Babymooning in the Baltic - Part I

It seems a long time ago that I was sprawled out on the sheets day after day, with all the windows open and the fan blowing on me, taking cold showers every few hours and hoping for some relief from the heat and the sick of early pregnancy.  Now that fall is in full swing, the weather has cooled, and my energy levels have returned, it's hard to believe we had a summer around here at all.  I really did sleep for almost two months solid.  But in July, I would have given anything for it to be cold outside; I have literally been anticipating Christmas since Bastille Day.  Well try as I might, I couldn't convince winter and cold weather to come any sooner, but I could get us out of the heat and to chilly locales.  And that is how we ended up on a two week cruise through the Baltic and North Seas, braving rough waters and storms every day, drinking hot chocolate every afternoon and marveling at a new set of mountains and fjords with every sunrise.

Our journey started in Copenhagen, Denmark, a magical city full of entertainment and fun, and according to the 2013 World Happiness Report, home to the world's happiest people.  Not to diverge to too much, but I found this article on the report particularly interesting:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/22/denmark-happiest-country_n_4070761.html 

Come on America!  Let's learn a few things!!

Aside from happiness-inducing governing policies, Copenhagen is also famous for the world's second oldest amusement park, Tivoli Gardens.  The park itself isn't huge, but considering it is located right in the middle of the city, it's pretty decent sized.  The rides themselves were off limits for us, or at least for me with my growing baby bump, but we had a nice evening stroll around the gardens and played a few carnival games.  They also offer shows every hour or so and have plenty of themed restaurants for fueling up - we chose the Danish one for dinner.

While Copenhagen has a number of interesting sites and landmarks to see, their most famous is probably the statue of The Little Mermaid.  Given to the city of Copenhagen in 1913, the statue honors Copenhagen's role in producing of some of the world's most well-know fairy tales.  The city was home to author H.C. Anderson for many years, and you can still see today some of the houses where he lived and penned tales such as The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, and The Princess and The Pea.  We only had about 24 hours in Copenhagen, but with smiling faces at every corner, palaces and castles every few blocks, and streets lined with beautifully maintained colorful buildings and interesting shops, it is easy to see how the city could inspire such creative and lively stories.                

From Copenhagen we boarded our ship, the Norwegian Star, a very tired looking cruise ship that is clearly approaching retirement.  But that's what you get when you choose a cruise that heads up to the middle of nowhere, instead of of the more popular Mediterranean destinations.  Our first stop along our route was Bergen, Norway.  Never heard of it?  Us either.  In fact, we hadn't heard of most of the ports of call on this cruise.  The itinerary was very unique for a major cruise line (Norwegian Cruise Line) and was lacking in major tourist cities, but for us it was a fantastic opportunity to see some places we would otherwise have never thought to visit.  The city of Bergen is often titled the "gateway to the fjords", as Bergen makes a great launching point for fjord exploration trips.  However, to dive that far into nature, you need more than the 8 hours allowed by a cruise ship.  Instead, we rode the Floibanen Funicular to the top of Mount Floyen to take in the views of the city and sea.

Cold, cloudy day at the top of Mt. Floyen

I should also mention that Bergen receives about 300 days of rain each year.  So while it might seem unlucky that our views were masked by fog, it's not actually all that uncommon.  And it was kind of neat to feel like we were on the top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere.        

They also really love trolls in Norway

Next up was Alesund, Norway.  Alesund was recently voted the most beautiful city in Norway.  But they have a slight advantage.  In 1904, there was a huge fire and a large portion of the city burned down.  Thus, what you see today is almost all newly built - of course it looks great!  Although the look of Alesund is not the traditional wooden homes you might imagine Norway to be; after the fire they outlawed the building of wooden homes within the city limits, and today everything is made from stone and concrete.

In Alesund we visited an old Norwegian church from the *** and a lighthouse that overlooks the Norwegian Sea.  While the church itself is very historically significant, what I found the most interesting was the simple style of the church.  Many historic European churches are known for intricate details and ornate fixings, but the Norwegian style was much more plain.  The sun came out for our lighthouse visit, and it presented a perfect, crisp, clear day for us (one of the only ones we had).  A bit removed the from the city, the red and white lighthouse standing in the midst of green fields, dark mountains, sparkling deep blue waters and bright blue sky made for a very scenic seaside afternoon.

