During my second week here in Montpellier, things have been a little less hectic. I actually have somewhere to live, and aside from attempting to get the ERASMUS office to actually sign the million and one forms that Holloway insist upon having, I didn't really need to do much. That might seem simple but it somehow took them five days to complete a one page form detailing the tasks of my work experience placement. I have also succeeded in filling some of my time with a translation course at the uni. With only two and a half days of work a week I thought I should probably find something a little productive to do with the rest of my free time. Unfortunately, one of these translation classes starts at 08:15 on a Tuesday morning... I think I've finally lost my mind. It's not even compulsory for me to be doing this to myself! Oh well, it's all in the name of improving 'mon français'.
Apart from tying up a few loose ends, the majority of my time this week has been spent wandering. Exploring, if you will. Not that I have really gone far. Anyone who puts the word 'Montpellier' into a Google Images search can't fail to see that it is a typical French city; filled with sunshine, cafes, and beautiful architecture. I still have a lot to see and do but I'm here for another three months so to be perfectly honest, I'm in no great hurry. For the most part I've just accidentally stumbled across things. One day in particular, there were problems with 'ligne 1' of the trams (much like the London Underground, this is proving not to be uncommon). I decided to walk from the central square, Comédie, to the nearest place where 'ligne 2' stops, namely Corum. This should have been no more than about a five/ten minute walk. I say should have been, because it is a five/ten minute walk providing you don't accidentally walk up the wrong stairs when faced with the huge Corum building that you are trying to get to the other side of. The set of stairs that I opted for led me to a rooftop that gives a panoramic view of virtually the entire city:
The rooftop itself isn't anything particularly romantic or special, but the view definitely makes up for that tenfold. So much so, that I was by no means the only one up there at six in the evening - the odd couple and a few small groups of French teenagers had also found solace up there. There was even one guy in the corner practising juggling, while a couple next to him were practising some kind of dance/acrobatics, presumably for a performance.
Another afternoon I had walked from the tram stop at Comédie to the Post Office (about a five minute walk), and I was slowly making my way back, often finding myself distracted by some of the narrow little back streets. Lurking in one of those back streets I found the one thing I was least expecting to find in a Southern French town...
You have no idea how excited I was to have found a Vegetarian Restaurant, let alone one that sells Earl Grey tea! Albeit, Early Grey tea at €3,50 a cup, but still... Earl Grey tea! Sadly I had already had lunch, but I have absolutely no doubt that I will find my way back there several times before Christmas.
There are several other stories I could tell about my aimless wanderings and what I have seen and accidentally stumbled across. Every now and again in life it would seem that having an appalling sense of direction actually pays off. I'm beginning to realise that this is actually my life for the next three months, in a beautiful French town filled with all its own little quirks. I must admit that my wandering has been a little lonely; discovering new things is exciting but lacks a certain "je ne sais quoi" when you have nobody to share it with. I probably shouldn't grumble though. It's thirty degrees outside and I have plenty more of this city still to get lost in.
No comments:
Post a Comment