"The days go slow and then the evenings fly... I'm going out with my mates, I'm hanging out in the sun"... Well, only for a couple of hours thanks to public transport!

Having spent nearly two weeks in Montpellier (only two weeks??!! It feels more like two months!) I still hadn't been to sample the mediterranean sea and sandy beach that lies just South of Montpellier.  On Sunday, a couple of English girls also here on ERASMUS said that they quite fancied soaking up some sun, so we agreed to meet at the tram stop at Port Marianne in order to catch the half two bus, that would in theory get us to the beach for 3 o clock.  I say 'in theory'... Nothing ever seems to run smoothly around here!

So at twenty past two we arrived at the bus stop, along with at least fourty other people, who joined the other fourty people already waiting at the bus stop.  Unsuprisingly, we didn't get on the bus, although a good sixty people did.  By the time the bus left it was less of a bus, and more of a sardine tin on wheels.  Somebody had asked if they would be able to send another bus to collect the rest of us, to which the driver replied that of course they would be able to, in an hour's time, when the next bus was timetabled to arrive anyway.  So in reality the answer was no - they would in fact only send buses when they were timetabled to arrive.  Helpful.

We settled ourselves down for the hour wait, determined to fight our way onto the next bus.  After some careful queue tactics involving forming a defence line, then deploying one person clutching all of our fare money to the front, we managed to board the bus.  A quick head count before the bus had even finished letting people on came to at least fifty people, hence personal space very much went out the window, along with health and safety and seemingly the desire of the driver to drive with care.  Admittedly, no french bus drivers take any care when travelling; only the other day, I was nearly thrown sideways clean out of my seat on a particularly precarious trip back from the supermarket... I did consider that no broccoli and cereal was really worth risking my life for!

Half an hour later we hopped off the bus to be greeted by palm trees, sand, and the meditterranean sea lapping at the shore.  Within about five minutes balance had miraculously been restored to the world: bikini on, towel out, ice tea plonked in the sand, having a good old munch on some 'tarte aux pommes' (albeit, apple tart that had probably seen better days... The sardine tin effect of the bus hadn't really done the poor thing much good).  This is the moment I had been waiting for - the moment when I could happily admit that I was quite content in the South of France, and the moment that I know that anyone reading this in England, with the drizzle dampening the distinctly palm tree-less garden outside, will be deeply envious of!  This is (probably) going to be the one and only time I rub this in your faces... Honest!

The return home was once again marred by the ridiculus French public transport system, but hey, I suppose you can't have everything.  Although we only got a couple of hours of tanning time in, there's a very strong chance I'll be back there a few times over the coming weeks... I'll perhaps just aim for an earlier bus next time, in the knowledge that I'll probably just end up on the one after!  I can't deny that the sun-drenched sandy beach and cool crystal clear water is worth the effort (OK, so THAT is the last time I go on about it...)

Bullfighting - Liza the Matador and Jenny the, er, bull...