Montpellier, Hérault and Sète

This past weekend I went to Montpellier to see Alissa and my aunt and uncle! I arrived in the afternoon, after a pretty two hour train ride along the coast! We walked around a bit and I enjoyed being in a little warmer climate than Aix (with lots of palm trees!). After a little while, we were all hungry and tired (they had just arrived after a long flight) so we began our search for crepes. After our early dinner (5:30) Aunt Lynne, Uncle Ted and their friends headed back to their hotel that was outside of the city and Alissa and I went back to our hotel as well, but ours was in the center of Montpellier. We hung out for the night and I was able to meet a lot of Alissa's friends!





The next day, we went on a great journey! We began by getting out of Montpellier and heading towards the Hérault region, which was about thirty minutes outside of the city. We were on a mission to find some grottes (caves)! After driving through the wine country part of this region, we stumbled upon the pont du diable ( bridge of the devil) and a beautiful turquoise river! After exploring some ruins that we weren't supposed to, we entered into the Grotte de Clamouse, one of the coolest things i have ever seen! It was a huge cave that was just recently discovered (50 years ago) with stalagmites and stalactites that were hundreds of thousands of years old! Definitely one of my favorite things I have seen and experienced so far! We walked up and down stairs in the cave for about an hour and a half and stared in awe at these giant, ancientt formations!




After our cave tour, we went on a search for lunch. We had a French picnic in mind, but had difficulty at first finding food! It was a Saturday afternoon and in this region, everything seemed to be closed from 12 to 3! Finally, we were able to find fresh French bread, lots of cheese, and of course, wine. After locating our lunch, we went back and found a spot overlooking the pont du diable! We were surrounded by olive trees and vineyards and it was absolutely beautiful. The picture that comes to mind when someone describes the French country side doesn't do it justice; it is just that beautiful. We then had to make a hard choice; wine tour or find another cave to explore! Alissa had told us that she saw a winery near by that she is familiar with from working at a wine shop! She sold a few types of their wine and said it was delicious. So we decided a wine tour in the south of France was a great idea. We went to the Mas de Daumas Gassac winery, which was located a few miles down a stone road, surrounded by little chateaus and tons of grapevines! We were given a tour and ended up being able to taste a special wine that they usually do not offer for tastings (it was a 90 euro bottle of red... YUMMY!). After our wine tour, we took the scenic route back to Montpellier, which took us through some adorable towns!




My favorite part of every day comes next: dinner. We went to a restaurant with a great menu! I decided I was going to be adventurous and try things that I have always wanted to try. For an appetizer, I would have terrine de foie gras (goose liver spread), my second appetizer (yes there were two) was les cuisses de grenouilles (FROG LEGS... tasted like chicken!), then I had duck cassoulet. Then came the cheese and dessert... what a meal! I was also able to try a little shark (sorry Ashley!!) that Alissa's friend Lisa ordered, which was delicious! It was similar to swordfish! What a day!!!!!!!!!



On Sunday, my family left to drive Alissa up to Marvejolsand they could continue on their vacation to the Dordogne! Instead of going right back to Aix, I decided I would travel on my own to Sète, which is a little town on the Mediterranean coast! It was really windy and since it was Sunday, there was not much open, but I still enjoyed my day very much! When I first arrived, I immediately was in love. Sète has the nickname of being the Venice of France, with tomns of canals! It was one of the cutest towns I have ever seen! I headed right for the ocean and found a nice little spot to sit and read, right near the harbor and under the lighthouse! I basked in the sun and the warmth for a little while! I spent the day people watching,reading, staring at the canals and ocean and drinking coffee. What a hard life I am living! What a great weekend!!!!!!!