What goes up most definitely has to come down
Our trip started off early in the morning about 5ish when got into a taxi all bleary eyed and half asleep and thought we would be able to wake up gently on the 25 minute ride. Oh no this was not to be the case, we had a taxi driver that must have consumed the whole world’s supply of speed. He started talking non-stop all the way whilst driving like Lewis Hamilton blindfolded. We arrived at the airport earlier than expected but this was a bonus for the ears and sanity.
Once at the airport we went through security shoeless and beltless triggering the alarm off for some unknown reason all while trying to keep my jeans up. After security it’s supposed to be a breeze, not with Ryanair as most of you will know. As soon as Ryanair announced they were boarding it was like the start of the ill-fated Grand National that never was, the legendary Ryanair dash. It was everyone for themselves anyone not able had to be left, a seat had to be secured at all costs. Once on the aeroplane Trish and I settled down as best we could for the 2 hour flight from Liverpool to Nîmes, I watched “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” on my laptop and Trish read from her Kindle.
Once we touched down in Nimes there was no palaver like in Liverpool it was all very relaxed, straight through and out into the sunshine and on to the waiting shuttle bus which cost about €6 and takes 35 minutes. The bus drops you off right outside the station and this is where you pick it up for the return journey. Once in the station you can try out your best French, speak English or if you prefer use the vending machines and change the language to English and purchase your tickets. Then it’s off to Montpellier on a nice comfortable train and the journey only takes about 40 minutes.
Once in Montpellier we made our way to the tourist board on the Place de la Comédie to meet Edith Dupuis who organised everything for us. Edith was brilliant, she made sure all our activities were ready, sorted out city cards, bicycles, restaurant visit, massage, hotel and paragliding (this was to be the bane of our holiday).
After a detailed briefing with Edith and armed with our information packs we set off for the Hotel Du Parc; just a few stops away on the excellent tramway system. The trams are clean, regular and very convenient and only cost a couple of euros for a return trip but don’t accept notes only coins, which is a slight problem when first arriving. Once we had our City Cards we could use the trams as much as we liked for free so well worth getting. Arriving at Place Albert 1er the hotel is 5 minutes’ walk away and fairly easy to find from the directions on the hotel website or tourist office.
The hotel staff were very friendly when we arrived and show us to our room straight away without any fuss. The room is away from the main part of the hotel like a separate apartment and was very clean and had all the amenities we needed for our stay. Outside on the wall is a beautiful trompe-l'oeil which Montpellier has many dotted around the city. After unpacking our bags we headed off into the city for the evening using the tramway once again in search of a place to eat. Montpellier has so many good and varied restaurants that it’s almost impossible to choose, so most of the time we referred to the booklet from the tourist office “Montpellier Où Manger”.
A few of our favourite restaurants were Les Jardins de Marrakech “great Moroccan food”, Bombay Restaurant, the people of Montpellier seem to love a curry as the place was full and also Le Volodia. Le Volodia was a restaurant that Edith had arranged for us to visit as part of our prize and it didn’t disappoint. The food was outstanding especially the “Filets de poulets poêlés au jus de foie gras, au romarin et à l'estragon” this dish was absolutely superb and the chef even comes around to make sure everything is fine.
The next day we waited for Edith to phone to say we were going paragliding, which ruined our breakfast with fear and trepidation. Once she phoned and said it was too windy to go, our appetites returned straight away and we then looked forward to the day’s activities. We familiarised ourselves with the city, walking about, jumping on and off trams at various stops and getting used to the way of the city. After lunch we visited the craft fair in Antigone “l’Antigone de l’Artisanat” and worked our way through the beautiful things on offer that were all very tempting but not possible to purchase due to Ryanairs meagre baggage allowance. Following the craft fair we made our way down to the river to watch the Extreme Sports Festival which was fairly entertaining and quite amusing when the competitor’s enthusiasm got the best of them and ended up in the water.
The next day we were waiting again for Edith to telephone to say we could go Paragliding if the weather was good enough. At 8:30 we got the call to say it was still too windy and it may be cancelled, things were looking up, not down if you get my drift. It’s now 9:30 and we got another call saying "give it another hour to see if it clears, if not it will be cancelled", Trish and I were praying for gales of biblical proportions. At 10:30 we got the call to say we could go, but thought we would get out of it by saying there wasn’t enough time to get the bus and tram, so Edith “kindly” arranged for one of the paragliding team to pick us up which we were very grateful for, thanks a lot.
