MTP experiment- the middle ten days: rain, films and discoveries!

"Will it never stop?"

Greyrocks wanted a fair trial. How would we find a protracted stay in the city? So a bit of bad weather would help decision making! But ten days like this was rather overdoing it! The rain had been forecast, but seemed unlikely as we entered the second weekend, but decided that if we were to explore the historic centre on foot we had better do it soon! A sunny Saturday meant the area was very busy, but we spent hours following a route suggested by a map from the tourist office which covered narrow streets, quirky shops, numerous squares and carefully maintained monuments. We agreed it was strange that we had been visiting the city for so many years and had not yet done thus!

The Historic Centre

As we went round we spotted - for later use - the two British pubs:- The Shakespeare, which is part of a chain of a dozen Charles Wells houses across French cities, and The Beehive, which is open all day and serves food. We stopped for refreshment near the Jardin des Plantes and found a copy of the definitive live music guide, which led us to yet another disappointment that evening! Le Dome is a brasserie we like and there was supposed to be a Ray Charles tribute act. There wasn't - but we had a good meal, and the booklet advertised a community event next day in one of the residential areas where Neil Conti and the Lazy Sundaze  would be playing in the early evening. So -after a late sort-of Sunday Lunch we took the No 1 tram out towards the quartier of Cevannes, and walked to the park, where we probably the only non-French citizens, and there was a delightful family and community feel.
Far from having to sit on the ground we had seats with a stage view, and far from long queues for a drink, it was really efficient and cheap, based on jetons. The band started on time and -as at Pleine Lune  - played funk solidly - without any vocal input - until 7 pm, by which time the sun had gone and we were getting a bit cold. So it was home again in no time! Bob was most impressed by the eco-loos. which for the gents consisted of outdoor dustbins filled with sawdust!

On Monday the rain started! We had plenty to do - and were cooking at home that day  - but we made plans for wet weather things to see us through. First, there would be a trial run at the swimming pool. Two tram stops away is the impressive Piscine Olympique Antigone. We had dropped in during the first week and decided that the 10 lane 50 metre pool was not going to meet our limited needs; but later research revealed there is - upstairs - a piscine ludique (leisure pool) which would! Its hours are a bit short, there are the hat and shorts rules common in France, and the water is not as warm as one would like, but we get in for EUR 2.90 each - without proof of age! - which can't be bad. (During the month we went three times with varying amount of space for continuous swimming as they have one or two areas dedicated to exercise)

A good standby in bad weather is a film in version original. Trips to Diagonal in the city centre have featured in this blog repeatedly, and we went there early this time on as it poured and then a second time (using our discount from the restaurant opposite - now called Tchoutchou);  but we then discovered a new venue, which has become an instant favourite: - Utopia in the university area. Each of the three salles is decorated like an old drawing room, but is very comfortable. The programme changes frequently, and we went three times in a fortnight!
That's five films seen in the whole month:

Galveston

Leave no Trace

Thunder Road

The Sisters Bothers

BlackkKlansman

and not a dud amongst them!

Greyrocks decided if MTP is to figure in our planned stays we should investigate the network of Brits who live here, and this led us to Inter Nations , which has thousands of members in the city from not just UK, but many other nations. We were invited to a social evening in a very pleasant brasserie in the historic centre. There were about eighty people in total, and we talked with folk from Mongolia, Hong Kong, Australia, Canada and Czecho, as well - of course - as France and UK. We came away much heartened after sharing "Bremoans" with creative younger people who have got out! It also led to a further evening out later (see next post)

Shine On!

Thanks to the aforementioned Mama Sound guide we saw out the rainy period with an afternoon/evening of great live music, and discovered  two interesting new venues. First we went to Bistrot Sainte Anne  which was holding a wine festival all day with live jazz in the early evening. It was pretty crowded, but dry for the moment and we sat outside with some good wine introduced by a trader born in St Albans(!), some very acceptable food, and a chat with a Swiss couple. The jazz was fun, but came to an end, and we couldn't carry on paying the price of the wine, so we set off for Part 2 - a French Pink Floyd tribute band named Shine On. (Not to be confused with a British one of the same name!) This was at a place we have been passing frequently as it is on the main road to Lattes. Pub Le O'Liver looked dreadful from the outside, and although sitting right next to the tram-line it is on the longest stretch between stations we know! So we arrived after the start of their first set and left before the end of the last. They were excellent, and the place is not as bad as it looks! We got some "interesting" looks as Ruth enthused! Having left without hearing two of our favourites, but concerned about the hour, we decided to walk in the city-wards direction and it was a long one all the way home - getting a bonus on R's Fitbit!

Some horseradish would be nice!

