When In Doubt, Travel

Ok, false alarm. At around midday, I did manage to suck it up and head to France. I packed a bunch of my favourite ‘on the road’ CDs and those helped a lot. Quite a nice drive, actually, through miles and miles of vinyards, surrounded by the Pyrenees. Though it surprised me how drastically the landscape changed as soon as we crossed the border: more tidy somehow, and more peaceful. Once we got closer to the Camargue, we spotted flocks of flamengoes chilling in kneedeep water, some with their heads underwater, looking for a quick bite to eat. We cruised around the coastline, checking out the beach towns near Montpellier. Most of them weren’t anything to write home about. It made me realise how exceptional the town I live in is. But we did find one, tiny and deserted really, but the beach was amazing. The sand very white and the sea as calm as a lake. Definitely a few degrees cooler than in Spain, but there were still some people here and there, enjoying the sun.

Later we headed into Montpellier itself, and I was right away reminded why I wanted to move there last year (but instead I got sidetracked to Spain…long story). It’s beautiful, a mix of Southern charm and a touch of Paris. The historical centre is a maze of windy streets and cosy squares, with a nice –but quiet!– atmosphere. Seriously, coming from Spain it was as if someone just remembered to turn the volume down a notch, something I was infinitely grateful for. We had a nice dinner, freezing our butts off on a terrace, surprised by the sudden chill, and then tried to find a hotel. This proved a little difficult for some reason, so in the end we headed back to one of those hideous beach towns for the night. Lots of mosquitoes, that’s all I’ll say about it…

More roaming around in Montpellier the next day made me think I may be moving there next year after all (though I’m not sure when, I have a few other plans that are still up in the air). The people are so very friendly, the bakeries sell real bread, and the cafes serve a wide selection of stuff over a funky soundtrack. There’s also a good international art scene in the continental way I like. All I need out of life, really. Things are looking up just a little, suddenly.