The Med

Bonjour tout le monde!!

Today we woke up in Montpellier and decided to have a beach day. We met Arti for brunch in the city square around 10. It was the best brunch I think I've ever had: eggs, sausage, bread, and the best avocado toast ever. I also got a cappuccino. It sounds simple but trust me, it was life-changing.

best brunch ever

Arti took us to the tram station and told us how to get to the beach. We said our goodbyes and headed on our way. We had to take the tram all the to the end, and then it was still a mile or two to the beach. We considered calling an Uber or biking, but decided just to hike it instead. The walk wasn't awful, and the beach made it totally worth it.

It wasn't very crowded, so we found a good spot and set up camp around 1 pm. The water was really cold but crystal clear. It was on my bucket list to see the Mediterranean, so I was over the moon. We laid on the beach and read books for a couple hours. We took a break and got some beignets with nutella, and some ice cream. Andrea and Will also found some rocks and went rock jumping for a bit too. It wasn't too hot but very bright, and a beautiful day for the beach. None of us were very responsible when it came to sunscreen though, and were feeling that pain now.

the girls!

note: somehow I didn't actually save a picture of the water, but it's all in my memory so its fine

Around 7 we headed to a pizza restaurant nearby, but they didn't open for another 15 or so minutes and we had a train to catch. We called an Uber and a Bolt car, because most French cars can't hold 5 people and they refuse to squeeze people into the back like we do in the states. It turns out that because it was on two apps, it ended up being the same car. Our driver was a large man who spoke little English, but Will and I (mostly Will) convinced him to squeeze us all in if we tipped a little extra. We made Andrea bend down in the backseat, so that you wouldn't be able to see four heads in the backseat. Our Uber driver was super funny.

my sunburn while we were leaving the beach

We made it to the train station and got some snacks. At this point, the sunburn was really starting to develop. We had some problems with Andrea's train ticket, so we went to the platform a little early to make sure it wasn't an issue. They let us in no problem, thank goodness.

Andrea and I were in one car, and Brett, Will, and Talia were in another. We were in a double decker train, and Andrea and I were on the top level of our car, so we had a beautiful view. We mostly listened to music and looked out the window. I fell asleep a few times, but never for very long.

Around 10 pm we arrived at the train station in Lyon. We were starving, so we went to McDonald's. Parker met us there since he didn't come to Montpellier (he went to Geneva) and we talked about our weekends. After we finished we parted ways with Talia and the on campus kids headed back to the apartments. We were so tired we were delirious at this point, so the tram ride to campus was filled with jokes.

By the time we got to the apartments, our sunburns were intense. Andrea and I both showered and immediately went to bed. It hurt to move for awhile, but still no regrets.

À plus tard,

Maggie

(Written for May 29)