From Alesund we headed west through the North Sea to The Shetland Islands, Scotland.  We anchored outside the town of Lerwick and headed in for a rainy afternoon of shopping and exploring the town center.  We stopped for a hot chocolate break at a darling little cafe that reminded us very much of home.

French cafes have a unique look and feel to them, and are quite different from your neighborhood American / Anglophone coffee shop.  Drinks are served in petite mugs with no fancy fixings, and rarely will you find a coffee shop with a couch for relaxing; it's all bistro tables around here.  After our cozy coffee shop break, we boarded a bus to the country side for visit with a few of the island's most famous inhabitants - Shetland Ponies!            

They nuzzle each other for warmth, how sweet :)

Snack time!

The day's icky weather made these short-legged, round-bellied creatures look even more weighted down and dumpy than usual, but the ponies didn't seem to mind.  As the owners told us, their main concern at all times is food, food, and more food - they even said to watch our fingers when petting them in case the ponies think we have food in our hands!  Not to worry though, everyone left with all 10 fingers in tact.  It's hard to imagine living in a place as small and secluded as the Shetland islands.  Sure they have everything they need, and mainland Scotland isn't all that far away, but the options for entertainment are so limited (I bet they don't even have a bowling alley) and there is almost no trace of a bustling city life.  But it's not like any other small town atmosphere, because it's surrounded by bright green rolling hills and deep blue ocean waters.  Yet these folks are perfectly content with their scenic island home, and take pride in the island's unique beauty and history.  For those of raised within the luxuries and limitless options of city life, the quaintness of Shetland seems almost archaic, and yet you can feel the island's peace and joy as soon as you step foot off the dock.        

All of that, and we are only halfway through this cruise!



    

Blue Is For...

BOY!!!

We are expecting a little prince in February!  We confirmed at our last doctor appointment that our little Frankenweenie is definitely a boy, and not at all shy!  He was kind enough to flip right over and give us a good shot, leaving little room for doubt.  As for a name, we've tossed around a few ideas, but agreed not to make a decision until he arrives, just in case we have a last minute change of heart.  So far everything is going well and we are thrilled to be awaiting a healthy baby boy.  And now that I know what I'm looking for... let the shopping begin!  

Two Months of Catch Up

Where have the last two months gone???  Well, actually, I can answer that question.  A brief recap:

At the end of August Kerry and I (and the dogs) celebrated two years of marriage with a weekend in Paris.  We started off the weekend with tickets to the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret.  I thought because we were seeing the early show (7:00 PM instead of 11:00 PM) that it wouldn't be topless, but I guess that isn't how it works around here.  The show was entertaining though, a good mix of mediocre dancing and amazing cosutmes interspersed with human tricks, magic acts, and the like, and ending with an authentic French can can dance.

 

Saturday morning we took the dogs for a lazy walk to the Eiffel Tower.  I've seen it a dozen times now, but I never seem to tire of it.  We then spent the bulk of the day browsing the giant department stores for maternity clothes.  The maternity clothes selection in Montpellier is pathetic, so we took advantage of big city offerings and bought a couple of nice things that don't come with a big tag that says "Keep Away From Fire".  It's depressing enough to buy clothes with so much extra room in them knowing before too much longer your body is going to fill them out, so it helps a little to at least have a few nice things to feel good in.

Sunday we took the train back to Montpellier.  You can see who runs the show in the family.

"You stand while I nap in your seat."

A few days after we returned from Paris, Kerry had a surprise visitor from Houston.  Everything lately had been about pregnancy and the baby, and Kerry was putting in a lot of extra hours at the office, so I was glad for him to have a break from it all and enjoy some time with a good friend.

Welcome to France Erick!

Less than a week after Erick's visit, we were off on our last big vacation before baby comes!  I had been totally worn out by pregnancy and was sick of the summer heat, which only made pregnancy sickness worse (remember we don't have air conditioning).  So we settled on a two week cruise through the Baltic and North Seas to escape the heat and pack in a lot of sites without doing much leg work.  I'll be posting more about this later, so for now I will just say that it was exactly the break we needed from French life, and we had a wonderful, albeit unusual vacation.

