{"id":5687,"date":"2012-07-07T16:10:29","date_gmt":"2012-07-07T20:10:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tourdebocrie.com\/?p=5687"},"modified":"2015-07-02T15:12:48","modified_gmt":"2015-07-02T19:12:48","slug":"day-41-friday-july-6-meze-to-montpellier-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tourdebocrie.com\/?p=5687","title":{"rendered":"Day 41, Friday, July 6 – Meze to Montpellier, France"},"content":{"rendered":"

A simply gorgeous morning, cool air, warm sun and a stiff breeze,\"\"<\/a>perfect to sit by the pool or garden and listen to the water lap at the shoreline, read a book, take a nap with a cozy blanket to keep you warm against the wind; can’t you just picture us doing that? \u00a0 Yeah, we couldn’t either, so away we go.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The wind the last few days has been a double edged sword; while the strong north wind keeps the temps down and the air almost brisk, it makes the ride much more difficult. \u00a0Today’s challenge \u00a0was to hold the white line as the wind hit us from the side.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> But it’s a shore ride today, as we want to see Montpellier, which is only 35K down the road. \u00a0With extra time, we went through Gigean (from whence Jerry hails),\"\"<\/a>instead of ‘by’ it as our road dictated. \u00a0Darling town (of course)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>with narrow passages\"\"<\/a>and pretty churches.\"\"<\/a>We arrived into the middle of the square of the town we were staying around lunch with hundreds of people walking the streets\"\"<\/a>and the promise of many things to see.\"\"<\/a>So once clean and refreshed, we set out in no particular direction to see whatever it is we came across. \u00a0A fountain\"\"<\/a>in front of The Place de la Com\u00e9die\"\"<\/a>as well as other magnificent buildings\"\"<\/a>of incredible architecture\"\"<\/a>with a beautiful sky for a backdrop.\"\"<\/a>There was the Saint-Roch church\"\"<\/a> with a most incredible rose window,\"\"<\/a>but this (The Porte du Peyrou)\"\"<\/a> and what was to follow we did not expect (didn’t do our homework). \u00a0The Place Royale du Peyrou is a beautiful tree-lined promedade with a magnificent statue of LouisXIV in the middle\"\"<\/a> and this incredible monument at the end.\"\"<\/a>From this height in the city we were also able to see the\u00a0Saint Cl\u00e9ment Aqueduct.\"\"<\/a>There was also Saint Anne church, which was now a modern art museum (very disappointing)\"\"<\/a>and the Cathedral Saint-Pierre,built in the 1300’s, did not become a cathedral until the 1500’s.\"\"<\/a>On the way back, strolled by the Botanical Gardens,\"\"<\/a>a mobile flower cart,\"\"<\/a>and markets filled with fresh nuts, dried fruits and anything else you could think of.\"\"<\/a>Enough to make you hungry! \u00a0On our way back from dinner, street dancers were entertaining the crowds and though I took about a half dozen photos, didn’t have the shutter speed set fast enough; but I’ve saved the pictures, just in case they ever show up on “So You Think You Can Dance,” yes, they were that good! \u00a0That’s it for today!\n\t\t