Do you know that the name of the ville is pronounced as “Mohn-peuh-lyay”, not “Mont-pell-ee-ay’?

We returned the rental car in Lyon and trained to Montpellier. Less than 2 hours on TGV. One lesson learned from returning rental car is it’s extremely difficult to fuel up the car when you’re inside the town; best to do it outside.

We arrived at Gare Saint Roch, took tram line 4B to the AirBnB in Restanque. The owner’s maman met us and walked us through the place. The owner lives here, but cleaned up the place for renting and stays at his mom’s during our stay. The place is small, 1BR, 1BA, and has everything we needed. It’s in a new bâtiment, so everything inside is modern. It also has a nice seating terrace. From here to town, it’s 4 min walk to the tram, 5 min tram, then 7 min walk to Place de La Comédie, which is the town center.

M has a history that dated back to 10th c, with its University of Montpellier being one of Europe’s oldest. Yet the vibe here is very young, vivant, international. This is also reflected in the cuisine. I went looking for some traditional cuisine, but most places offer a fusion of mediterranean, asian, italian, lots of burgers. There are several Starbucks, a MacDo, KFC.

Remember that dinner here starts earliest at 19:30 and not a minute sooner. We made the mistake of going for dinner at 18:00 and were sent walking around town.

Rosemarie Restaurant in the Saint Roch district is in an ancient stone cave, with tiny tables and chairs. There is also seatings on the terrace and no reservation was required. The service was prompt and the food fresh. We had fish croquettes, trout carpaccios, pulpo, and bavette de boeuf. After my bad experience with octopus in Galicia, I can’t bring myself to enjoy pulpo. I did try a small piece and it was very tender, almost like chicken.

I’m truly vietnamese at heart, no matter where I go. After 3 weeks here, I started to long for a bowl of Pho. I can’t even describe the taste of the first sip of the broth. I know it’s not as good as what I could get back home, but boy, does it satisfy the soul!

On the second day here, we decided to take a day trip to Sète. Everyone told us to go to Sète. The direct train from Saint Roch to Sète took 17 min, and costs 3€ each way. Isn’t that incredible? The fare costs less than a coffee back home!

I could see Sète being extremely crowded and touristy in the summer, with the canals going through the towns and the venetian look of the shops. There was outdoors farmer’s market, Les Halles, eating fresh seafoods, strolling along the canals, visiting the cemetery where Paul Valery was buried, more walking up and down the hills. La mer, la mer, toujours recommencée …