Then, with only three days back in France to settle in post vacation, we had another visitor from home, my momma!!  After two weeks of her own trek through Munich and Amsterdam, she headed south for a week and half on the sunny Mediterranean coast, and we wrapped it up with a long weekend in Paris.

And that brings us to October!  Believe it or not, all of that has filled the last two months to the brim.  After a very quiet and lazy summer, it's been nice to get moving again, and time sure is flying!  I can't believe we are already 5 months into this pregnancy, and that holidays are just around the corner.  And speaking of the pregnancy... our last ultrasound brought some exciting information - watch out for Friday's post to find out if Baby Huguet will be sporting pink or blue come February!        

  

And Baby Makes Three

We are finally ready to share our wonderful news with the world - there's another Huguet on the way!

Our little one is expected to arrive late February 2014.  In America, pregnancies last 40 weeks.  In France, you get 41 weeks.  But in both countries, once you get to 42 weeks, time's up and the doc steps in.  So we'll know right from the beginning whether this baby favors the American way (due February 21) or the French (due February 28).  The French do tend to take their sweet time with things.  Either way, we are thrilled to be embarking on the journey to parenthood and can't wait to see what the next few months bring!

Wild Corsica and Le Tour de France

Corsica.  It's not France.  Well, it is France, but really it's not, it's Corsica.  Welcome to the island of identity crisis.  Despite the legal ownership of the island by the country of France, the inhabitants of Corsica generally seem to view their connection with France as more of an association than a belonging.  So, while they speak French, and generally have the same laws as the mainland, the lifestyle and values of the people are entirely unique.  To complicate it further, Italian is generally accepted as the second language of the land, and appears on most street signs and tourist brochures.  Given the island's proximity to Italy, this does make sense.  So what we end up with is an unusual Mediterranean mix roughened up with the flair of a secluded, proud, and minimally developed island.

And it's beautiful.  The entire island is full of natural wonders.. The center of the island is full of mountains and forests, and aside from marked hiking trails and a couple of roads that travel between the main cities, it is largely untouched.  The outside is encircled by shallow beaches mixed with rocky formations and steep cliffs.  Even if nature isn't your greatest interest (like me), it's hard not to be impressed with scenery in Corsica.

View from our hotel balcony

We spent four days on the island, and only saw a small fraction of what it has to offer.  Aside from a bustling food and wine business, which tends to stay mostly on the island for it's inhabitants, tourism is the main industry.  But that doesn't mean they have allowed the regular influx of foreigners to spoil the authentic wildness and culture.  While they gladly accept and often cater to tourists, they still expect that visitors will do things their way and work with them in order for everyone to have an enjoyable experience.  We spent the majority of our first day inland in the mountainous terrain.  Sneakers laced up and prepared with water, snacks, and sweaters (it's cold in the mountains!) we set out on a short hike to the Cascade d'Anglais.  Within minutes of leaving the gravel parking lot, you are in total seclusion and surrounded by nature.  The hike was only about an hour, and that's at a pretty slow pace.  And here's our waterfall!

The water was clear and fine for swimming, but FREEZING cold!  So we just dipped our toes in.

On the way back to the hotel we passed this little restaurant.

Now, everyone from Texas knows that eating Tex-Mex outside of Texas is a bad idea.  But we just couldn't resist...

Kerry got a "margarita"

And we shared a plate of fajitas, notice the pronunciation

They had some interesting ideas of what Tex-Mex food is supposed to taste like.  Let's just say, we didn't go back.

We stayed near the city of Ajaccio [Ah-jax-ee-oh], which is most famous as the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte.  From what little I remember of my history classes in school, I always thought Napoleon was kind of a bad guy - greedy for wanting to take over everything and rule the world.  But in France, he's a hero!  They love him around here - he helped grow the French empire!  And you can see this devotion all throughout the city of Ajaccio.  There are streets, buildings, statues, and landmarks everywhere named after him, and you can even do a tour of the house where he was born and raised, which has now been turned into a museum honoring his life and reign.