Sunday - and particularly Monday - were disgusting and kept us in our temporary chez nous most of the day! Our Sunday roast was taken out at La Boucherie near the airport. This was achieved by a quick dash out and back on the tram. The meal produced take-away meat to get us through the drenching of Monday!

Earlier we had the excitement of being en panne! It was Friday so we were due for a trip out to the supermarket for shopping with Yvette. We also planned - in spite of the weather - to go to the seaside. But Yvette was having nothing of it!The battery was as flat as the proverbial pancake, We had to invoke the AA breakdown service and they sent out a local "van and man" to save us (and challenge Ruth's French).
The weather improved on 18th - giving a final ten days for Greyrocks in Montpellier.

"Grand Projet": Week 1 - the sunny one!

But first: Roses!

The morning after landing we walked across the road and picked up Yvette, then drove the short distance to our little hotel in the delightful resort of Roses for a three night stay. This was designed to give a rest after the ten days of travel, and fill the gap until the Montpellier apartment was available. The weather was glorious after the foulness of Bristol and Bronagh!
Bob had a bike ride and we walked along the seafront, found the very necessary laundry and had a late tapas lunch. Cycling around is so easy that next day Ruth was persuaded to mount the barely-used bike and we went out for an adventure! We began with territory familiar to Bob: south along the wide promenade until the river stops progress and up to the first bridge and into the nature reserve. This is flat and largely traffic-free. With some uncertainty about the route we managed to reach the sea at Empuriabrava, but en route discovered the feature that brings many coach day-trippers: the extensive canal system. (Looks like one for Tim and Pru!) This honest description says it all! It was a gloriously sunny day, and although it was now almost October there were some folk in the sea, and many on the impressive beach. Greyrocks found a less posh bar and stayed for a bit of lunch. The journey back was going well until Ruth tried to remount after a steep bridge and fell into the road followed by bike! Fortunately cars were going slowly and swerved - with a couple of drivers coming to help- and the helmet was being worn. No damage to the bike, a lot of bruising, a range of muscular aches which have taken a while to resolve, nasty damage to the arthritic big toe, and huge impact on her confidence and pride! She insisted on walking (limping) until the nature reserve, and then succumbed to persistent nagging and manged to ride for most of the way back. A wrong turn added an unfortunate couple of kilometres, but a good day out! The remaining time in Roses was more gentle, but still sunny and mellow with great meals!

A bit of luxury this time round!

October 2018 will be remembered chez Greyrocks as the month of the Montpellier Experiment. Regular readers (all ten of them!) will be aware of a growing fondness - obsession even - with France's fastest growing city. (Yesterday we read it has overtaken Strasbourg to reach No 7 in size - bonus question: name the other six and check here!)  We have been visiting once or twice a year for some time - but always staying in a mobile home on a very pleasant quiet campsite between city centre and sea. As the shone has somewhat worn off the Canaries post-referendum, we have been considering coming here for longer spells in Spring and Autumn, which means an urban apartment. We have spent a little more this time and have one that is proving so good that we have already breached the principle of a "pilot"  and booked it again for the Spring! Three of the four tram lines are within spitting distance, and we have been travelling around with ease.

Compare with Corralejo!

We have to bring the bikes up to our terrace, and the parking of Yvette is very tight, so walking and tram are the preferred ways of getting around.

We did, however, make one car trip:- combining the essential shopping at the Lattes hypermarket with Grau du Roi  - a fishing port that is just over the departmental border, and - like Palavas - has dozens of restaurants along both banks of the river. It was a beautiful day and the place was heaving. Amongst the visitors were several organised groups of cyclists - some British! We had managed to misunderstand a parking meter and pay too much, and then Ruth had an incident of poor design and/or operator error in the automatic loo and began the walking tour with wet feet! However we had an interesting stroll and stopped for a beer on the seafront close to a new statue which reminded us of that at a similar location in Corralejo.

It was late but not dark for us!

It was a bit chilly in the wind at the chosen bar and we decided to delay lunch, thus ending up with that famous French trap of the 2.30 deadline. (We don't learn and continue to come up against it!) By the time we were hungry there seemed to be no chance, and we headed back towards the car, but suddenly spotted a neon sign down an alley advertising all day service and were welcomed to a place that was essentially a creperie, but served us an excellent salad and a bowl of perfect moules! It also had the strangest toilet decor we have seen for a long time!

Bob did a couple of medium-length bike rides during this dry and sunny period, mostly to Lattes along the river; and on the first Sunday Ruth met him there for the huge market. On other days we walked around bits of the city with which we are familiar, tried to go to the cinema, but the programme had changed, and tried to see Neil Conti and his funk band at Pleine Lune, but their residency had recently finished! Ah well - at least we had the sun and pavement cafes etc. Unlike during the coming week! At Comedie there has been a trailer connected with a breast cancer campaign, and in the neighbouring street a display of open pink umbrellas! How apt!