Cursed by the train system – the trains between Nice got close but not quite to Montpellier. Stopping in Nimes, this cost money, paying for an extra night in a hotel, but actually saved time. I was originally going to Nimes as a day trip to see the Pont du Gard, a triple-decker Roman aqueduct. Not having to travel from Montpellier allowed me a bit of extra time to wander around Nimes itself, which has enough sense of its overt Roman history – Arena, Temple, Tower, to mondernise the glue of the city streets around them in a way which lets the history still read. Luckily the trains were running again the next day, and I eventually made it to my digs in MontP a day late.
Contrast the PdG with the Millau Viaduct. Millau is a pleasant 2 hour bus ride through some gorgeous countryside and quaint villages. The viaduct itself is a fantastic structure, but if I lived there I don’t think I’d be as amazed. It’s got an alien relationship to the town, like a UFO hanging in the sky.
Montpellier has a bit of a confident buzz, and seems to revel in its riviera climate. The old town centre is a maze of squares, bars, cafes and shops which come alive as people finish work for the day. There’s an epicentre of activity around Place Jean Jaures where the glitziest and showiest of the establishments are located, and a succesive quietening and increasing demurement your radius from this increases. Not to be left out, it also has an aqueaduct dating from the 19th century, built to supply water to the town. 