Walking Around Montpellier

We walk into Montpellier's old town and stroll through the streets, parks, and courtyards of the city.  We stick our head into the Montpellier Cathedral of Saint Peter, which became a cathedral in 1536 when the diocese of Maguelone was transferred to Montpellier under King François I.  The cathedral is enormous and beautiful.

Cathédrale St-Pierre

Outside the cathedral, the Arc de Triomphe (there is another similar one in Paris) stands across from the Promenade du Peyrou, completed in 1774, which offers expansive views of the city and contains a statue of the sun king, Louis XIV, originally unveiled in 1718 and later melted down during the French Revolution to make cannonballs.  In 1838, the current statue was installed, one half the size of the original.

Arc de Triomphe

 Promenade du Peyrou

From the Arc de Triomphe, we reenter the old town and wander over the  the food hall, Marché de Montpellier, and admire the displays in the shops and stalls.

Marché de Montpellier

And, after wandering through the market, it's time for lunch in a nearby restaurant:  croque-monsieur Italian (ham, mozzarella, tomato, and gruyère) and chevre (goat cheese, tomato tartar, and gruyère).

 Croque-monsieurs

After lunch, it's time for more wandering through the city, then a plan for dinner at the restaurant recommended by our hotel:  BG, in the Port Marianne district of Montpellier, a modern area.

City wanders

At BG, we settle in for an amuse bouche from the chef, followed by a shared appetizer of tempura de gamba, main courses of filet de bar and filet de turbot, and a cheese plate for desert.

 Amuse bouche, shrimp tempura

 Filets of bar and turbot

Cheese plate

Another great day!