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Jul. 31st, 2011 02:41 amLast update before I leave for home! It will take me a few days to get home, because of seeing friends en route and because of dateline changes, but I actually leave at an unholy hour tomorrow morning. It's so unholy an hour that the wonder airport bus (that leaves a block from where I'm staying) goes 45 minutes too late. I asked if I really did need a 2 hour check-in, at a regional airport, on a Sunday morning, and everyone says "Sorry, but you do." So I do.
It's just as well I'm going home. Each day I start off a bit more tired and hurting. Today I got going by about 11.30 (which means that by the time I get going tomorrow, I'll be in London), which I had allowed for and all was fine.
Today was the day I had allowed for final stuff-ups all round. There were several. The one that could not be remedied was that no Thierry was waiting for me at Virgin (they had forgotten to put the order through as urgent), so I spent the money on a book (the original of the Pevel I reviewed in translation - I need to know how much of the problems I had with it were due to the translator - the cash register lady had a great fascination with this and we talked about it). I so hope that book will fit into my luggage, because it's too late to post.
Can I strongly, strongly recommend that anyone passing through Montpellier pay a visit to Album. It's a BD/comics shop and every single one of the people there is wonderful and generous and knowledgable. And yes, two more parcels are on the way to Australia for me. These people spent ages sorting out what I actually wanted/needed, finding the cheapest way of sending it and making it all happen. They are just beyond awesome.
I checked out the last 'Medieval buildings' in Montpellier today, and they aren't. Others are, but not marked as such on the tourist map. What I got out of today was a functioning understanding of the Medieval city and how it operated plus a rather more interesting understanding of how the later kings of France have tried to remake it to meet their needs.
I checked out my secondhand booksellers and had a couple of interesting conversations as a result. There really is nothing I haven't seen that the locals know about. They didn't even know about half the stuff I *have* seen. We name-dropped at each other and talked about studies of different places: if I had chosen the Camargue, or Montpeyroux, there would have been a ton of secondary material. The rare book people in Montpellier think I really have covered everything. The rare book people think this and the monuments specialist thinks this and I have done my usual bibliographical checks. Not a bad place to be, as long as I have enough material to write a good novel.
In the middle of things going wrong, I went for a coffee. Sitting at a table alone seemed a bit desolate, so I went inside to the counter. The locals were there (it turned out to be a local coffee shop, not a tourist one) and we talked for ages. The bloke next to me was taking time off while he could because he was getting up at 5 am tomorrow to paint the house of the coffee shop owner, who was the wife of his cousin. He used to travel a lot and so we swapped currency stories. The lady on my right was getting disconsolate (young children, can't travel) so she now has the wherewithal to buy a cup of coffee should she ever be in Turkey. They were all sympathetic that I had to return to negative degrees when today was such a perfect summery day. The Monoprix checkout lady wasn't at all sympathetic (I was dehydrated after a day of wandering and not having a water bottle - I really didn't need one until the last three days - so I stopped off to stock up on drinks) - she wants to come to Australia, regardless of the weather. She said I could swap and take her checkout, instantly.
Montpellier during summer is fabulous. One day I'd like to come back here, staying at the same place, but with friends, stay two whole weeks and see the region and explore the Estivales and streets properly and have my friends carry all my books back. There were a lot of books I wanted that I didn't buy! I did well on postage, though - it averaged at $12 a kilo, which isn't bad from Europe to Australia. Six parcels. Or was it seven? I will have to wait and see! I have another 6-7 kilos of books with me, of course. These were the ones I couldn't possibly survive without. In fact, my luggage is mostly books, dirty clothes and presents.
I ought to go downstairs and arrange that taxi, and then I can change and pack and the lounge around watching French TV for one more night. Also eat the sad ends of food and drink much, much water and tea.
See you on the other side of the world!!
PS I am sunburnt. I seldom sunburn, but winter to summer and indoors to outdoors has done it. Tomorrow I shall reverse everything and start working on looking pale and interesting again.
It's just as well I'm going home. Each day I start off a bit more tired and hurting. Today I got going by about 11.30 (which means that by the time I get going tomorrow, I'll be in London), which I had allowed for and all was fine.
Today was the day I had allowed for final stuff-ups all round. There were several. The one that could not be remedied was that no Thierry was waiting for me at Virgin (they had forgotten to put the order through as urgent), so I spent the money on a book (the original of the Pevel I reviewed in translation - I need to know how much of the problems I had with it were due to the translator - the cash register lady had a great fascination with this and we talked about it). I so hope that book will fit into my luggage, because it's too late to post.
Can I strongly, strongly recommend that anyone passing through Montpellier pay a visit to Album. It's a BD/comics shop and every single one of the people there is wonderful and generous and knowledgable. And yes, two more parcels are on the way to Australia for me. These people spent ages sorting out what I actually wanted/needed, finding the cheapest way of sending it and making it all happen. They are just beyond awesome.
I checked out the last 'Medieval buildings' in Montpellier today, and they aren't. Others are, but not marked as such on the tourist map. What I got out of today was a functioning understanding of the Medieval city and how it operated plus a rather more interesting understanding of how the later kings of France have tried to remake it to meet their needs.
I checked out my secondhand booksellers and had a couple of interesting conversations as a result. There really is nothing I haven't seen that the locals know about. They didn't even know about half the stuff I *have* seen. We name-dropped at each other and talked about studies of different places: if I had chosen the Camargue, or Montpeyroux, there would have been a ton of secondary material. The rare book people in Montpellier think I really have covered everything. The rare book people think this and the monuments specialist thinks this and I have done my usual bibliographical checks. Not a bad place to be, as long as I have enough material to write a good novel.
In the middle of things going wrong, I went for a coffee. Sitting at a table alone seemed a bit desolate, so I went inside to the counter. The locals were there (it turned out to be a local coffee shop, not a tourist one) and we talked for ages. The bloke next to me was taking time off while he could because he was getting up at 5 am tomorrow to paint the house of the coffee shop owner, who was the wife of his cousin. He used to travel a lot and so we swapped currency stories. The lady on my right was getting disconsolate (young children, can't travel) so she now has the wherewithal to buy a cup of coffee should she ever be in Turkey. They were all sympathetic that I had to return to negative degrees when today was such a perfect summery day. The Monoprix checkout lady wasn't at all sympathetic (I was dehydrated after a day of wandering and not having a water bottle - I really didn't need one until the last three days - so I stopped off to stock up on drinks) - she wants to come to Australia, regardless of the weather. She said I could swap and take her checkout, instantly.
Montpellier during summer is fabulous. One day I'd like to come back here, staying at the same place, but with friends, stay two whole weeks and see the region and explore the Estivales and streets properly and have my friends carry all my books back. There were a lot of books I wanted that I didn't buy! I did well on postage, though - it averaged at $12 a kilo, which isn't bad from Europe to Australia. Six parcels. Or was it seven? I will have to wait and see! I have another 6-7 kilos of books with me, of course. These were the ones I couldn't possibly survive without. In fact, my luggage is mostly books, dirty clothes and presents.
I ought to go downstairs and arrange that taxi, and then I can change and pack and the lounge around watching French TV for one more night. Also eat the sad ends of food and drink much, much water and tea.
See you on the other side of the world!!
PS I am sunburnt. I seldom sunburn, but winter to summer and indoors to outdoors has done it. Tomorrow I shall reverse everything and start working on looking pale and interesting again.