We arrived 20 minutes later, a little scared as it was our first time so we didn’t know what to expect. The paragliding team looked like they were preparing for the Hillbilly Olympics, they were sitting by their tents cooking over camp stoves and smoking the obligatory cigarettes. We looked around at the field in front of us and thought this is not to bad a little run in the field and we're up in the air, all very civilised apart from the hillbillies, oh how wrong we were . The paragliding team introduced themselves to us and in part French and English then ushered us into an old Land Rover and we were off. I think the driver was a cousin of the Liverpool taxi driver, we ascended up and round a very bumpy dirt track like a helter skelter in reverse for which seemed like an eternity till we reached the top of a very high mountain.
The instructors pointed to what was going to happen, no clear instructions, then strapped us into our harnesses. I turned round and said to Trish “are you ready” to which she replied “No I am not” then she basically run off of the edge of the mountain, very impressive. I had to wait till my instructor got the parachute ready and he strapped himself into his harness over his shiny beige shell suit top. 1, 2, 3 and we also launched ourselves off the edge and into the lovely serene air. Once up in the air it is a total unique experience and very calming indeed, floating about without a care in the world just enjoying the magnificent views that surround you. In the distance I could see Trish floating around and some crazy Frenchman doing some sort of stunts, at least I think he was. My instructor as a bit of a maverick who kept getting told what to do by Trish’s instructor over the walkie talkies. At one stage the wind dropped and we came persiously close to some power lines, 20,000 volts just a metre away from your feet is not good at all. Thankfully the wind picked up again and we were off, he even gave me the controls of the ‘shute for 5 minutes which was great for me but not for him, he got told off in no certain terms later on.
Now was the tricky bit, coming in to land, we were told to start running in mid-air like in a cartoon and then carry on when we land. I was worried about landing on my right leg as it has a 30cm pin in it, so I didn’t run properly and smashed straight into a solid rutted ploughed field, ripping my £150 jeans and hurting the leg I was trying to protect. It didn’t really hurt till later as the adrenaline in our bodies was still pumping for a while, even after “Envol Nature Paragliding” dropped us off in town. It was very exhilarating and scary at the same time but one of the best things we have every done in our lives and would recommend it to anyone, it's nothing like the terror we felt skydiving, but that's another story. The only disappointment was having to wait for the bus for 3 hours but this wasn’t too much of a hassle as the town of Saint Bauzille de Putois had a nice place to eat, Restaurant des Grottes. The manager was very nice and told us about the local area and the spectacular caves “Grotte des Demoiselles” it was a bit far for us as we didn’t have a car and I now had a dodgy grazed leg, maybe next time.
The next few days we spent visiting various places using the city cards and travel passes. We visited the “Parc Zoologique” free entry with the city card and well worth a visit and easy to find using the tramway and bus. The “Serre Amazonienne” is particularly worth a visit as it has all types of animals, insects and species from the Amazon all under one roof, there is even a tropical rain downpour with thunder and lightning at various times. It also sends out a serious message about how the planet is being destroyed by man and how it needs to be stopped now. Outside the Amazonienne is a vast park full of a assortment of animals from all over the world hidden in between little trails that lead around the park. Just down the road from the park by bus is the “Agropolis Museum” which is also free with the city card and tells the story of how man and food has evolved and how the way we eat has changed from millions of years ago to present day.
The city cards are great if you like history and culture as you can get into all the museums and it can also be used for discounts against tickets for places like the Aquarium at Odysseum. It is also good to use for a walking guided tour of the city from the tourist office. The tour lasts 2 hours and if you can’t speak French you are supplied with a hand held device that tells you in your own language about the city. The tour is wonderful because you get to go to places that only the official guided tour is allowed to go like Arc de Triomphe which you can climb up to the top and see a magnificent 360 degree view of Montpellier.
The next day we jumped on the bus and went to Perols to have a walk along the beach as it is only about 30 minutes away. We spent the afternoon reflecting on how Montpellier is such a friendly city that you feel safe at all times from early morning to late at night. Once back at the hotel we had a lovely massage arranged by Edith from Vanessa Millet. It was very soothing and the intoxicating aroma of lavender brought back to life our aching bodies and feet ready for the last few days of our terrific holiday.
Montpellier has so much to see and do that our time there did not do it justice; we wished that we could have stayed longer and seen a lot more. This has made us determined to try and find jobs in France as we would both love to return there very soon and live the good life.
