Mooching in Montpellier

First stop the local market which was a stone’s throw from our apartment. Interesting circular building with great looking produce and some bars which were already full of people drinking beer and quaffing wine even though it was only 11am.

I want to live in a place where juicy delicious strawberries are available in April, where tomatoes taste of tomatoes and great wine is €16 a bottle and the sun shines bright and warmly in April. En effet, je voudrais habite en Montpellier.

I was inspired by the greens and reds in the market:

And the reds and greens:

Waitrose has lost its lustre. There was also a fish counter where the fish looked like they had just jumped out of the sea, a cheese counter and countless meat… not wanting to scare the vegetarians, I only snapped the local chorizo…

So shopped out in my sense, we wandered up to Montpellier’s Arc de Triomphe and the Peyroux jardin. Guess who I saw in the distance!?

Michael Portillo! Oh, no actually, that’s husbant.

He just loves a pink trew. Next stop AgnesB for some serious wallet… a new hat and jacket and husbant had also shopped out.

Both tired and hungry we rowed all the way back to the apartment in true 12 years’ married style. Felt foolish for shouting in the street but thankfully we returned, drank a bottle of exceptional wine, ate some delicious salad and I had a nap.

I just love this painted building.

So we had to take the hat back as it fell apart. Luckily there was a seamstress who lived nearby who stitched it back together again. I had to have the obligatory holiday ice cream – this time it was red grapefruit with szechuan pepper, and blood orange:

We have just got back from a good dinner in Le Petit Jardin, where the creepy crawlies were keen to share our table and even went for a swim in husbant’s wine. The food was ok – for once I chose badly and spent a lot of time lusting after husbant’s plates. And I am not talking about his false teeth.

The meal ended with a firework which I managed to miss completely in this blurred photo.

All in, a lovely way to spend a wedding anniversary. No silk underwear for me but I got husbant a lovely card. Here’s to the next 12!