Montpellier, France

I arrived in Montpellier on Friday, May 25, 2007. To be completely honest, my first impression was that is was not quite what I expected. I had this image of a charming little city in my head, but Montpellier seemed to be big, congested, and radiating urban sprawl in every direction. (Ultimately, my opinion of Montpellier would change dramatically, but more on that later...) My French class at the Alliance Française would be starting Monday, as would the housing that they had arranged for me, so I checked into a hotel for the weekend and took stock of my surroundings. I wasn’t alone for long – Robert decided to take a drive down to visit Montpellier over the weekend with Brian (another guest from the Lotus Tree) and Jean-François (a Canadian guy was working at the Lotus Tree).


Brian, Me and Jean-François over dinner in Place Jean Jaurès in Montpellier.

And of course, before the weekend was out, the barstaff at my two instantly-favorite watering holes, Le Heaven and PopArt, all knew me by name as well as my favorite cocktails. How welcoming is Montpellier?!?! And while we’re on the topic of drinks, remember the various accoutrements adorning the Smirnoff Ice bottles throughout South America? In France, dressing up the Smirnoff Ice is unnecessary, as it simply radiates with an inner glow:


Smirnoff Ice at Le Heaven

Other cocktails, however, can be downright tacky – but deliciously so – such as this concoction at PopArt.

I won’t do the full overview of Montpellier just yet, but suffice it to say I quickly became immensely fond of the city. Here are a couple of snapshots to tide us over:

L’Arc de Triomphe

Tromp l’oeil just outside the city center. There are a few really impressive examples of this type of art around the city.

L’Opera de la Comedie

Place de la Comedie, with the Fountain of the 3 Graces

And here’s a photo of (most of) my French class. Being the only American wasn't enough -- had to stand out even more by once again wearing my colorful floral-print shorts.

Next up, a day trip to Sete and more on Montpellier...