May flowers, and more
A quieter month for the Roamers??
We have an organic market in our neighborhood twice weekly, and I recently discovered that the Wednesday market is better than the Sunday one! On a recent trip I got all of what you see below for under 40 euros.
Delicious yogurt, veggies, bread, cheese, strawberries–and peonies!
Since we finished renovations on our apartment almost two years ago, we haven’t done much, but I’d been thinking about changing some paint, and in early May we took the leap, painting our entryway a soft turquoise color.
Our new entryway color; what do you think?
Also in early May, we enjoyed a springtime apéro at the home of our friends Margi and Michael, honoring their friend Jeff’s visit. It was a beautiful evening, with lovely friends, delicious food, and MUSIC! Jeff (pianist) and Michael (singer), along with Martha (on flute), made impromptu music for everyone to enjoy.
Phil enjoying the apéro
The next day we joined a walking tour of some of Montpellier’s hotels particuliers, old mansions that have been converted to apartments, schools, etc.
One of the hotels particuliers we visited
Each of these mansions has an interesting history, and we learned (and immediately forgot) a lot about each one. But the buildings were beautiful, albeit some were in need of a bit of refreshing.
Dizzying staircase viewed from the ground floor
The next day we collected our friends Sue and Mitch at the airport. We hadn’t seen them since our Roaming days, when we spent a month in Seattle, where they live, during the infamous heat dome in July 2021 (I’m not at all bitter about our unairconditioned Airbnb, or the 107 degree heat when we arrived!). Sue and Mitch have been together since junior high, and Sue is one of my Wild Women (a fabulous group of high school girlfriends). In April Wild Woman Linda and her guy Norm visited for our walking holiday, and now it was Sue and Mitch’s turn. I failed to get a photo of all four of us, but I did get a funny one of the two of them.
I asked Mitch to pose as The Most Interesting Man in the World, and this is what he gave me!
Mitch and Sue, in front of the “Three Graces” fountain in the Place de la Comédie.
After catching up, wandering a bit, and having dinner at home. the next morning we headed to Nimes for a day of exploration. Nimes is a Roman town, with an arena where bullfights and other events are still held (the bulls are no longer killed), and several fascinating Roman buildings and ruins still stand. Back in Montpellier, we enjoyed cocktails with a view at Arbre Blanc (translation: white tree), followed by a delicious dinner there. The next day we all enjoyed Thursday coffee with English-speaking friends, after which Sue and Mitch explored the Jardin des Plantes (the oldest botannical garden in France) while Phil and I attended our French classes.
The next day we drove to Perpignan, which Phil and I had never visited. We settled into our funky Hotel Dali , walked the old city, and enjoyed a tapas dinner in a quaint cafe.
Dali’s painting of the Perpignan train station, which he declared to be the “Center of the Universe.”
Sue and I were fascinated by this sculpure in the old town, but we have no idea of its significance.
The next morning we headed out to explore the gorgeous scenery south of Perpignan. First up was the old fort Saint Elme, now closed, but offering spectacular views.
The view from the old fort
The drive was a tiny bit tedious, with way too many sharp turns on tiny streets, but it was worth it. We drove around the area for a while, then decided to have lunch in Collioure, a beautiful seaside town. But after a half hour of searching for a parking place, we gave up and drove on to Argeles-sur-Mer, where we easily found FREE parking!. 
Another gorgeous view from our day
We walked to the beach and had lunch at a restaurant with a hilarious proprietor and a beautiful view, where Phil and I ordered chicken skewers. They came in an elaborate dish made to look like a sailboat!
mel
Sailboat chicken skewers!
It was a long day with a lot of driving, and we were all happy to get home. Unfortunately, a couple of weeks later I was surprised with not one, but TWO SPEEDING TICKET email notices from that day!!! In France, you’re not stopped for speeding; tickets are handled by cameras. I was going 88 kilometers per hour in an 80, and 60 km in a 50–even though I was being super careful (I thought) to mind my speed! That equates to going 5-6 miles per hour over the speed limit, for which you’d never get a ticket in the U.S. Lesson learned.
We bade Sue and Mitch a fond farewell that evening, as they had a super early flight home the next morning. And we had another adventure scheduled: the annual Balade Gastronomique au Grés de Montpellier, a multi-course walking tour of places normally closed to the public, featuring wine tastings and delicious food at each stop: amuse bouche, cold appetizer, warm appetizer, main course, cheese, dessert, and coffee. We’d attended last year, and despite being a bit fatigued, we didn’t want to miss it.
An 18th century garden, where we enjoyed amuses-bouches
It rained all day, and we were completely soaked despite raincoats and umbrellas–but we had such fun! And of course the food and wines were superb. Here’s the menu:, badly translated by me: medley of in-shell shellfish with citrus fruits; “like a pissaladière” (a Provencal flatbread) with sweet onions from Lézignan, anchovy cream from Colloiore (the town we visited with Sue and Mitch) and Luque olive crumble; Mediterranean grilled seabass, eggplant cannelloni with tomato and feta, fish jus reduced with black olives, olive oil, and herbs; stuffed local gineau fowl, carrot purée with tarragon breadcrumbs, and seasoned poultry jus; terrine of roquefort and tomette cheeses from Salagou with spiced bread, microgreens, and black garlic; strawberries marinated in red wine, white chocolate mousse, and a lemon Financier cookie.
The Chateau de la Piscine, where we enjoyed dessert, coffee, and live music
Honestly, although everything was great fun, we were worn out! But a couple of days later we had another special event: a cocktail party honoring Opéra Orchestre Maestro Roderick Cox–a brilliant American from Macon, Georgia!–at five-star Hotel Richer de Belleval. We were warmly greeted, served delicious appetizers, and treated to a tour of the hotel. And we got to chat with Maestro Cox, whom we regard as a rock star!
One of the hotel rooms we toured
After all of this, we were ready for some REST! Aside from French lessons and a few meals and cocktails with friends, we stayed home and did as little as possible the rest of May.
Gorgeous bouganvilla outside our French school
We are so fortunate to have lovely friends here in France–and wonderful family and friends in the States and elsewhere. Lucky Roamers!