We would like to say thank you very much to Edith Dupois for sorting everything out in France and making our stay a very pleasant one and thank you very much to Maison de la France, www.Franceguide.com for their help as well and also the superb prize they put together. Merci beaucoup
Once at the airport we went through security shoeless and beltless triggering the alarm off for some unknown reason all while trying to keep my jeans up. After security it’s supposed to be a breeze, not with Ryanair as most of you will know. As soon as Ryanair announced they were boarding it was like the start of the ill-fated Grand National that never was, the legendary Ryanair dash. It was everyone for themselves anyone not able had to be left, a seat had to be secured at all costs. Once on the aeroplane Trish and I settled down as best we could for the 2 hour flight from Liverpool to Nîmes, I watched “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” on my laptop and Trish read from her Kindle.
Once we touched down in Nimes there was no palaver like in Liverpool it was all very relaxed, straight through and out into the sunshine and on to the waiting shuttle bus which cost about €6 and takes 35 minutes. The bus drops you off right outside the station and this is where you pick it up for the return journey. Once in the station you can try out your best French, speak English or if you prefer use the vending machines and change the language to English and purchase your tickets. Then it’s off to Montpellier on a nice comfortable train and the journey only takes about 40 minutes.
Once in Montpellier we made our way to the tourist board on the Place de la Comédie to meet Edith Dupuis who organised everything for us. Edith was brilliant, she made sure all our activities were ready, sorted out city cards, bicycles, restaurant visit, massage, hotel and paragliding (this was to be the bane of our holiday).
After a detailed briefing with Edith and armed with our information packs we set off for the Hotel Du Parc; just a few stops away on the excellent tramway system. The trams are clean, regular and very convenient and only cost a couple of euros for a return trip but don’t accept notes only coins, which is a slight problem when first arriving. Once we had our City Cards we could use the trams as much as we liked for free so well worth getting. Arriving at Place Albert 1er the hotel is 5 minutes’ walk away and fairly easy to find from the directions on the hotel website or tourist office.
The hotel staff were very friendly when we arrived and show us to our room straight away without any fuss. The room is away from the main part of the hotel like a separate apartment and was very clean and had all the amenities we needed for our stay. Outside on the wall is a beautiful trompe-l'oeil which Montpellier has many dotted around the city. After unpacking our bags we headed off into the city for the evening using the tramway once again in search of a place to eat. Montpellier has so many good and varied restaurants that it’s almost impossible to choose, so most of the time we referred to the booklet from the tourist office “Montpellier Où Manger”.
A few of our favourite restaurants were Les Jardins de Marrakech “great Moroccan food”, Bombay Restaurant, the people of Montpellier seem to love a curry as the place was full and also Le Volodia. Le Volodia was a restaurant that Edith had arranged for us to visit as part of our prize and it didn’t disappoint. The food was outstanding especially the “Filets de poulets poêlés au jus de foie gras, au romarin et à l'estragon” this dish was absolutely superb and the chef even comes around to make sure everything is fine.
The next day we waited for Edith to phone to say we were going paragliding, which ruined our breakfast with fear and trepidation. Once she phoned and said it was too windy to go, our appetites returned straight away and we then looked forward to the day’s activities. We familiarised ourselves with the city, walking about, jumping on and off trams at various stops and getting used to the way of the city. After lunch we visited the craft fair in Antigone “l’Antigone de l’Artisanat” and worked our way through the beautiful things on offer that were all very tempting but not possible to purchase due to Ryanairs meagre baggage allowance. Following the craft fair we made our way down to the river to watch the Extreme Sports Festival which was fairly entertaining and quite amusing when the competitor’s enthusiasm got the best of them and ended up in the water.
The next day we were waiting again for Edith to telephone to say we could go Paragliding if the weather was good enough. At 8:30 we got the call to say it was still too windy and it may be cancelled, things were looking up, not down if you get my drift. It’s now 9:30 and we got another call saying "give it another hour to see if it clears, if not it will be cancelled", Trish and I were praying for gales of biblical proportions. At 10:30 we got the call to say we could go, but thought we would get out of it by saying there wasn’t enough time to get the bus and tram, so Edith “kindly” arranged for one of the paragliding team to pick us up which we were very grateful for, thanks a lot.
