Waiting for Pat & Ralph

We're in the middle of a brief run of very mild weather here. It got up to 17C yesterday with mostly sun, and it's forecast to go almost as high again today (Thursday) - the day Ralph and Pat arrive for a two week visit - although cloudier.

Karen and I have had a not very eventful week. On Tuesday, the day after Shelley left, we went for a lo-o-o-ng walk on the Allée de la Méditerranée, the bike/walking path that goes along the River Lez, from Antigone in the centre all the way to the sea at Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone. It's a route we'll eventually take on our bikes.

The beginning of Port Marianne, looking back towards Antigone

On this day, we walked a mile and a half or so out through Port Marianne, an interesting near-suburban development featuring new buildings designed by internationally-known architects. There are some pretty cool-looking buildings, and more under construction - and some we've seen pictures of but didn't see this day. It looks to be a place worth exploring on bikes.

Montpellier, Port Marianne

We got past the main build-up of Port Marianne to the point where the new A9 extension is being built over the Lez, then turned and walked back.

Yesterday, we finally got our bikes out and rode them down to the farmer's market at Antigone, the one we visited last week. We had our first taste of riding through the pedestrianized centre, dodging pedestrians, scooters, other bikes and trams. Great fun. The route only takes about 10 minutes from our place. Karen thought the market a little disappointing this time; I thought it seemed about the same. And we bought about the same: some apples and some cooking veg, from the same stall run by a cheery young man who speaks quite good English.

My bike, mon vélo, unfortunately is not going to cut it. It's too small - a child's or small woman's bike, I think - and the handlebars are way too low. It would be crippling to ride any distance.

In the afternoon, it was lovely and sunny and we took our tablets and went and sat on a park bench in the sun on the L'Esplanade for an hour, right by the children's playground. We marvelled again at how Canadian parents and civic officials would have conniptions over how dangerous the playground equipment is. And also marvelled - Karen's observation, and spot on - at how quiet the place was despite dozens of children crawling all over the apparatus. If it were home, it would be cacophony.

Montpellier, L'Esplanade, maman

Also noteworthy was how patient the parents were. There was one young mother with a baby in a carriage and, evidently, a toddler in the playground, who stood or sat there the whole time we were there, without ever saying anything to the playing child that I saw. "If it was me," Karen said, "I'd have a book." Other parents were watching their kids a little more closely, but there were few of the real helicopters, hovering over their offspring; they would be the norm at a similar place at home. Most of these parents were socializing on the perimeter while their kids played happily and unsupervised.

We wandered home through the Ecusson, and saw a very good acoustic jazz band busking near Les Halles Castelane. And that's pretty much it, besides shopping, reading, watching a little TV. But now today, I'll take the navette out to the airport in the early afternoon and greet Pat and Ralph. I'm guessing we'll be a little more active in the next while.