Going Home - France to New York!

After a very poor night’s sleep, we got up early and had a breakfast in the hotel.  Our taxi arrived promptly at 8 am, and the driver seemed pleased to have Americans in his car.  We were at the airport quickly but when we weighed our bags, they were over the limit, and the woman at the gate said it might cost 70 euros more!  So, we repacked and moved things around, and added a carryon bag with some of the heavier stuff.  Finally we were at the correct weight.  We moved to the security area where a man took our passports and boarding passes for closer inspection.  After going through the metal detector, they found David’s bicycle lock and determined that it couldn’t be carried on the plane.  I guess it’s considered a weapon.  They couldn’t get our baggage back and so we had to dump it.  He was not happy about it at all. 

We got to the gate about an hour before boarding time and 90 minutes before takeoff.  The plane ride back to Paris was (fortunately) uneventful, and we had a brief wait before our flight back to NY.  On the longer flight we had bulkhead seats on a double decker plane.  This made it slightly more comfortable, but I hate flying.  

Overall, it was a great trip!  We're so happy to have gone!  The south of France is a beautiful place!

Last Day in France - Port Cassafieres to Montpelier

We all got up early and ate as much of the food left in the refrigerator as we could.  We finished all our packing, no easy feat, and then got our stuff off the boat.  We had a few items left over which we gave to a family who were just departing on their own boat trip.  Our cab came at 9am, and he had some time fitting all our many bags into the trunk.  Then the 20 minute trip to Agde where we caught our train to Montpellier.

When we got on, the train was pretty crowded, and we got on with all our stuff.  At the next two stops, even more people got on.  We were like sardines!  Finally we all got off, and with a great deal of difficulty, managed to drag all our stuff up the stairs (don't they know about elevators??) and walked the two blocks to our hotel.

Our hotel was very nice- The Royal Hotel.  We dropped off our stuff and began to explore the city of Montpellier.   Our first stop was the Place de laComedie, a beautiful square with shops and restaurants.  We stopped and ate lunch at one of the restaurants.  Then we wandered all over the city, which was very beautiful with both modern and very old buildings.  Then we came back to the hotel where Michael took a nap, I worked on this blog, and David and Barbara went to a bar for a cold drink.

Place de la Comedie (this and next 2 pictures)

St. Anne's church

Street in the old city

Typical tram in Montpelier

Synagogue down the street from our hotel (it was closed)

After David and Barbara came back, we all went back out to have lunch #2.  We found a snack bar in a nearby park and ate french fries like we'd never seen them before, along with some sandwiches.  Then back to the hotel to wait for their cab.  Unfortunately, the cab was ten minutes late and Barbara was starting to panic!  Eventually it came, and David and I are back at the hotel, together, just the way the trip started!

The romantic couple before we ate

Leaving the hotel

In their taxi

Montpellier is a very nice city that I'd never heard of.  It's almost like a mini-Paris.  It's filled with students - we saw several schools - and the area has many upscale shops.  The people seem to be very fashionable - I've seen more well dressed men and women here than anywhere else on this trip!  There also seems to be a very substantial gay community here.  I really wish we could spend another two days here because there are many museums and other parts of the city that I'd like to explore!

After Barbara and Michael left, David and I relaxed and showered and then at 8 o'clock, decided to go out for another meal (even though we really weren't hungry).  We wandered around, back to the  Place de la Comedie and the other nearby streets to find a nice place to eat.  There were many restaurants and bars with tons of people sitting at tables outside.  We found a cute little place and ordered a large salad with three skewers of meat (chicken, beef and sausage) to share.  While we were sitting there, two English gentlemen sat at the table next to us.  We struck up a conversation and chatted with them throughout dinner about every topic from their jobs, to our trip, to the Royal family and France.  We had a really nice time and they were very interesting to talk to.  After saying goodbye, we headed back to our hotel, stopping off first at a gelato stand for a last dessert!

Place de la Comedie at night (above and below)

The two Englishmen we ate dinner with.

Last Day on the Boat - Villenueve les Beziers to Port Cassafieres

For the first time all week, I think I was the first one awake, but David got moving first, going to the patisserie and bringing back baguettes.  We all had the baguettes for breakfast and then we took a walk into town to buy a few more items.  We left the town at about 10:30 and headed to the next small town, Portiragnes.  Although we’ve done dozens of locks, this morning, we did a poor job, but got it done anyway.  We wandered into the town and found three or four vendors selling fruits, vegetables, salamis and chickens on the street.  But since it’s our last day, we didn’t need to buy anything.  We did decide to have lunch and we found this cute place with an outdoor terrace and shared salads and pizza.   After the meal, the waiter came over and was talking with us for a while.  His name was Jean Pierre and he was a windsurfer and bicyclist.  The restaurant was right next to the church, and this being Sunday, they were having services.  While we ate, they let out.  After lunch, we took a peek into the church but it wasn’t particularly special.

          

         Just before we left Villenueve Les Beziers- our boat is on the left

                         Villenueve Les Beziers- our boat, moored on left

  

                                Lunch in Portiraigne

                                       At the restaurant in Portiraigne

                                               Our waiter, Jean Pierre

     

                    Inside the church next to our restaurant

                                              Walking in Portiraigne

Back on the boat, we took off for our final destination, Port Cassafieres.  We had only one lock to go through and then we were there.  We docked just outside their marina where we thought it would be quieter.  Then we checked in with them.  We were only a 15 minute walk from the Mediterranean Sea, so off we went to the beach.  The water was a little cool but the sun was warm and delightful!  We sat for a while, then went for a walk on the beach, gathering shells.  Later, we all lay down on our towels and fell asleep!  We walked back to the boat to start cleaning and packing. A man from LeBoat told us where we'd docked wasn't a good spot, so he had us move.

                              Getting back on the boat in Portiraigne

                        On our way to Port Cassafieres (above and below)

                                               Walking to the beach

                                           The Mediterranean Sea!

Then we went to dinner at the only restaurant there - this is not actually a town, but only a Le Boat base.  Two of us ordered appetizers, which they brought first.  Then they brought the entrees for the other two people.  After they finished their entrees, then the other two entrees came.  We all had a lot of wine during all this time, so we went back to the boat and enjoyed the magnificent sunset!