Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Bicycling to the Beach in Montpellier

We rent bicycles from the Montpellier public Vélomagg service (56 automatic bike stations located around the city, rental at 1 euro per hour) and head down the path along the River Lez to the Mediterranean.



 Along the banks of the Lez

We pass flocks of wild flamingos in the water and, as we stop to take picture, another rider tells us to keep going, there are even more a little further down the path.



 Flamingos in the wild

We follow the path to the small towns of Pavalas-les-Flots and Carnon, small fishing villages and beach towns on the Mediterranean.  It's a little chilly for swimming, but we can enjoy the views and the sand and sea.



 Beachside fishing villages


 A tribute to those who work the sea

 Streets of Pavlas-les-Flots

The fishing boats have small stands on the dock to sell the catch when they pull in.  We're too late for that today (next trip, when we have a kitchen) and settle for lunch at a small restaurant across from the docks in Pavlas-les-Flots, sharing moules/frites and seafood salad (and a small carafe of local white wine).

  Monles/frites, seafood salad

As the sun starts to set over the Mediterranean, we bicycle back into Montpellier to find people dancing in the courtyard in front of the city hall, near our hotel.  We ask the hotel staff what they're doing and they shrug and say, "They're dancing."


 Sun descending


 City hall dancing

All this bicycling has built up a good appetite and we walk back to Cafe des Arts in Old Town for dinner, having filet of dorade (again) and a camenbert roti au four avec salad vert et charcuterie (oven-roasted camenbert with green salad and assorted charcuterie).  And, this time, desert, a pear tart (tarte aux poires).


 Dorade, roasted camenbert and charcuterie

Pear tart

A great day in Montpellier!

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