My first class - Pauline, our teacher, is 4th from the left
When I came out onto the street after school, Gemma was there with another classmate of hers, Martina from Italy. They had been talking in their class about a pretty port city nearby that has great fish. They invited me to join them for lunch in Sete. (Sete actually has an accent grave over the first e, but I can't seem to get my iPad or Logitech to cooperate and insert accents. If any of you have some tips for me, I'd be grateful) To get there, we had to take the train for a short 20 minute ride from Montpellier. This is one of those opportunities to do and see something different, so I jumped at the chance. We made it to the Gare St. Roch just in the nick of time to buy our tickets and hop on the train. By the time we got to Sete, we were very hungry. Both my companions speak and understand French quite well so they were able to ask people for recommendations to a good fish restaurant and for directions to get there. We headed along the quay that was dotted with restaurants for as far as the eye could see. Many restaurants were already closed for lunch, but we did manage to find one that would serve us. Gemma and Martina ordered the squid and tuna platter. I'm not a big fan of squid, so I ordered the house specialty - cuttlefish. Much to my surprise, it is just like squid. Needless to say, I was not very fond of my lunch, but the cold beer on a hot day along with the pleasant and surroundings made up for it.
Sete is a lovely port and seaside resort on the Mediterranean built upon and around Mont St. Clair. On one side, there is a an enclosed salt lake used predominately for mussel and oyster beds. The Mediterranean lies on the other. There is also a network of canals between the Etang Thau (the saltwater lake) and the sea. We had about an 11/2 hrs. before our train left, so we decided to take a tour boat along the canal and and the seashore. Once again, I was at a disadvantage because I could not understand what the tour guide was saying most of the time, but I did see lots of boats, ships, fishermen, people on the beaches, beautiful homes, apartments etc. I've included some pictures from our most pleasant afternoon. I hope you enjoy Sete as much as we did.
Gemma and Martina at the restaurant in Sete
La Place de Centre Ville Sete
Pictures of Sete taken on the boat tour
Jan! Your first French road trip, how fun! Thanks for including all of these pictures, they really help to paint a picture that even words as beautiful as yours cannot do fully. I feel like I'm there.
ReplyDeleteTo get the different e's on your ipad, press and hold the letter... Several options will pop up for you to choose from. I'm not sure about your Logitech, but that's definitely how it works on the ipad so in the worst case you could momentarily separate the two to get your è's! Love you.
Bonjour mon amie,
ReplyDeleteJe suis content que tout va bien et que tu remarques que ton français s'améliore déja. Est-ce que c'est une école pour les personnes attirantes? Tout le monde est si beau et belle! Imagines que le temps commence à changer à Edmonton. Le température est de 10 à 14 durant la journée mais le soir il fait froid - et le soleil se couche de plus en plus tôt. School is going well. I am quite busy during the day but I am very strict with my self about leaving at 4 on most days so I can meet Brent at the gym. We are LOVING having Sawyer here - though it's a bit less neat than before we wouldn't trade him for anything. I think of you every day as I am getting my classroom set up. I have not taken the time to look at your blog for a bit but decided I had to make it a priority today. I am so glad I did. Your pictures are beautiful and some of them take me back to when I was in Montpellier. I remember walking - yes walking - to the beach. I recall it taking quite bit of time but it was always worth it once I go there.
I miss you terribly. Brent says to say hi! Love you.
Hi Richard
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your email. I can't tell you how good it is to hear from you. Glad school is going well and that living with Sawyer is first rate. I'm not sure how these comments work, so I'll send an email as well. Miss you too.