Our stay in Corsica also coincided with what is probably the largest sporting event in France - Le Tour de France!  This was both really neat and really irritating.  As it turned out, the finish line for Day 2 was just over 1 kilometer from our hotel, so we were able to easily walk to end of the race a few hours ahead of time and hang out.  Everyone else had to park at least 5 kilometers away, since they close all the roads for cyclists, so we were thankful for our good fortune.  We made an afternoon of it and arrived just in time to snag one of the last front row spots just 50 meters from the end.  No matter where you go to see The Tour pass, you will almost definitely have a few hours of waiting to do.  We found the wait much more entertaining at the finish line, where they had food booths, a merchandise vendor, a giant TV screen with the race on, music, and lots of people all excited to be there.  The atmosphere was much more lively than if we had gone to a random spot on the side of the road, as many people do, and we really enjoyed it.  The problem came the next day.  The cyclists were scheduled to depart around noon from the center of Ajaccio.  What we didn't realize that was starting at 6 A.M., every road through and out of the city would be completely blocked off.  We couldn't get out!  It doesn't help that Corsica only has about 4 roads to begin with.  We had planned to head to the south of the island for the day, but had to find other arrangements because there was absolutely no way around it.  Fortunately, there were pretty nice beaches across the street from our hotel, so we managed all right.  But lesson learned!  When The Tour is in town, don't plan on going anywhere.

We spent the evening after The Tour hiking The Iles Sanguinaires, an archipilago on the outskirts of Ajaccio.  They are famous for giving off a blood-red color during sunset.  We had the islands almost completely to ourselves, and it was very relaxing to sit atop a rocky hill in the middle of the ocean while the sun went down - the scenery felt very movie-like - but we didn't really see the islands magically turn red like we expected. Even so, it was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip.

I've saved the best for last.  They are Corsica's crowning jewels and the real reason thousands of visitors trek to Corsica each summer.  I'm talking, of course, about the BEACHES!  They are some of Europe's best, and even your snootiest beach-goer will have trouble finding something to complain about here.  No matter where on the island you are, you won't be far from fine white sand and clear, shallow, turquoise waters.  They have beach clubs and restaurants here too, if that's your thing, although they aren't nearly as fancy as the ones in St. Tropez.  If the buzz of beach clubs doesn't do it for you, keep driving past the touristy parts of town, park the car and hike for a few minutes, and you might just find a little cove of paradise all to yourself.  In fact, we often found that with little effort, we were able to claim large stretches of sand just for us.  Not a bad way to spend vacation!                          

Corsica photos can be found here.

The Glamorous Life - St. Tropez

We have been living in France for 10 months now, and while we've done some traveling, last week was our first trip that I think qualifies as a real European vacation.  That is to say, no one told us to go there and we had no ulterior motives - just vacation!  We spent one week relaxing in the sun and taking in the beaches and towns of St. Tropez, France and Ajaccio, Corsica, which is also technically France, although they seem to be in denial of that fact.

Our first two days we stopped over in St. Tropez, just to see what all the fuss was about.  To be honest, planning this trip was a little intimidating.  We do care about money and have a budget to work with, which automatically means that in St. Tropez, we don't fit in.  If you're not prepared to splurge a little on some things (and a LOT on others), you won't find much to do in town.  And even if you do feel like emptying your wallets, there are really only three main components of St. Tropez anyway: beaches, shopping, and dining.

Here is how a typical day in St. Tropez works: wake up when you feel like it, and head to the beach.  The water was beautiful, but cold!

They also seem to have a bit of an issue with these creatures:

We didn't swim very much

Of course, you will have reserved lounge chairs, parasols, and cabanas (60 euros for two people) at a beach club at least a week ago, much more if you are going on a weekend in July or August.  We went to Moorea Beach Club, and Club 55 (the most famous of them all) during our two days.  Arrive at the beach around 11:00.  Lounge around for 2-3 hours, watch the yachts slowly make their way in.  If you have business to attend to, it's totally appropriate to spend the first part of the day on the phone, handling matters so important you can't let it go for a few days and enjoy vacation [loud Italian man next to me].  Then again, people here vacation for weeks, not days, so maybe it is necessary to catch up every now and then.

Our setup for the day - Moorea Plage

Around 1:30, slowly dust the sand off of you, throw on a cover up, and walk a few yards back to the beach club's restaurant (which you also reserved well in advance).  Settle into your table, and get comfy, because you'll be here for a while.  French meals tend to be long and slow, and beach lunches are no exception!  These restaurants are no walk up beach shacks selling daiquiris and fish tacos.  Aside from the sand in your toes and ocean breeze, you might as well be in a fine dining establishment, with prices to match of course!  We even had a fashion show during one lunch.  After a 2+ hour lunch, mosey on back to your lounge chairs, and nap it off.  I was surprised to see how many people (myself included) took a quick snooze after lunch. Fair warning though: fall asleep, and you miss the celeb activity on the docks.  Oops.       

