FIRSTS!
FIRSTS!
July and August have been months of firsts – first visitors from the States and first trip as residents of France.
Fast friends.
Jeanne and I met in 2001 when we both participated in a retreat where we were randomly assigned as roommates. We’ve been fast friends since. Luckily for me, her then fiancé, now husband, Mark came along with the package. And when Russ became part of my life, they joyfully accepted him into the fold.
In all my different stages of life, Jeanne and Mark have always been there for me. So, it came as no shock that they were the first to visit Russ and me in our new home in Montpellier. So how did I repay them? When they arrived in July, I meet them with a lovely case of bronchitis!
Their first full day we ran easy to compensate for their jet lag and my cold, but intended to go to an open mic night as Mark is an incredibly talented guitarist and Jeanne has a vocal range that can handle anything from Led Zeppelin to Ella Fitzgerald. We arrived at Le Salon des Indépendants only to discover that we were there several hours before the bar opened. What to do when you have your favorite musician friends visiting and the venue isn’t open? Take the stage anyway!
Daytrip: Sète
Seaside town famous for boat jousting.
Sete is famous for its tournament usually held in the August time frame but training sessions are open to the public in July. Watch this video , and turn on the volume. Each boat has musicians to rev up their crew!
After managing to get off the bus at the wrong stop and ultimately working our way to center city, we lunched and set off on a harbor cruise. One of the best parts of Sete cruises are the bridges; better duck or it’s off with your head. Literally. They are that low.
That night the bronchitis let me know it was not pleased with my active schedule. Russ announced that I would be staying home from the planned trip to Carcassonne. One day I will get there and cover it in the blog, but I can say a good time was had by the gang of three. They even met another American, Eliza, who fit right in as the fourth for the day.
Jeanne & Mark’s last day in town.
That evening, we ate at our favorite “adult” restaurant, the Brasserie du Theatre and our local friends Anne and John joined. And I even got a rare second photo of the elusive Russ with John!
We bid au revoir to Mark and Jeanne and began thinking about another first – our first trip abroad as French residents. London, here we come!
“Tell us when you’ll be abroad and where. We’ll join you.
Leah was the first friend to take us up on that offer. I met Leah through years of attending the same work conference and when she piped up that she would be in London. Russ and I said “we’ll be there.”
So now how to get there. We love the train system here for a variety of reasons. Seating is more comfortable than airplanes and the scenery is certainly better. Yes, it can take longer but factor in time to get to the airport and get through security – and that we’re retired and have nothing but time – trains are a delightful way to travel. And that’s not even addressing their carbon foot print advantage.
In order to catch an early Eurostar to London from Paris, and frankly to sneak in a day in Paris, we took a direct high-speed train from Montpellier. After a lovely day in Paris, we caught the 10:30 am train and the London leg of the adventure was on. Russ had never been to London and my previous experience was 35 years ago. Ergo, we chose to treat this as a first-time trip.
shopping in london
The 10th Anniversary Present Quest.
We arrived before Leah so we had a day and a half to explore on our own. The hop on hop off bus tours in other cities have always served us well so off we went. One of the stops was at Harrod’s which led us to hop off and continue a pursuit that had begun in Paris .
Russ had surprised me – no stunned me – on the trip up by announcing that I needed to find the perfect handbag.
And Harrod’s did not disappoint…
All that shopping works up an appetite and we knew absolutely nothing about where we were or about what was good. All we knew is that we wanted to eat. And then…like a vision the Chubby Bunny appeared. Yes, a Chinese restaurant. For all we know, it’s a chain throughout the UK but it had the best hot and sour soup I’ve had in years.
That evening, we met Leah for a magnificent dinner at Hawksmoor Seven Dials restaurant. Um, yes, apparently we eat frequently on our trips! Leah previously lived in London so meeting up with her came with the advantage that she knew how to do things and where to do them.
What’s a visit to London without a trip to the infamous Tower of London? The three of us trooped off the next day to visit the place where Henry VIII chopped off his wive’s heads and the crowned jewels are zealously guarded.
Poppies
Perhaps the most touching exhibit was a temporary poppy display in honor of the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII.
Leslie and Leah.
The bridge needs no introduction.
After that day, we parted ways with Leah and finished our trip on our own. One of our bucket list items that was an absolute delight to accomplish was lunch with our financial advisor Josh. Poor Josh put up with our multitudes of “change in plan” emails as we kept moving up our retirement to France and takes all our questions in stride. It was great to meet him in person rather than on a Zoom screen!
