{"id":2764,"date":"2022-05-02T12:36:14","date_gmt":"2022-05-02T12:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unlockingfrance.com\/?p=2764"},"modified":"2022-05-02T13:15:54","modified_gmt":"2022-05-02T13:15:54","slug":"expat-life-3-settling-in-and-happy-travels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unlockingfrance.com\/?p=2764","title":{"rendered":"Expat Life 3 – Settling In and Happy Travels"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Written By: Paul<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’ve been in Montpellier for four months now. It’s flown by, and yet it feels like a lifetime ago Angela and I were cursing the snow and ice in Canada (an annual tradition undertaken by all Canadians except cross-country skiers and snowplow drivers). Today, a Thursday in late April, it’s 23 degrees and sunny, a perfect day in a beautiful city and the lustre of southern France continues to grow on us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our previous Expat Life post<\/a> I talked about our experience beginning our new lives in Montpellier while also tackling all the excursions, trials, and tribulations that came to pass in January and February. This post will cover March and April, two months that could not have differed more from each other, but both provided challenges, opportunities, and more sandwiches with some version of ham than you can shake a stick at. April also provided me with my first French haircut, which worked out well considering the woman cutting my hair didn’t speak a work of English – so I’m just glad that with my extraordinarily weak French I didn’t inadvertently ask her to dye it all pink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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First French Haircut – Definitely could have been worse!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The City<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Montpellier is not a perfect city – it’s close to the Mediterranean but isn’t right on the sea like Nice or Marseille; it has a homeless problem (as most – if not all – European cities do); and the weather is more inconsistent than I had hoped (great January and February, rainy March, mixed April). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having said that, though, the more time we spend here the more we love it. Montpellier has a laid-back vibe that I have come to appreciate. Public transportation is fantastic, and walking gets you across most of the city. The architecture is unique – from the old-world feel of the \u00e9cusson<\/em> (old city centre) to the classical Roman structures of our neighbourhood in Antigone, there’s always something interesting to look at. Montpellier is also a very active city – heaps of sports, recreation, special events, and support for the arts. It’s a great fit for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Montpellier,<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

We also love all of the little side streets and alleyways where you can shop and find some very cool little restaurants. The \u00e9cusson<\/em> is brimming with charm and it seems to go on forever – once you explore down one side street you then find another, and then another. You then realize you’re hopelessly lost in a maze of cobblestones and will just have to give up and drown your sorrows in a jug of cheap but delicious local French wine (if you’re into that kind of thing).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Montpellier,
A-maze-ing montpellier!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There are two other huge pluses to Montpellier from our perspective – location (central to everything in the south, three hours to both Paris and Barcelona by train), and the markets. This is a city chock full of markets, from produce and flower markets to antique brocantes<\/em> and flea markets, this is a place where people like to shop outside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One other thing that has stood out to us over the last two months is how green the city can be – with the arrival of spring the town squares and parks come alive with trees, birds, flowers, and people eating lunch on blankets. It’s a nice place to be at this time of year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Montpellier,<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishments<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

March and April required no shortage of tasks to be completed. As expats in France I am guessing this will never end, but thankfully we’re knocking things down and haven’t run into any major issues. Highlights include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n