Our St. Tropez celebrity spotting:
We did see him come in, but missed the photo ops - http://concreteloop.com/photos/steve-harvey-vacations-with-family-in-saint-tropez/infphoto_2591359 

Enjoy your afternoon in the sun, perhaps with a 60+ Euro bottle of chilled wine delivered to your cabana, although we opted for the equally unreasonably priced 9 Euro bottles of water.  Around 5:00, people start packing up, and by 6:00, the beach clubs are almost empty, even though the sun is still shining brightly.  You'll need plenty of time of course to go back to your hotel and clean up before your 9:00 dinner reservation.  We skipped this part too.  Instead we walked the port in the center of town and stopped for a (relatively) quick dinner at a brasserie.  The port was more or less as expected - yachts, yachts, and more yachts!

A small sampling of the boat and yachts docked in St. Tropez.

Never have you seen so many fancy boats in one place.  The colorful buildings reflected in the water, lined with endless rows of boats, is quite a site to see.  But then, after you've seen it, marveled at the gross amounts of money concentrated in such a small number of hands, and pondered the implications of spending 2,000 on dinner for you family without flinching, well then you've pretty much seen St. Tropez.  There's not a whole lot more to it.  If you are a 40+ male, and fancy feeling like a local, you might head to the Place des Lices for a  Pastis and a game of Petanque.  Pastis is a very popular licorice flavored french liquor, usually served with chilled water and drank only during the warmer months.  I think it's disgusting.  And Petanque is a traditional French game played with a set of metal balls that are carefully rolled on the ground in attempt to get as close as possible to the little ball in the center.  Similar to bocce I think.  We have never played, it doesn't seem to be socially "cool" for anyone under 40 or females to partake.  But I do see groups of older men playing all the time, it looks like fun.

Petanque at the Place des Lices

Unless you are a fan of the night club scene and staying up until at least 1:00 AM, when the doors open, there is little else to see in St. Tropez.  There is a fair amount of shopping, almost entirely very high end stores, but they all close by 8:00, so you'll have to sacrifice some beach time if you wan't to pick up any souvenirs.  I found some beach towels I absolutely adored, but promptly put them right back on the shelf when I saw the 120 Euro (each!) price tag.  For a beach towel!  We capped off our evening by picking up some fresh macarons and watching the sun set on the harbor.  There is no denying that the St. Tropez vacation lifestyle is uniquely indulgent and certainly a place to escape reality.        

St. Tropez Photos

                    
  

In Love With London

I had every intention of saving a trip to London for the winter.  Yes, it's very cold in London in the winter, but it's cold in Montpellier too, so we might as well go somewhere that's cold and really pretty and snows!  However, things come up and plans change.  Which is why, when Kerry came home one Monday evening and informed me that he would be going to London the following week for work, we booked two last minute tickets on the EasyJet direct flight from Montpellier to London, and decided to make a weekend of it.

Man, I cannot fully express how wonderful it was to be a tourist in a city that speaks English.  It is one of the many reasons that after about 20 minutes in London, I was in love.  The city very much reminded me of New York City, which still remains at the top of my list of favorite places in the entire world.  London is huge, the list of things to do is endless, and there are crowds on every corner.  We only had two short days in the city, but we did our best to pack in the sites and make the most of it!

By the time we got checked to our hotel, we were starving, so first stop for us was lunch.  And in London, this means pub food!!  While Montpellier has plenty of wonderful dining options, one dining concept they seem completely devoid of is the idea of a pub.  So we took advantage all weekend long of the London pub scene: fish and chips, smushy peas, bangers and mash, steak pie, all served with a cold (or at least cool) beer.  We spent the afternoon walking the city and enjoying the atmosphere.  We stumbled on Picadilly Circus...

Peeked through the gates that lead to Buckingham Palace...

And stopped in at Foyles and Waterstones, two of the city's biggest bookstores for some English book shopping.

Eventually we worked our way over to three of London's biggest stars: Big Ben, The House of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey.

