Our Day in Montpellier

Yesterday was another “Field Trip” day. This time we were headed for the city of Montpellier, near the sea. This was a town that Polley and I had visited 20 years ago, but were not returning out of any pangs of nostalgia, but we going to visit Julie Ribault, the sister of Natacha Price, our good friend and owner of the Madrona Hill Bakery. Julie had been kind enough to encourage us to visit for a longer period, but we found the prospect of renting a car was a little beyond our budget. So, the old SNCF (the French train) was our option. While we were not riding the famous TGV, we were on a “fast train” to Montpellier, with only one stop, the city of Narbonne on the way there (we were non-stop coming home). This trip, as they always are, was uneventful and, of course (bien sûr!), was right on time, having taken just two hours to arrive in this very old city, built on the ruins of a Roman city.

While we had been promised a warm day, French weather prognosticators being every bit as accurate as those in Portland, it was blowing, cloudy and quite cold! Wandering from the train station up the hill, we came to a wonderful plaza, the Place de la Comedie.



It sits spread out in front of the magnificent opera house.


As we sat down at a little café on the Place, we suddenly remembered attending an opera there in 1986. We can’t recall the name, but it was something about Peas! Anyway, certain aspects of the city suddenly came back to us. Following a light refreshment, we sauntered (having already “wandered”) about the town. Montpellier has various streets angling off the Place, but then they are connected by numerous alleyways that give it a kind of mysterious and romantic feel (although not too romantic at 10:30 a.m. on a cold, cloudy, windy day).

Montpellier is now filled with high-end shops. Polley was in Heaven as we went from one shoe store to another. However, we were very safe in terms of purchasing anything. Even if the dollar was strong, there was no way we were taking any of these things home with us. There must be money in Montpellier!

At noon, by the old carousel in the Place de la Comedie, we found Julie Ribault, sister of Portland’s own Natacha Price. Julie told us she would be wearing an orange scarf, but with just one look, we knew whose sister she had to be! As you will see by the photos, Julie looks very much like Natacha. She told us wonderful stories of when people confused them and the fun they had with that.

Julie was joined by her daughter, Juliane, who was eager waiting to see real Americans. That thrill lasted, maybe, 2 ½ seconds. She was really more interested in the carousel!

We were taking Juliane to her great-grandmother’s house, so that Julie, Polley and I could have a leisurely French lunch. 5 minutes from the Place, we were greeted by Julie and Natacha’s grandmother. She was most gracious. We sat and drank Pastis, and Muscat. Grandma is a very lovely, sharp-witted 84 year-old and despite neither of us having a lot of the other’s language, we did manage to communicate. It was a truly lovely start of the afternoon.

Leaving Juliane with grandma, we headed off for lunch at a wonderful Salon de Thé call L’Heure Bleue. These Salon de Thés are something that seem to be much more prevalent in France then when we were here two years ago. They are a kind of sophisticated brasserie. L’Heure Bleue was a wonderful cross between a fancy antique shop and a sophisticated restaurant. You can see from this photo of a fanciful doorway in L’Heure Bleue.


It was wonderful. The plates contained a variety of offerings usually built around a theme. I had a Greek dish which had stuffed grape leaves, a Tzatziki-based cucumber salad, a small slice of quiche and a miniature spanikopita. Polley had a kind of breakfast dish of tomato tarte tartin, scrambled eggs with chives and a green salad with walnuts. Julie had yet another dish. With a bottle of wine, we experienced real French dining as we sat there for a couple of hours gabbing away as though we had known each other forever.




In some ways, we had. Natacha was the connection and from there the rest was easy.




Following a few photos in the restaurant, we stepped back outside to beautiful blue sky and a much lighter breeze. Julie then took us on a walking tour of old Montpellier. We went up toward the Place Royale du Peyrou, passing through their own Arc de Triumph,




through the gardens to the Peyrou




and beyond that to where a still functioning aqueduct stands.


