Montpellier Trip!
My last school trip of the year was to Montpellier, France! I travelled to Montpellier with the same half of my grade I went to Marseille with. While the Marseille trip was jam packed with activities, Montpellier was a much more relaxing trip with less activities and lots of free time.
We took two day trips from Montpellier: one day in Narbonne and another day in Nimes. In Narbonne, we visited the salt flats of Gruissan and the Abbaye de Fontfroide. At the salt flats we got to scoop our own salt to take home and the Abbaye was beautiful. I also took an optional hike up the hill of the Abbaye which had spectacular views.
During our days in Montpellier, we visited lots of local museums such as the Fabre Museum and the Brut Art Museum. With the generous free time we were given, I had lots of time to explore the city and find its charms. My favorite activity was reading in the park on a sunny day. I found a fantastic bookstore with lots of English books, bought a book, and finished it the same day! The parks in Montpellier were calming and gorgeous. Having a day where the only important thought in my mind is the plot of my book is what makes me happiest.
My favorite sight from the trip was the Pond du Gard, an aqueduct in Nimes. It was my first time seing an aqueduct in real life and not just in a textbook. The sight was phenomenal and the weather was beautiful. Laying on the rocks and watching the kayakers pass by under the bridge was a peaceful reset. In Nimes we also visited the Roman museum since Nimes has Italian history.
The food scene in Montpellier was very diverse! From falafel to bao burgers, I left satisfied from all the fantastic restaurants I tried throughout the week. Montpellier has delicious brunch spots as well as food representation of all cultures. I loved my Mediterranean dinner and I had some of the best Japanese food that I’ve tried in France!
Weather played a wonderful role in this trip. While Rennes was cloudy and rainy, Montpellier was in the high sixties and lower seventies (Fahrenheit). I was able to wear shorts in April without my huge black puffer, a first since last September.
Overall, Montpellier was a wonderful trip. It was not my favorite school trip, but I had a pleasant time. That concludes all of our school trips of the year. I will miss these school trips so much, they were definitely my favorite part of my year abroad. Each trip was special in its own unique way, and I’ll hold onto the memories from each of these trips forever!
