This was to be Lynn and Mike's last day in Montpellier. Tomorrow, Sunday, they would rise very early and our hostess, Micky, volunteered to drive them at 6:00 a.m. to the airport near town. In the few days that we spent with our hosts, we were very taken by their hospitality and warmth. They made us feel very much at home and extended themselves not a few times, the airport drive being typical.
We started our last full day in Montpellier by visiting the nearby town of St. Guilhem, a bit northwest of town. We took an "N" route out of town (N's are national roads and are a bit wider and faster than the regional "D" routes. When we left the "N" we found ourselves in the town of Ariane. As we drove through town we noticed a large marche and decided to stop and check it out. It was bustling with local shoppers who were perusing and buying all sorts of food products including olives, cheeses, sausages, meats of all kinds, clothing, hardware, etc. We decided we would have a picnic on the way to our destination and stocked up on some bread, cheese, olives and sausage. We added a bottle of wine and continued our drive into the mountains and St. Guilhem.
The busy market in Ariane.
Olives anyone?
One of the joys of driving the back roads of France - endless miles of trees planted. Beautiful!
We stopped for a picnic on the way to St. Giulhem.
Some fine Languedoc wine, saucisson, tomate et fromage. Tres fantastique!
After our lunch we drove on a small distance to St. Giulhem. Again, Micky had recommended this small village because its charm and ancient buildings. Built between two mountains it was one's idealized vision of a medieval French town with stone buildings and winding narrow streets.
This puss greeted us on our arrival in St. Giulhem.
Wandering the narrow streets of St. Guilhem.
Stacey could almost touch both sides of the street at once.
Ah, at last, a picture of the photographer (well, in his son's eyes anyway).
After St. Guilhem, we returned the short distance to our B&B in Montpellier, rested for half an hour and traipsed, via Tram, into town. This was Lynn and Mike's last few hours. They wanted to do some last minute shopping. We picked out a special restaurant for our last dinner together, which was a lovely place called Le petit Jardin and then trammed it back home for an early bedtime. They would be up at 4 a.m. and a quick ride to the airport and their flight to Paris to catch the plane back to Los Angeles.
I think they had a wonderful time. We certainly enjoyed travelling with them, good companions that they were. But now our trip continued without them. We were leaving Micky's house tomorrow as well. At the last moment, Micky and her husband, Jacques (who had been away until now), invited us to spend a night at their "country" house in St. Tropez. You can check that out in our next post. Until then, I wish you a bientot and good night. Zzzzzzz......
No comments:
Post a Comment