Jun 13th - Montpellier

 As it was a recommendation from the tourist office we headed off to the ‘Farmers Market’ on the edge of the old town.  As nice as the market is it seemed a strange bit of advice considering that it’s located underneath a very nicely preserved 18th century aqueduct, of which there had been no mention!  I always think that aqueducts are fascinating to look at and this one, the ‘Aqueduct St-Clément’ and inspired by the Pont du Gard apparently, doesn’t disappoint. The engineering is amazing!   

Following the aqueduct to its end (only a short walk) we finished up in the ‘Jardin du Peyrou’, a royal square and gardens.  Home to a ‘L’Arc de Triomphe’, Louis XIV riding his horse(!), and a building known as the ‘Chateau d’eau’, this was a lovely park for a bit of a wander.  This ‘Chateau’ is actually the terminating point for the aqueduct, and was in fact a very ornate cistern that distributed water to other parts of the city.  

Off to the Botanical gardens next, the only other recommendation from the T.O.  However, due to some bizarre French logic, these are only open on certain hours on certain days!  As we were only partially lucky, we had the right day but not the right hours, we took off to visit the Cathedral, a great stop-gap when waiting for places to open! 😊


Originally built in the 14th century, the ‘Cathedrale St. Pierre’ is an impressive  but unassuming Gothic Cathedral but with a couple of novel features.  The main one of these are the two huge columns at the front of the building which are the only remains from when the cathedral was used as a fortress.  The other unusual feature of the cathedral is that it has two rose windows, opposite each other and either side of the transept, and not something we’ve seen before. 

After the cathedral it was time for the Botanical Gardens.  Originally established in the 1500’s, and as part of the nearby medical school, this was a little sad.  Although the intention, we think, is to be a bit ‘wild’, it’s not like ‘groomed’ parks you see elsewhere.  There are some nice parts but generally, with crumbling pathways, weeds, and disorganised plots, the whole place needs a little TLC. 



   


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