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!

Arriving in Montpellier, France

We fly into Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport and catch the high-speed TGV train from the airport to Montpellier on the Mediterranean, a 3 hour, 47 minute, 775 km (480 mile) journey.  On arrival, we pause to listen to someone playing the public piano ("À vous de jouer") in the train station, then check into our hotel and walk along the River Lez to Montpellier's old town, stretching our legs and seeking dinner.

 Montpellier train station

 Along the River Lez

In the center of town, at Place de la Comédie, we view a small protest, a sign of the times (and, we'll view larger ones in Paris in a few days), which winds down as the cocktail hour starts up, and continue into the middle of the Old Town, near the Marché de Montpellier food hall, where we settle in at Café des Arts for our first dinner in France (this trip):  terrine du chef with toast, garlic and parsley, grilled squid, and fillet of dorade, along with a carafe of the house wine.  Ah, we're back in France!

 Terrine, squid, dorade

After dinner, we wander through the streets of Montpellier, enjoying the sights and sounds of this seaside college town.  Montpellier is the seventh largest city in France, located on the Mediterranean about 170 km (105 miles) west of Marseille, and 185 km (115 miles) northeast of the French-Spanish border.  Nearly a third of the population consists of students at the seven universities and the oldest, The University of Montpellier, was founded in 1220 and is the oldest medical school in the West that is still in operation.

 Walking back through the streets of Montpellier

 It's good to be back for a few days of exploration.

Orange Braised Duck and Roasted Duck Fat Potatoes

We pick up a whole duck on a whim and wonder what we should do with it.  We recall a recipe for orange braised duck that we recently filed away and give it a try.  Wow!

Orange Braised Duck

We start by preparing the duck a day in advance, cutting out the backbone (and roasting it to save for stock in the next few weeks), then cutting through the breastbone to separate the duck into two halves.  The half ducks are seasoned with salt and pepper and put in the refrigerator overnight.

Duck separated, seasoned, and refrigerated

The next day, we preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and prepare the roasting pan with sections of celery, carrots, and onions, covered by thyme, parsley, and cilantro.  We squeeze the juice of an orange into the pan and add the orange quarters and a bay leaf.  The duck goes on top of this mixture, followed by a cup (250 ml) of white wine.  The pan is covered tightly with aluminum foil and baked for 2 and 1/2 to three hours.

Prepare pan, add duck

The duck is then transferred to a cutting board, carved, and served.

Ready to serve

While the duck is braising, we prepare roasted duck fat potatoes by parboiling small round Yukon Gold potatoes for 5 minutes, then cooling them, cutting them in half, and coating them with a mixture of cornmeal and flour.  The oven is preheated to 450°F (230°C) and a fry pan with a light layer of duck fat is warmed in the oven.  Once the duck fat is hot, the potatoes are added, cut side down, and baked for 30 minutes.  They are then turned over and baked another 20 minutes or so, then removed, drained, and served.  What a great combination!

Becoming a duck fat potato

The duck is plated, the potatoes served, the wine (Zinfandel) is poured, and we are ready to eat.  The kitchen (and the whole house) as been full of great smells for hours and it is time to enjoy!

 Dinner is served