From there you have a panoramic view of from the Mediterranean to the hills to the north. With Julie leading the way, we just drifted (having now wandered and sauntered) through the streets and alleyways, along another parkway, called the Esplanade Charles de Gaulle


until we made our way back to the Place de la Comedie where we sat at a café in the bright sunshine (with nearly every other person in Montpellier – Julie says that sitting at cafes in the major hobby of the people of the city) and enjoyed each others stories and company for another hour. As the clock moved toward 5 o’clock, Julie needed to rescue Grandma and Polley and I had a train to catch. Two hours later, we were catching the metro in Toulouse and heading for home. It was a wonderful day, a great chance to make new friends and to enjoy the extension of Natacha’s family. I have a feeling that we will make our way back to Montpellier in the future.

Checking In

One and all,

It has been a few days since the last blog. This is probably a sign that not very much is happening in our lives at the moment. We have two big trips planned and so we are laying low with our ever weakening dollar and trying to budget for our train trips. Next Tuesday we are going to Montpellier to visit a city that we so enjoyed many years ago (1986) when we spend nearly 3 weeks in France with our friends, the Bradens. This time we are going over the have lunch with Natcha Price’s sister. If you don’t know Natacha, she runs the Madrona Hill Bakery. Her sister lives outside of Montpellier and is coming into the city to meet with us. We are looking forward to meeting a part of Natacha’s family and to see the city again.

On 30 avril, we are traveling up to Paris for 4 days. We are planning to see Genevieve Galman, the very lively lady that we met (along with her husband, Jacques) several years ago and with whom we have remained in contact. We are planning dinner out with her and she has invited us to come to her home as well. More on those trips later.

As for our lives here, one thing that has limited us is the weather. They may sing of “April in Paris,” and “holiday tables under the trees,” but the reality is that your holiday table will consist of most “frozen food”! It is very cold and very windy. April has seemed to get progressively colder since we arrived. The first week we were sitting out in some café each night. That has not happened at all this week. Cafes are closing early because so few are sitting out doors. This also effects many of the smaller cafes because the have so little room indoors. They are turning people away because of no place to sit. We did have lunch out on Wednesday. We do our laundry right next to a nice little café, so we had lunch and every 15 minutes or so checked on the progress of our laundry. We did happen to use a larger machine for our load white clothes and a French woman was none to pleased. She explained that the machine was strictly to be used for coverlettes and comforters. However, she soon forgave me for my error and we talked about learning some English in England and we ended up :bon amis!

There are always those moments where because you are a stranger in a strange land, that you spend money needlessly. We were out of bread and happened to be a part of town we didn’t usually frequent. We saw a bakery (boulangerie) and went in. Picked out a large loaf of bread and set it on the counter. The woman weighed it and announced that it cost 6.44 euro – about $10.17! It turns out that this bakery charged bys the kilo and this was one dense loaf!


I will say that it lasted about 4 days, so, as Natacha’s huband , Will, taught us, we were able to depreciate the cost.

Tuesday evening Polley and I went to the ballet at the Théâtre du Capitole, right on the Place du Capitole. It was amazing. The program featured choreographed works by George Balanchine and a Czech dancer named Jiri Kylián. Kylián’s work was some of the most dramatic dance we have ever seen. I urge you to go to UTube and search Kylián and a piece called Petite Mort. There is a sample of what we saw and it is amazing. It is funny, but right from the opening moment of the evening, you knew that the dance you were seeing was a cut above Portland. My sense of that continued to grow as the evening went along. Toulouse has a very active arts community and we are hoping to get tickets the opera and one more dance program before our time is done.

Well, little more to report. We continue to watch the weather in Portland and then realize, perhaps we arre not soo bad off. However, we are hoping for better things to come. When sitting out and watching the people is your favorite thing to do, this weather is not helping us one bit. But when we have complained a bit, we then think, “Nous sommes en France” (we are in France) and that helps a good deal. À bientôt.

A Walk Around Toulouse

For me, an important tradition during the early part of each day is a good brisk walk around Toulouse. I love to do it about 8 in the morning when people are heading off for work and children are being escorted to school. It gives me a real sense of the particular rhythm of a place. Polley and I love that part of our travels. For an hour or more, I walk a variety of routes and as the town is blessed with wonderful wide sidewalks, parkways and promenades. There are many options (unlike Mexico). I thought it might be interesting for you to follow me on my favorite jaunts which is a kind of circle around the oldest part of the city.