Since Westminster Abbey was closed on Saturday afternoon and Sunday for touring, we opted to attend a Saturday evening service at the church instead.  In my opinion, this is the only way to experience Westminster.  I have toured plenty of churches and cathedrals, but to see them as they were meant to be used, in worship and stillness, without the 500 other people sneaking prohibited photos with their camera phones, is a much more authentic and moving experience.  The magnificence of the abbey is quite simply beyond words.  Not one inch of the building has been ignored.  Stained glass windows 20 feet high, statues on every wall, tombs lining the hallways, even the flooring is beautifully laid.  I'm hard pressed to think of another building that I have visited with as much grandeur and elegance as Westminster Abbey.

Following our church break, we headed across the river and enjoyed the views of the House of Parliament and the London Eye, which is the horribly cheesy name for the giant ferris wheel that sits on the river.  We considered riding it, but on a cloudy day the views didn't seem all that promising, plus the line was long and looked to be slow moving.  So we skipped it and headed to an early and very delicious dinner at The Anchor & Hope gastropub, and called it a night early.  After about 8 hours of walking around London, we were exhausted!

Sunday we were up and out the door early, armed with coats, scarves, and two big bups of coffee, headed to Buckingham Palace!  Every day during the summer there is a very ceremonious Changing of the Guard outside the palace, where the new guard comes in to relieve the old guard from duty.  It is British pomp and circumstance at it's finest - soldiers on horse back, a live marching band, choreographed movements, and of course, the funny costumes.  I mean, uniforms.  And all of it set in a gorgeous open space lined with flower beds full of colorful blooms, bordered by a huge park, and centering on the gates to the palace.  We also had the great fortune of a sunny morning!  Not to be taken for granted in a city like London.  We were especially appreciative of the good weather, because to get a good spot at the gate to watch the Changing of the Guard, you have to show up about two hours early and claim your spot; the crowds multiply in the hour leading up to the event.  That said, it's a very unique experience, and definitely worth seeing at least once.    

By that afternoon the rains had returned, so we opted for a primarily indoor activity and made our way to The Tower of London to soak up some London history and of course, marvel at the crown jewels for half and hour.  While it is now essentially a museum in a castle, the buildings that comprise the Tower of London contain centuries of history, and you can learn all about the castle's gruesome past, weaponry stores, mysterious happenings, and famous inhabitants.  The star of the show though, the crown jewels, are truly jaw dropping.  I didn't know diamonds that big existed.  They have wisely installed a conveyor belt that passes by the display of jewels (a very genius idea to prevent lingering crowds) and I insisted we ride it about 6 times in order to gawk the beautifully crafted crowns, rings, swords, orbs, and other such fancy royal things covered in sparkles.  While I stared and salivated over the jewels, Kerry mumbled something about how "of course the peasants revolted, look at what the queen is walking around wearing!"  And he probably has a point, this would never be allowed to happen in America, it just doesn't jive with the American mindset of earning your way to the top.

The Tower of London is situated right next to the River Thames and the very iconic Tower Bridge.  Even on a cloudy and rainy day, the bridge was so pretty it almost looked fake, like it belonged in Disney World.  While you can walk along the upper walkways of the bridge, we were too exhausted to trek all the way over there, so we enjoyed the view from afar instead.

The sheer size of London yields an attraction list a mile long.  It is a city I could visit ten times and never bore of.  Despite it's miserable climate, London is full of life, movement, and culture and is sure to have something to please everyone.  And fortunately for us, it's only 90 minutes away!    


The full set of London photos can be found here

     
               

A Quick Visit to Sete

May has been a hectic month.  This doesn't sound too surprising or unusual, until you learn that in France, May is the month of random holidays.  There are a total of four national holidays scattered throughout the month.  Off the top of my head, I couldn't name a single one of them.  So you would think, with four extra days out of the office, May should be a great month!  And it was, but it was also busy.  Stepping back for a moment, I'll explain the two month blogging absence in two sentences:  In March we spent three weeks searching for and purchasing a car.  In April we spent one week preparing for a trip to America, two weeks in America, and one week recovering from a wonderful, but exhausting trip.  And now, we are back to May! 

