Now This Is What French Food Should Taste Like!

At the recommendation of the hotel owner, tonight we tried a restaurant called Le Caveau du Theatre fairly close by. The menu was a bit more pricey than what we’ve been having so far – set menu, appetizer and main dish for €19 – but I suppose there’s a price to pay for quality!

First Day In Avignon

When we arrived in Avignon this morning, we were happy to see that it is much more scenic and lively than Nimes, but, unfortunately for us, most places are closed because Monday is sort of the same as Sunday (as it is in a lot of Europe) and most shops and many restaurants don’t open 

Nimes France- It Should’ve Just Been a Daytrip!

We arrived in Nîmes yesterday, but, after getting lost and walking an extra kilometer in the rain to find the hotel (which turned out to be pretty out of the way and far from city center), neither of us felt like going back out to explore; so we ate lunch at the hotel, hand-washed some laundry in the tub since we couldn’t find a laundromat, and watched some French TV – including what we think is their version of Deal or no Deal, but uses boxes instead of suitcases so we’re calling it Box or no Box 

You Never Forget How To Ride A Bike, But You Might Get A Bit Rusty…

Since we managed to walk around most of Montpellier and see the majority of the sites yesterday, we decided to try renting bikes today to ride out to the Mediterranean Sea, which Jean-Luc (editor’s note: Picard!?) said is only about 45 minutes away by bike.

First Day Out in Montpellier

Following the advice of Jean-Luc and Anne, we headed out this morning and walked along the St. Clement Aqueduct towards the city center.  When we first rode the bus to the B&B, we thought that we were staying quite far from the city center, but it’s actually only about a twenty minute walk to get to the edge of city center and about another five to get to the Place de la Comedie, Montpellier’s main square.

Finally Made It To France!

After what seems like the longest two and a half weeks ever, we’ve made it to France – the focal point of this trip for me.  Although I was sad to leave Barcelona – it really has been the most enjoyable place we’ve visited thus far – I am excited and happy to finally be here!

Last Day In Barcelona

Although I’m looking forward to heading to France tomorrow, I am also sad that we are leaving Barcelona.  There is so much to see and do that we could probably spend another few days here!  Fortunately, we managed to zoom around today and see most of the remaining sights we haven’t done yet.

American Dentist in Barcelona

After finally recovering from food poisoning, the day we arrived in Barcelona I started having severe migraines which, unbeknown to me, were the result of a severe case of Acute Pulpitis (in other words, I needed a root canal) (editor’s note: in other words…”AHhhhhHHHHHHH!!!!!!”)

Barcelona: Land of the Farmacias (pharmacies)

Not sure why but every block in Barcelona seems to have 1 or more Farmacias (pharmacies). The odd thing is all drugs, even Tylenol (called panacetamol here) is kept behind the counter. They have probably have more pharmacies per block than Vancouver/Seattle has Starbucks! (editor’s note: Starcrack anyone?)

Drugs are considerably cheaper here than in Canada. Mainly because there is no dispensing fees and the drugs do not have brand names like Tylenol or Advil.

We’ve Been Discovered! And We’ve Discovered It’s Hard To Cook At A Hostel…

This morning we met up with Jill and Micah again and decided to walk Las Ramblas, a popular pedestrian street in central Barcelona, not too far from our hostel and known for its vendors, street performers, restaurants and cafes.  Walking west from our hostel, we intersected the middle of  Las Ramblas and decided to walk down towards the beach and then back up towards the city center.