I head out the door of our apartment and start west toward the Garonne River. Before arrfiving there, I cross the Canal de Brienne. A block of two beyond that is the Garonne and the Pont des Catalans, which crosses the Garonne. From the bridge I can see the Dome de la Grave.


I walk beyond the Dome and head south, usually crossing at the Pont Neuf and passing my a neatly manicured garden.


From the west side of the bridge, you can look north up the Garonne . .


or across the old town at the Elise de Notre Dame de la Daurade.


This morning, which as you can see from the photos, was a gloriously clear day, I chose to stay on the west side of the river and walk along the river in a green-space, called the Filtres des Prairie, toward the Pont Saint-Michel.


Pont Saint-Michel is the most southern bridge connecting to the old part of the city. From there you walk east down a long, tree-lined boulevard, the Allées Jules Guesde. As you head up the Allées, you pass this very dramatic spillway.


This street is lined with beautiful 18th and 19th century buildings, including the Théâtre Sorano.


At the end of this lovely street in the Grand Rond, a large and lush round-about that can send traffic out to the Peripherique and then on to cities South and West, or can propel people back into the city center.


On one side of the Grand Rond is another lovely park.


In fact, each side of the Grand Rond seems to have some sort of park, including the Jardin des Plantes to the south.

Then we head north on another beautiful, tree-line Allées, leading first to the Monument aux Morts (dead), and then on up, eventually coming full circle to our neighborhood.


However, before arriving home, I often take a left and pass the Place de Wilson.



From there I can work my way to the center of town, passing by this wonderful old building that now houses the office of tourism.


Usually, on a weekday, the Place de Capitole is very busy, but as this picture was taken on a Sunday morning, the Place is usually deserted except for a bread wagon that sells the most enormous variety of baked goods.


Another option is to just continue up the Allée Verdier and nd work my way through the open-air market (marché) which is there nearly everyday of the week (Pictures obviously taken on a less attractive day). It is filled with vendors with everything from fish and meat, to cheeses and fresh fruits and vegetables



Some days I go further east and walk along the Canal du Midi, the amazing canal through which barges pass. In fact you can go by barge from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic through a series of Canals in France, the du Midi being an important one.


This canal runs just a block from our place and I often start the walk by cutting through the park next to our apartment and then take the pedestrian overpass to the canal itself and start the walk.


There are a great many possibilities in this city and I am enjoying each one of them, sometimes to the point of getting dreadfully lost and then having the excitement of working my way home. More to come.

Our Field Trip to Lourdes

Yesterday, Wednesday, April 9th, we took our first field trip, traveling about 2 hours west to the pilgrimage town of Lourdes. If you don’t know its history, let me give you a brief run down, since Polley and I sat through the video (a private viewing in a room that would have seated about 50!) In the middle of the 19th century, a young girl, Bernadette Soubirous (the car is not named after her!), saw a vision of the Virgin Mary in a grotto where she had gone to do her daily chores. For the next two weeks or so, she was visited by the apparition a total of 18 times. Word spread about the sightings and, eventually, Bernadette became Sister Bernadette and the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception was built on the rock of the grotto (at the behest of the Virgin).

The entire town is built around this shrine and millions come to visit every year. More about all of this later.

Polley and I were going to reach Lourdes by taking a train from Toulouse to a town called Tarbes, where we to then change trains for a brief ride down to Lourdes. We had decided to take a cab to the train station as we left quite early Wednesday morning. At first, we were going to simply flag a cab down, but we noticed cabs are not very plentiful in Toulouse except at the aeroport and le gare (train station). So, I thought that if one is truly going to enter into the culture, one needs to do things like get on the phone and call a cab. So, I did! The phone reservation went very smoothly. The only problem was that our apartment is right next to a Novotel Hotel. The cab arrived that I was sure was for us, but, of course, it went to the hotel and picked up someone else (they had not taken my name on the phone). Suddenly, with about 45 minutes to go we were without transportation. So we hustled down the main street to find a cab. No luck! Finally, in a panic, I went into another hotel and got the desk clerk to call us a cab. With 10 minutes to spare we were at le gare!

