We finished up our walk around Montpellier by retracing our steps down elegant Rue Foch, lined with beautiful old hotels (mansions). As we reached the Place de Ville (City Hall), we found an old building that we had been searching for earlier but without success. Many of these cities had medieval Jewish communities and Montpellier was no exception. In fact, it was the blending of the various cultures, Islamic, Jewish and Christian, that brought a flowering of culture and intellectual exploration to Montpellier - its university was famous far and wide, established in the 14th century. Perhaps that should be a lesson for our times as well.
The building we had been looking for was an ancient Mikvah - a bath - used by Jewish women to purify themselves each month. We entered and descended into the bowels of this ancient house and the bath was still there. We tried to picture in our minds the ancient city with its people of various faiths, intermingling and going about their business on a daily basis. Must have been something to see.
They love to trim the London Plane trees. Here, the Arch de Triomphe from the Promenade de Peyru.
Jews played a large part in Montpellier's history...this buildig was an ancient mikvah used by Jewish women to purify themselves.
Two young Los Angelinos looking out of medieval windows at the Jewish mikvah.
Psst....when do you think we can get down from here?? Beautiful old buildings in Montpellier.
We really like Montpellier. It has a great feel of energy and development while it maintains a deep pride in its historic center. The new tram that connects downtown to the outlying neighborhoods was a wonder to us. How come New York doesn't invest in its mass transit systems with new and innovative forms like these smaller French cities?
A new tram moves people in and out of downtown in efficient and pleasant cars.
Hurry, catch that tram.
.....
Our plan was to use Montpellier as a base to explore the surrounding countryside. We could go west and south towards Spain (Barcelona was only three hours away). We could go east into Provence or north into the mountains. For our first trip outside, we decided to strike out for Arles, a lovely city an hour or so to the east. It has a well-preserved Roman amphitheatre (that's used today for concerts) and, of course, was home to Van Gogh who was hospitalized there and who painted the surroundings during his stay.
On our way to Arles, Micky urged us to stop at the medieval walled city of Aigues Morte. (meaning Dead Waters). She assured us we would find it very interesting. It was ancient Gaul's first opening to the Mediterranean and was, until it got silted up and could no longer be used, a key defense against Spanish and other incursions. It lies on the edge of the vast and fascinating Camargue, a wetland formed by the Rhone River as it empties into the Mediterranean. Because the waters are so shallow, salt has been mined here for eternities. As the hot sun evaporates the water in the summer, salt is left behind which is piled into huge hills 30 or 40 feet high. Stores in the area sell Camargue Fleur de Sel, which is coarser than table salt, more like Kosher salt, but in any case it tasted like plain old salt to me, even though better flavor is attributed to it by the locals. Salt is salt.
The ancient walled city of Aigues Morte (Dead Waters), approached though quaint streets of the newer town outside.
Two pooches watch the action below in Aigues Morte.
You don't see too many of these any more: a Solex moped, France's solution to motorized transit after WWII. -- I had a couple back in the States - a motor with a friction roller rubs, and thus turns, the front wheel....or pull the motor off the wheel via that black handle and pedal away sens moteur.
Lunch was at a Spanish tapas restaurant on a Place St. Louis: Toro Luna. Quite good as we gulped down pan con tamate y anchoa (bread with tomatoes and anchovies). Switching from French to Spanish (on the menu) was confusing and then ordering from the French waiter, more so.
Lynn and Mike sharing good times at Toro Luna restaurant in Aigues Morte.
And here's the bill -- in Euros!
We walked on and entered the massive Tower Of Constance, which was built in 1242 by Saint Louis, at one corner of the wall. This was built to protect the King who had taken residence there (in between several Crusades in which he participated; thus the "Saint" appelation). And protection it did, indeed, afford. Surrounded by a moat, it had numerous slits through which the King's men would fire their arrows at any transgressors. During later years, it was used as an ominous prison for Protestants who were rounded up during the Wars of Religions. And still later, in 1905, immigrant Italian salt laborers took shelter to protect themselves from anti-immigration rioters. What a history!
The Tower of Constance, built by Saint Louis in 1254. Louis was no saint ... he was off to Africa to fight the Moors in varoius crusades.
You can see the salt hills piled in the distance.
The wall still stands in Aigues Morte.
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