remaining daylight and check out some of Montpellier! We walked along the street in front of our building to the Cathedrale Saint-Pierre, the biggest and most beautiful church in Montpellier. Here's Mommy, posing with the columns for scale! (Remember when I did this, wayyy back when?)

 

We even snuck into the Faculte de Medicine ("walk with purpose and act like you belong and nobody will stop us!") so I could show Mommy my favorite view of the cathedral. Isn't that just breathtaking?

 

We were on our way back out of the building when -- "Do you think I can go in there?" she suddenly asked, pointing at a little room full of vending machines. The next thing I know, the woman is snapping pictures ... not of the oldest school of medicine in the world (in which she happens to be standing) but of the building's VENDING MACHINES. 

We continued our tour along the outskirts of Montpellier's historic center, walking by the Jardin des Plants, through Place du Peyrou, and underneath the Arc de Triomph -- which was all lit up for the occasion!

As it started to get darker and darker, we headed to a creperie for dinner. It was a beautifully warm evening, so sitting outside was no problem. Mommy and I both started off with traditional galettes -- egg, cheese, and ham -- and then split a crepe au sucre for dessert. The restaurant owner even brought us free aperatifs to drink ... yum!

After dinner, it was time to unwind and get ready for the big day ahead. And by that, I mean eat more cookies and take silly pictures! (Of course.)

The next morning, we headed to the Gare Montpellier Saint-Roch to catch our train to Lyon. Despite multiple stops for breakfast pastries -- after all, I didn't just want to buy them all in one place! -- we arrived n with plenty of time to relax and explore the station. Mommy even got her first taste of France's strong (and oh so petit) coffee.

Next stop, Lyon! (But don't worry -- we came back to Montpellier eventually.)