Provence and Occitanie: Day 12

Promenade, Dancers and Prancers, Cannonball Wall, and Joy, Joy, Joyeux!

Château d'eau du Peyrou.

As related in the previous post, a meander about in the Jardin des Plantes in Montpellier is one of those earthly pleasures in a garden of delights that one simply must partake. But one cannot live on jardin alone; thus, moving just south from Jardin des Plantes, we arrive at perhaps the most iconic, visited, and photographed spot in Montpellier: Promenade du Peyrou.

Aqueduct Saint-Clement stretching out from Promenade du Peyrou into Montpellier.

Croix du Peyrou.

Flanked by the Arc de Triomphe on one end and the Aqueduct Saint-Clement and Château d'eau du Peyrou on the other, this is a blocks-long plaza with plane trees, fountains, ponds, marvelous views, a striking monument to King Louis XIV (the Sun King), and on this particular day some Occitanie folk dancers. Just off the plaza to the southeast is a large public crucifix, complete with Christ in all his martyred glory.

It was a marvelous, sun-splashed weekend afternoon, and promenaders, prancers, and dancers were out in abundance. If you visit Montpellier as a tourist, there is a greater than 99% chance that you will visit Promenade du Peyrou, as you should. Sit, bask, relax, and soak in the Frenchness, as hundreds of other people were doing on the day we visited.

Promenade du Peyrou, from Château d'Eau toward L'Arc de Triomphe and King Louis XIV monument.

Upon departing the preeminent promenade, we walked under the arc and down Rue Foch, taking a random right south to dive into the “labyrinth.” The historical city center is known as L'Ecusson. It lies between Promenade du Peyrou and Place de la Comedie. We wandered its winding ways earlier, but this time we nary had a plan. Or did we? Was the plan to have no plan? Get lost? Kinda, sorta, but map apps always keep us on our way. L'Ecusson features narrow, twisting, medieval-esque lanes that are conducive to getting one lost in a good way.

The labyrinth hosts shops, plazas, cafes, the Eglise Saint-Roch, and architecture galore! We wandered this wondrous ward numerous times, daily. Multi-daily. And it was well worth the effort. There are archways, tunneled passages, hanging lights, shops with cool signage, fountains, a marvelous toy store, and more than one partial bike frame mounted into medieval wall. It was all quite glorious, and losing one’s directional bearings within is part of the experience. My unasked for Montpellier advice: wander, explore, and take at least a half-day to enjoy L'Ecusson. You will not be disappointed.

That's a cannonball. In a wall.

Embedded near the southern edge of the labyrinth is a remnant of the Wars of Religion that raged in the 17th century. Supposedly fired by the troops of King Louis XIII in 1622, a cannonball is firmly ensconced in a wall facing Rue des Etuves. Whether factual or not, real or fake, totes truth or apocryphal, this is one of those small sites that I crave when taking a foreign stroll.

Across the bustling Boulevard de l’Observatoire from L'Ecusson and one half-block to the west from Rue des Etuves, the world walker will arrive at Café Paume. The coffee shop sits along a large sidewalk plaza, facing an intersecting jumble of tram tracks, pedestrians, and bicyclists. It is the perfect place to rest one’s feet and recaffeinate or rehydrate during a day’s town tour.

Café Paume also faces a rather unique wall. On the corner of Blvd de l’Observatoire and Place Edouard Adam, a squat three-story building features a strikingly realistic visage (a trompe-l'œil) of a couple buildings and an archway. The illustrative illusion depicts a bookstore (“librarie”), a woman tending to her plants, pedestrians, and a wonderful depiction of the great Montpelliérain neo-impressionist Fredric Bazille holding his pallet while looking over his left shoulder down toward the gawkers below. Bazille was one the constant characters present throughout much of our two-week trip in Provence and Occitanie, so it was a treat to see him painted into this wonderful eye trick. An impressionist illusion, one might say. You may not even notice the mural due to its life-like quality, but rest assured, it is 2D not 3. Sit at Café Paume and take in its splendor while people take selfies and photos. It’s quite a joy.

Realistic mural across the street from Café Paume.

Speaking of joy, a block away from Café Paume is the aptly named Café Joyeux, an order-at-the-counter fast food joint that serves up some mean sandwiches. The special aspect of Café Joyeux is that they hire people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They put forth a vision “to open hearts to people’s differences for a more empathetic and harmonious society” and a mission for “the inclusion of people with intellectual disability through work and encounters.” We encountered some lovely servers who opened our hearts to lunch and provided a harmonious experience. It was good. Café Joyeux is a small chain and can be found throughout France, Belgium, and there is even one in New York City. I would recommend it for a quick, yummy lunch/snack and beverage while exploring an urban area. Café Joyeux is just across the street from Les Halles Laissac, an indoor market with all manners of produce, cheese, wine, flowers, and treats that one may need. We encountered another such market (Les Halles Castellane) near the Place des Martyrs de la Resistance and, in fact, halles like this are all over France. They are your one-stop for all culinary desires. We got cheese and yogurt from Les Halles Castellane.

Café Joyeux Servi Avec Le Cœur.

A bit southeast of Cannonball Wall lies the end edge of L'Ecusson, marked by the Tour de Babote, a medieval wall tower and gate that also served as an observatory. It is one of two remaining town wall towers in Montpellier (the other being Tour de Pins, discussed in Provence and Occitanie: Day 11), and the interior is often open for a guided tour. There was no tour on the day we happened by, but we had plenty else to explore. The tower gate opens to a small courtyard where one may climb the old stone stairs to the rampart for a cool view of the modern street below.

Tour de Babote, exterior.

Tour de Babote, interior courtyard.

A quick stroll to the southeast, down Rue de la Republique, and we found Square Planchon, a triangle-shaped park (I know, right! It’s a square and yet also a triangle.) with some marvelous statuary, fountains, all sorts of fine flora and folks frolicking. Also, some carved words from local poet, Paul Valery. It is a small, urban oasis in one of the more bustling parts of Montpellier, directly across the street of the main railway station, surrounded by tram lines and busy roads. But it was calm and oh so pleasant. If you arrive by train (or not), you should make a point to pause and peruse this park.

Montpellier, L'Eccuson labyrinth, and all that is offered within is a winding treasure trail with gems and baubles, trinkets and fineries found at every turn. The toy store Pomme de Reinette et Pomme d’Api is one such jewel. The two (yes TWO) cat cafes we visited for cafe latte, sweets and sweet kitties, and the tiny hole-in-the-wall Ufish, next to the equally wall-hole Black Out bar, and so many other places! They are all marvelous and tucked into the medieval lanes in an impossibly perfect, haphazard manner. Montpellier is an urban stroller's dream. A true delight! And the last blog entry of our visit to this fine southern city will expand and expound on that. Au revoir for now, mes amis! Je vous aimes!

A bubbling, flowing fountain in a quiet plaza deep within the labyrinth known as L'Eccuson.