French trains, of course, run precisely on time. We were shortly underway for out 90 minute trip to Tarbes.


The trip runs parallel to the foothills of the Pyrenees. I took a couple of pictures out of the train window at the snow-covered peaks.




While the wind had been howling and light rain falling in Toulouse, by the time we got to Tarbes, the sun was shining and with an hour layover, we found a little café and based in the sun for 45 minutes or so. Tarbes, just in the few blocks around the train station had some interesting architecture. I captured a couple of the places close by.




At about noon we arrived in Lourdes.

We, of course, had bundled up because it was cold and damp in Toulouse. In Lourdes the sun was shining and we spent more time carrying out jackets than wearing them. We went immediately to the Tourist Information Office to get a map of the town and to begin our own pilgrimage.
To get a sense of Lourdes, you need to understand that this small town of about 16,000 has the largest number of hotels, second only to Paris. Building after building is a hotel. Most are on the second floor (the French lst floor) with a retail business below, most likely a souvenir shop related the blessed miracle. One of the things that people do in Lourdes is bless themselves or submerse themselves in or drink the water. The most amazing “trucs (French souvenirs)” were the variety of containers one could purchase to collect water from the grotto. My favorite was the clear plastic Virgin Marys in a variety of sizes. I imagined freezing them and having some amazing ice cubes for parties or University socials! There were also small water containers that looked like a miniature version of our standard gas cans. I must apologize for not documenting these containers. They were truly amazing.

Anyway, from the tourist office, we made our way down the hill, winding through the town, past the hotels, truc shops, and water source for the town.


You enter the Sanctuaire at St. Michael's Gate.


Beyond that is the Basilica and all that is contained within the complex. It is a bit like entering the "Magic Kingdom."


It is immense! There are dormitories for those who are ill and handicapped and who have come to seek the blessing of the waters of the Lourdes. You see volunteers wheeling those less mobile to and from the basilica. There are chapels everywhere, with a huge underground basilica, and chapels of reconciliation and contemplation. There is a journey past the Stations of the Cross, which, from photos, looks to be quite spectacular in the evening. It is truly amazing.

Polley and I made our way through St. Michael’s gate and up to the Basilica. It was built in the latter part of the 19th century at the insistence of the blessed Virgin.








We also made our way around the side of the Basilica to the grotto itself where you could walk along the dampened wall of stone and touch the place in which the vision took place. Spigots run along a wall so that you can fill your personal Holy Water canteen.


Beyond the grotto itself is a huge area for the lighting of candles in tribute to particular friends and family members. Here we are not talking your small votive candle, but you see people carry candles that are four or five feet in length, some which appear to be small missiles. Those that have melted down are continually replaced by new ones. It seems never ending!


After our visit to the Basilica, we returned to a Tourist Information Office right on the grounds We did start up the path for the Stations of the Cross. We had seen these in the video presentation. However, when we climbed the hill to begin, we were shocked. They are bronze, life-size statues, but they have been an exterior coating that makes them appear to be plastic representations of metal. I did not get pictures, because I was afraid I could not do them the proper injustice!.

After a lunch and some further wandering about the town, we slowly made our way past Lourdes Castle that stands on a hill, separated from all the activity, looking a bit like a hurt child who is no longer the center of attention. "Up until 1858 it was all about me! What happened?"



By about 5 p.m., we had been pretty thoroughly beaten down what with various treks back and forth through the town, around the Sanctuaire grounds and up the hill for the Stations of the (double) Cross. We slowly worked our way back up the hill to a cafe across from the train station, where I caught another view of the town with the Pyrenees in the background.


About 6 p.m., we caught a direct train back to Toulouse. We got in about 8:20 and headed home. A very nice cabbie in a very posh Mercedes whisked us to our door. We followed up with some excellent bread, cheese, and paté and headed to bed. The first of what we hope will be weekly field trips. More later.