La Plage et Miel

Saturday we lathered white selves up in 50 spf suntan lotion and went to the beach near the town of Pérols. The weather was fantastic and it was just perfect to be able to sit out on the sand with the cool breeze and enjoy what we can actually now call summer.

Later that afternoon/early evening we came back to Montpellier andgathered all our belongings from the hotel and our host families came to greet us and take us away. My host family is a single lady, 34, who lives in le quartier Port Marianne. It is about a 15-20 minute tram ride to the center of town. She is really friendly and has made me feel very much at home here.

However, being anxious and nervous I didn’t take all my belongings with me from the hotel. It wasn’t until last night when I wanted to upload some photos when I remembered that I put the pocket drive in the pouch of the camera case, and my camera case wasn’t with me……

Thankfully, after the first day of classes this morning, I went back to the hotel and explained that I think I left my camera here over the weekend and the lady at the front desk immediately knew where it was. Phew.

Sunday I was able to sleep in for the first time in months. It felt great! I had a nice more normal traditional French breakfast with yogurt, an apple, and some melba toast with confiture. I sat out on the terrace drinking my espresso and reading.

The afternoon later led to an adventure into town and coming across the Sunday artisan market. There were many handmade items such as bags, clothing, chairs, jewelry, and paintings

but there were also local and artisan breads, honey, cheeses, and meats!

We stopped at the honey stand and talked to the man and he explained some of the various kinds of honey and he let us try a couple of them. We bought a jar of Miel D’Acacia (which is characterized for always being in a liquid state because of its high fructose content and being very clear, sometimes white) and a loaf of bread to have as an absolutely delicious snack.