We arrived 20 minutes later, a little scared as it was our first time so we didn’t know what to expect. The paragliding team looked like they were preparing for the Hillbilly Olympics, they were sitting by their tents cooking over camp stoves and smoking the obligatory cigarettes. We looked around at the field in front of us and thought this is not to bad a little run in the field and we're up in the air, all very civilised apart from the hillbillies, oh how wrong we were . The paragliding team introduced themselves to us and in part French and English then ushered us into an old Land Rover and we were off. I think the driver was a cousin of the Liverpool taxi driver, we ascended up and round a very bumpy dirt track like a helter skelter in reverse for which seemed like an eternity till we reached the top of a very high mountain.
The instructors pointed to what was going to happen, no clear instructions, then strapped us into our harnesses. I turned round and said to Trish “are you ready” to which she replied “No I am not” then she basically run off of the edge of the mountain, very impressive. I had to wait till my instructor got the parachute ready and he strapped himself into his harness over his shiny beige shell suit top. 1, 2, 3 and we also launched ourselves off the edge and into the lovely serene air. Once up in the air it is a total unique experience and very calming indeed, floating about without a care in the world just enjoying the magnificent views that surround you. In the distance I could see Trish floating around and some crazy Frenchman doing some sort of stunts, at least I think he was. My instructor as a bit of a maverick who kept getting told what to do by Trish’s instructor over the walkie talkies. At one stage the wind dropped and we came persiously close to some power lines, 20,000 volts just a metre away from your feet is not good at all. Thankfully the wind picked up again and we were off, he even gave me the controls of the ‘shute for 5 minutes which was great for me but not for him, he got told off in no certain terms later on.
Now was the tricky bit, coming in to land, we were told to start running in mid-air like in a cartoon and then carry on when we land. I was worried about landing on my right leg as it has a 30cm pin in it, so I didn’t run properly and smashed straight into a solid rutted ploughed field, ripping my £150 jeans and hurting the leg I was trying to protect. It didn’t really hurt till later as the adrenaline in our bodies was still pumping for a while, even after “Envol Nature Paragliding” dropped us off in town. It was very exhilarating and scary at the same time but one of the best things we have every done in our lives and would recommend it to anyone, it's nothing like the terror we felt skydiving, but that's another story. The only disappointment was having to wait for the bus for 3 hours but this wasn’t too much of a hassle as the town of Saint Bauzille de Putois had a nice place to eat, Restaurant des Grottes. The manager was very nice and told us about the local area and the spectacular caves “Grotte des Demoiselles” it was a bit far for us as we didn’t have a car and I now had a dodgy grazed leg, maybe next time.
The next few days we spent visiting various places using the city cards and travel passes. We visited the “Parc Zoologique” free entry with the city card and well worth a visit and easy to find using the tramway and bus. The “Serre Amazonienne” is particularly worth a visit as it has all types of animals, insects and species from the Amazon all under one roof, there is even a tropical rain downpour with thunder and lightning at various times. It also sends out a serious message about how the planet is being destroyed by man and how it needs to be stopped now. Outside the Amazonienne is a vast park full of a assortment of animals from all over the world hidden in between little trails that lead around the park. Just down the road from the park by bus is the “Agropolis Museum” which is also free with the city card and tells the story of how man and food has evolved and how the way we eat has changed from millions of years ago to present day.
The city cards are great if you like history and culture as you can get into all the museums and it can also be used for discounts against tickets for places like the Aquarium at Odysseum. It is also good to use for a walking guided tour of the city from the tourist office. The tour lasts 2 hours and if you can’t speak French you are supplied with a hand held device that tells you in your own language about the city. The tour is wonderful because you get to go to places that only the official guided tour is allowed to go like Arc de Triomphe which you can climb up to the top and see a magnificent 360 degree view of Montpellier.
The next day we jumped on the bus and went to Perols to have a walk along the beach as it is only about 30 minutes away. We spent the afternoon reflecting on how Montpellier is such a friendly city that you feel safe at all times from early morning to late at night. Once back at the hotel we had a lovely massage arranged by Edith from Vanessa Millet. It was very soothing and the intoxicating aroma of lavender brought back to life our aching bodies and feet ready for the last few days of our terrific holiday.
Montpellier has so much to see and do that our time there did not do it justice; we wished that we could have stayed longer and seen a lot more. This has made us determined to try and find jobs in France as we would both love to return there very soon and live the good life.
We would like to say thank you very much to Edith Dupois for sorting everything out in France and making our stay a very pleasant one and thank you very much to Maison de la France, www.Franceguide.com for their help as well and also the superb prize they put together. Merci beaucoup
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