Sabbatical 8/26 - Travelling to Montpellier
I'd done everything in Lyon I wanted to do, so when I woke up on August 25th I took a train to Montpellier. One short and uneventful train ride later I was closer to the Mediterranean that I ever had been before.
The train station in Montpellier is right on the edge of the old city center. As with Lyon this was a set of twisty narrow streets surround a bunch of predominantly two and three story buildings. I skirted the edge of it, walked across a long park and down a flight of stairs to reach my hotel, which was across the street from the large aqueduct that provided water for the city starting in the 17th century.
My hotel was probably my favorite hotel of my entire trip. The room itself wasn't anything special, but it had a very nice garden complete with many flowers, citrus trees, and a koi pond. They also had the best breakfasts of the trip, complete with pitchers of hot chocolate. Pairing breakfast and the garden was a great way to get my day started.
As befits the Mediterranean climate, it was hot every day I was in Montpellier. Once I was checked in, I took a siesta. Once it cooled off, I wandered around the old quarter and got myself properly oriented. Like most of the places I went on this trip, there were copious places to acquire ice cream, and I availed myself of them frequently. Once I was confident I could find my way around I had some cheap halal kebabs for dinner. Back at the hotel I cooled off with a shower and slept very well. I'd need the rest, as the agenda for the next day involved an art museum and a friend I had never met before.
I didn't take any photos on this day, but I did scout a number of cool places that I shot in subsequent days, like the Place de la Comedie, a botanical garden associated with the world's oldest medical school, a few remnants of the city walls, an Arc de Triomphe and the aforementioned park, which contained a water tower that had been fed by the aqueduct.
The train station in Montpellier is right on the edge of the old city center. As with Lyon this was a set of twisty narrow streets surround a bunch of predominantly two and three story buildings. I skirted the edge of it, walked across a long park and down a flight of stairs to reach my hotel, which was across the street from the large aqueduct that provided water for the city starting in the 17th century.
My hotel was probably my favorite hotel of my entire trip. The room itself wasn't anything special, but it had a very nice garden complete with many flowers, citrus trees, and a koi pond. They also had the best breakfasts of the trip, complete with pitchers of hot chocolate. Pairing breakfast and the garden was a great way to get my day started.
As befits the Mediterranean climate, it was hot every day I was in Montpellier. Once I was checked in, I took a siesta. Once it cooled off, I wandered around the old quarter and got myself properly oriented. Like most of the places I went on this trip, there were copious places to acquire ice cream, and I availed myself of them frequently. Once I was confident I could find my way around I had some cheap halal kebabs for dinner. Back at the hotel I cooled off with a shower and slept very well. I'd need the rest, as the agenda for the next day involved an art museum and a friend I had never met before.
I didn't take any photos on this day, but I did scout a number of cool places that I shot in subsequent days, like the Place de la Comedie, a botanical garden associated with the world's oldest medical school, a few remnants of the city walls, an Arc de Triomphe and the aforementioned park, which contained a water tower that had been fed by the aqueduct.