Nº4 wasn’t planned. But I woke up this morning and the sky is still grey and the ground is wet, which means it rained all night, so what can I do today but write?

We’re on the 4th floor, so I can’t really smell the first rain, that musty smell of the earth that I love so much at the start of the rain season. In France, the 4th floor is really 3ᵉ étage, because our first floor is the RDC Rez de Chaussée here.

Today is packing day. We’ve been to Montpellier for 8 days, and heading to Arles tomorrow. We travel light, with one checked-in luggage; but always lug home extra baggage. Yesterday, we got some stuff from Decathlon. I have a weakness for Decathlon and not other high-end stores. First, because my style is casual. Second, because being there reminisces the time we were preparing for our Camino trek, getting the walking sticks, and the stick boots (if you have walked the camino, you would know what I meant by boots).

I must have gained a few pounds on this trip, unless the materials shrink in this weather. I can’t button my pants. French food is famous for its sauces, and almost all sauces use cream to thicken. I’ve been disciplining myself by cooking viet food every other day but it’s quite daunting because of the lack of seasonings. How do I resist the cheese, especially raw milk cheese?

We got invited to dinner at an expat’s place tonight. Their place is within walking distance from the gare, on the other side that’s more residential. Their rent is 1350€ with an extra 100€ for gas and electricity. This couple had to wait a year in order to rent this place. It comes furnished with appliances, beds and beddings, … just like at an airBnB. It’s on the top 7th floor, with an awesome view of the city. I didn’t dare standing closed to the railings and look down because the railings were so low. They have very nice breeze through all day with windows on all the walls, but I was told it was quite hot last summer.

Marc went out of his way to make a several course dinner. It started with cauliflower soup, then pork loin and risotto, then Camembert and Reblochon. Kathy made an apple cake. Lots of aperitifs, wines, Calvados, Chartreuse. I’m just awed that some strangers really would go through so much effort to welcome other strangers, with no expectations in return. We were even told not to bring anything, so we brought flowers instead.

Tomorrow is Goodbye Montpellier.