We arrived in Montpellier around midday and were met by Vincent, the former Willoway counselor I mentioned, at the station. It was awesome being able to see him after nearly 14 years. He took us all around the town of Montpellier, explaining to us some of the landmarks we were seeing (including a pretty badass roman aquaduct from centuries ago). We hopped in Vincent´s car and headed down the freeway towards the town of Frontignan, where Vincent and his family live. He introduced us to his beautiful wife, Delphine (hope im spelling that right) and their two-year old son, Luca. We spent the next few hours chatting, playing with Luca, and snacking. Being the incredibly hospitable people that they are, Vincent and Delphine cooked for us a massive french meal including moscato (muscat as it is known in the region), bread, the best cheese I´ve ever tasted, mussels, french fries, and a plethora of fresh fruit. Conversation flowed easily and, by the end of the meal, Steve and I were more stuffed than we had been the entire trip. With our stomachs stuffed to the bursting point Vincent and Delphine wished us a good night and let us recuperate after our long travel day.
The next day the whole family took Steve and I to Carcassonne, a Medieval city about an hour and a half southwest of Frontignan. Of all the places we had been thus far, this was the first true "fortress" we had seen in all of Europe. Massive stone ramparts, a moat, drawbridge, and even a castle in the center. We spent nearly half the day tooling around the city climbing the walls and exploring the massive fort (see pictures below!). We grabbed a hearty lunch of beans and sausage, a traditional dish in the city. Following this, we walked back to the car and made our way to Narbonne. We walked along the beach, snapping photos and chatting with Vincent as we went. It still amazes me how beautiful the Southern French coast really is. It was warm, sunny, and full of happy people that seemed to enjoy themselves whenever they could (case and point, a full beach on a thursday afternoon). That evening the five of us went to Vincent´s Mothers home for another wonderful home-cooked french meal. This time, in addition to fantastic wine, bread, cheese, and fruit, we had a curry-based chicken and rice dish that had both of us so full we could hardly move, as well as some unbelieveably good fois gras. Getting to know the family was awesome, and I think I can speak for both of us when I say that we felt completely welcome and at home sitting with everyone.
The final day in Frontignan began with Luca, Vincent, Steve and myself exploring the town of Sete, just to the west of where we were staying. We walked through the waterfront city, snapping photos of the canals and even scoring some awesome views of the entire area from a massive hill that accented the western side of town. After a massive lunch back home of, surprise surprise, more cheese, bread, wine, and an interesting seafood-pie type thing, Steve and I headed to the beach. Vincent dropped us off, and for the next few hours Steve and I baked our helpless fair-skinned bodies in the brutal french sunshine. I made the mistake of falling asleep for nearly two hours, and was saved only by the fact that I´ve developed something of a base of the course of the last few weeks. Steve, however, looked more like a lobster than a guy from Michigan. That night, Vincent´s brother and his brother´s girlfriend joined us for a family barbecue of sorts. We spent nearly five hours eating, chatting, drinking, and laughing, exchanging stories from our days in university and listening to Vincent recap some of his adventures while in the United States. After having spent the previous three days with Vincent and his family, both Steve and I felt like we had been able to come home for a few days and relax before hitting the road once more. They were so incredibly hospitable and pulled out all the stops to ensure that we had a relaxing and fulfilling time in the South of France - if you guys happen to read this, thank you so much!
The next day saw us packing our bags and heading out of the train station in Sete for Barcelona. I know I´m a few weeks late in writing this, and its because of this that I can say we have not had a more fulfilling culinary experience than we did in Frontignan. The food, the wine - it was just phenomenal, and being able to relax for those three days really helped the two of us to recharge before we resumed the adventure.
Next up - Barcelona and Madrid (expect the next few posts within two days or so!)
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