Two of this month's holidays happened to fall right next to each other, on a Wednesday and a Thursday.  Had I known about this in advance, I would have planned to take Friday off as well and take advantage of a 5 day weekend like the rest of the country did, but I didn't know, and instead I had four days warning of the upcoming time off.  So with a sunny, but only mildly warm forecast ahead, we decided to pack up the doggies and head to the beach for a couple of days.  While there are plenty of beaches nearby that don't require an overnight stay, we opted to trek a little bit further out of Montpellier and explore the small port town of Sete, France.          

About an hour's drive from the center of Montpellier, Sete is one of the Mediterranean's largest fishing ports.  The entire city is built on a big hill, with a handful of canals lined with colorful buildings and restaurants  winding through the base to support the active seafood industry.   The city doesn't really house any "must-see" monuments, museums, etc, but the pull of the town is obvious - beaches, beaches, beaches.  Long stretches of white sand and clear blue waters abound.  Add to that some of the freshest seafood in the world, and I think I'd skip the museums even if they were world famous.  We started our short stay in Sete by heading straight to the beach.  Around April each year, all along the Languedoc coastline, workers can be seen quickly assembling pop-up restaurants on the beach, many of which are complete with lounge chairs, cabanas, bars, and even dance floors for when the sun goes down.  We stopped in at a flashy place called Le Dome for a yummy, but certainly overpriced lunch.  I suppose this view just doesn't come cheap.

After lunch we rented chairs at a nearby, much less noisy, pop-up and enjoyed a couple of relaxing hours in the sun.  Even with the clear skies and the heat of direct sun over head, the water was a bit too cold for swimming.  By 6:00 we had our sweaters back on and were headed back to the hotel to clean up for dinner.   Our hotel was on the outskirts of town, closer to the beaches, and therefore not walking distance to the heart of the city with the restaurants, bars, and passing boats.  This was a mistake - there is so much life and movement in Sete; I'd much prefer to be in the center of it all.  Think of it like a very scaled down Venice, with a French twist.  In true European fashion, by the time we had made it to the town and were browsing dinner menus, the rains set in.  So while we did have a canal view, it was a rainy one.  We chowed down on as much seafood as we could handle - fresh oysters, bouillabaisse, grilled shrimp, and a selection of fish from the morning's catchings.  The canal activity was minimal due to the weather, but I imagine on a sunny day their would be a constant stream of boats and fishermen hollering greetings to each other while going about their day's work.  It's an atmosphere that I certainly feel merits a return trip to Sete.

Another perk of staying in the middle of the city, as opposed to the outskirts, is that your morning pastry and coffee are only a block away.  Instead, we drove around for 20 minutes looking for our morning java.  Since parking was limited in the city, we decided to evoke the French method of 5 minute parking.  It goes as follows: leave your car where ever you want in the road that is convenient for you, bonus points if other cars still have space to get around you.  Turn on your flashers so others know you won't be more than a few minutes, which may or may not turn into half an hour, depending on who you run into or how talkative the shop owner is, then hope there isn't a line of cars with upset drivers waiting on you to move your car when you come back out.  And if there is, wave and smile, letting them you know that you are having a great day and that you appreciate them wasting 20 minutes so you could have a nice chat with an old pal.  I'm not kidding, people do this all the time.

Fortunately for us, traffic was light and the pastry shop quick, so we were on our way before anyone had a chance to realize we were parked illegally.  

I mentioned earlier that Sete is built on a hill.  See, big hill:

As such, one of the best (and only) attractions Sete has to offer is some stellar views from the peak of their tiny mountain.  There are hiking paths to the top that require about an hours walk, but we took the lazy route and drove.  We blamed the dogs for this - our senior citizen pups couldn't handle an hour of uphill hiking.  The drive is only about 5 minutes, and the parking lot is reasonably large enough.  Taking in nearly 360 degrees of the town, bays, canals, mountains, and oceans from the top of Mont St. Clair is not such a bad start to the day.     

             

We had just under 24 hours in the small city of Sete, which certainly wasn't enough for me.  Sete is a place where you can soak up some genuine French sea-side culture, without the imposing feel of a tourist town.  As festival season approaches, Sete will play host to a number of entertaining events, including a sizeable music fest on the beach, and a water jousting tournament in August, and I feel very hopeful that Sete will make it on our agenda again before the summer is up.      

             
Additional Sete Photos