I spent the first three hours of the day trying to find a place to repair my camera. It's toast. So I had to buy a new one. OUCH! I was pretty attached to the old one. I had certainly gotten my money's worth but it was like saying goodbye to an old friend. It was probably time or so I am telling myself. I replaced it with another Panasonic zoom, a newer version of the same one. The good news is that it takes the same batteries so I now have three batteries.
Mail service in Montpellier.
I treated myself to lunch on the Place de la Comeide in the shadow of the Opera House.
I ordered the Omelette Simple which was number one in the order of omelets that I have eaten in my lifetime. It was light as a feather and much taller than our American omelets. It was accompanied by a lettuce salad topped with all sorts of cooked vegetables such as new potatoes, eggplant, caramelized red peppers, and more. The combination was a real treat especially after picnicking on the trail for the past five days! I had already walked about five miles trying to solve my camera problem so I was ready for a leisurely lunch. The only thing missing was my sister, Sandi who loves omelets as much as I do. Those James girls would have taken on the town!
Montpellier is a magical city, considered one of the most beautiful in Europe. It is full of life with street musicians at almost every corner.
The Arc de Triumph. If I understood correctly, this one was of seven that was originally in Paris.
I was determined to visit the Saint Pierre Cathedral which was built in 1364 as the Cathedral of Montpellier. It took me two tries because it has limited hours. According to their website, "Montpellier Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint Peter. It is the seat of the Archbishops of Montpellier. The cathedral, built in the Gothic style, is a national monument."
The main altar in the Cathedral. Had to say my prayers for all my friends and family and me too!
The organ has been beautifully restored. I did hear the church bells while I was there but I really would have loved to hear the organ.
I bought myself a little treat - not all of these. I bought two crisp, chocolate-dipped Florentine cookies which are also called lace cookies They are one of my favorite European treats. I ate one wandering down the narrow alleyways. I am saving the other one - well for as long as I can save any treat that I love as much as these.
Next, I ambled through the Jardin des Plantes. Not much was in bloom yet but it is an interesting botanical garden and one of the oldest in France Created in the 16th century for the study of medicinal plants, the gardens sit at the edge of the Faculty of Medicine. It wasn't expanded and opened to the public until the 19th century.
It is a huge garden!
After all this walking (not that I needed to walk) I decided to have a glass of white wine. The name of the little bar/restaurant was Napolean Dynamite. Must be a story there. If you recall, Napoleon was an American Movie in the early two-thousands.
As I was headed to buy supplies for the next two days of hiking, I came across this band of revelers. I assumed it was a bachelorette party. The girls were hamming it up and having a good time!
The hotel restaurant was very casual looking but had seriously good food. This was my salad course. All fresh. I had couscous, dressed shredded carrots, a curried grain salad, cubed fresh beets, and in the center was a fresh green salad.
My dinner was a pan-fried chicken topped with a scrumptious sauce. It was accompanied by buttered egg noodles, incredible tomatoes roasted in olive oil, and caramelized red bell peppers. I ate all the vegetables first. I never met a vegetable that I didn't like but these were a cut above.
So I had a fun and relaxing day off even though I clocked in 9.5 miles.
Bonsoir!
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