Mon Cherie , C'est Montpellier, August 2000
Montpellier was an evening stop for us as we traveled around the South of France. We arrived late in the afternoon but that did not stop us from exploring the city. As soon as our suitcases were brought up to our room, we left the hotel to check the city out. My first impression of the place was simply WOW! To this day, I still remember what the people wore. In fact, almost everyone seemed to dress in white. It was as if everyone agreed that in the summer, white was going to be Montpellier's color of the season. Anyway, the entire place looked beautiful.
The 19th century Opera House in the lively and bustling Place de la Comedie
The Eglise Saint Roch
In front of Eglise Saint Roch
The Palais de Justice
The Porte de Peyru facing the Place Royale
The Porte de Peyru at the Place Royale
The Chateau d'Eau in the Place Royal du Peyrou
Marc in front of the Chateau d'Eau in the Place Royale du Peyrou
A view of the upper part of the facade of the Chateau d'Eau
The aqueduct right behind the Chataeu d'Eau
An obstructed view of Cathedrale St. Pierre
I remember going right back to the hotel after our very quick independent tour of the downtown area. We had to be back in our hotel a certain hour for dinner. In hindsight, we should have just stayed and had dinner right where all the locals were. We could have blown off our set dinner with our tour group. We could have enjoyed Montpellier a lot more that way. Anyway, everything always seems better after the fact. Maybe there will be a next time and we'll get to return to this beautiful French city.