Our trip concluded with a visit to London’s theatre district. Not knowing anything about it, I made dinner reservations at a high end place just because I could get them. Luckily, we arrived early because my choice was not that enticing. Ever resourceful, Russ suggested scouting the area for a substitute. Voila, a Chicago deep dish pizza place in the heart of London. Cancel fancy reservation on Open Table, order pepperoni pizza!
Time to kill before the show, so what to do now? Aha, a casino next door to the theatre. Slots but a bit different than the ones we are used to in the states. Each machine has the option of a multitude of games. I’m not the gambler of our duo, so Russ picked and we promptly lost 20 pounds before show time but it kept us entertained.
Theatre in London is definitely a bargain compared to Broadway – great stars, great shows, much lower ticket prices.
Vanessa Williams was divine in the Miranda Priestly role played by Meryl Streep in the movie and the rest of the cast shone as well. Even Russ “I like Both Kinds of Music, Country & Western” Metheney enjoyed the show.
Headed Home
On our way to London, Eurostar solicited us to bid on first class tickets for our return trip. We were intrigued. They wanted you to bid over 150 pounds. Ticket differential is approximately 300 pounds. We settled for 100 which we were told was only a fair chance of winning. We clearly overbid – we won.
The best part for us was the private club room to relax in prior to leaving the station. Unlike most trains, for the Eurostar you have to arrive early to get through customs, so this is a great benefit. Real porcelain dishes, good food, champagne and wine if one opted and awesome caramel candies were served. Next time we’ll seriously underbid, but it was worth the experience!
So some wonderful firsts! Looking forward to more adventures to come.
Jousting boats! My sailor husband might enjoy the idea of knocking people off a boat, rather than taking great care not to! There is certainly a lot of skill required to maneuver boats that close together without knocking into each other.
I love reading your blog! And I look forward to meeting you in person in 2026.
Leslie,
It’s great fun watching them knock each other off the boats! And definitely skill involved…
We will take you there!
Leslie
Thanks for sharing your exploration with friends! Hope you recovered quickly. What a wonderful place to live!
Hi Leslie,
The bronchitis left as quickly as it came and is not missed! Thank you for reading – it means so much to me.
Leslie
Love this blog Leslie! Almost as much as being there with you and Russ and almost as much as we love you two!!
MarkO
I love reading about your adventures and discoveries! I hope you get to see the boat jousting when they have their competition. Your London trip sounds fabulous and I predict more first-class train journeys in your future.
Hi Patty,
We will eventually get to the actual boat jousting competition – the practice was great fun, I can’t imagine the real thing!
Leslie
Mark,
It was great fun having you here! I love you and your bride!!!
Leslie
How fantastic your adventures are! I love how you and Russ roll with whatever comes along,easily pivot, and always have fun making great memories!
Happy 10th anniversary to you both♡
Can’t wait to hear more montpellier musings- keep sharing!!☆
Trish,
Thank you for the well wishes and I’ll keep it coming as long as you will read it!
Leslie
Soooo much fun! Living the good life and enjoying all the arts, culture, shopping, food & fun!!!!!
I am looking forward to visiting when the time is right…with such rich history, there is so much to see & do…I’m really looking forward to planning with you!
Hope you are well!
Best,
Wanda
Wanda,
We will have great fun planning a trip together for you. Can’t wait!!!
Leslie
Need to know what bag you picked out!! Photos please?❤️
Hi Betsy,
Formatting bites the dust – there is a picture out there, but I think it might not show on mobile phones! I’ll do a quick baguettes featuring the bag!
Leslie
Such great adventures (except for the bronchitis:-( ). The train experience in particular sounds wonderful! I forsee more first-class jaunts in your future.
Love following along vicariously on your travels!
Molly
Hi Molly,
It’s so much fun that you are along for the journey!
Leslie
Love the flexible attitude which seems to always work in your favor – good lesson for us all! And, the handbag is a beauty!
Kristina,
Thank you, thank you, thank you for always sending me messages! It means so much to me that you follow my blog and let me know!!! I hope your move is going well and providing you with fun filled adventures of your own.
Leslie
So fun to see Leah in your pics! Your London adventure looked great!
Hi Laurie,
It was great fun to meet up with Leah! She’s an excellent tour guide. We enjoyed ourselves immensely!!!
Leslie