Line 4 is Completed!

The first of July, a big day for the Montpellier tramway! The tram is a cute, and certainly useful, thing about Montpellier. The little trains are a great way to get around, and to the suburbs to catch a bus out of town. And they’re fun to watch, with their bullet shapes and bright, playful colors.

Now a couple of stops have been added to Line 4, closing the circle and making that line a full loop. It’s also now possible to circle the old town, just outside the walls, which could not be done before. (There is no public transport inside the vielle ville – also called the écusson, or shield, due to its shape – the streets are just too narrow.)

I’m still mystified as to why this is such a Big Deal. So OK, the initial vision is complete, and now there is a tram line that makes a complete loop around the city (the first in France!). But, any excuse for a party, so hey, we’ll go along!

The festivities started at about 7 o’clock, late enough so it was starting to cool down, with still three hours of daylight left (yes, it stays light very late here in summer!). First up was a drumming ensemble, 30 drummers from Brazil (I supposed they were used to the heat, so I didn’t worry about them drumming in the sun). Then there were speeches by the mayor, city council members, and… Manual Valls, the Prime Minister of France? Now that’s a big deal. All the way down from Paris to our little town!

(The low-level hisses and boos from the crowd reminded us that he, along with President Holland, is not very popular right now. There’s something about a restrictive labor law, among other things, that’s got people riled up all over France. The speech was ok, they just turned up the PA. No doubt M. Valls was glad to get away from Paris and the Élysée Palace to do something less political.)

Then some modern interpretations of ballet; music by the Montpellier Symphony Orchestra. And, finally, a spectacular aerial dance against the face of the Arc de Triomph, the setting sun providing a warm yet intense illumination.

All this was held in a park at the north end of the city, in the shadow (literally!) of the water temple (referred to locally as the Chateau d’eau, or water tower). We’d been up here any number of times. It’s a great place to watch the sunset, as the land drops off steeply to the west. Mountain peaks are off to the west and north, and barely visible to the south-east, the ocean.

The Chateau d’eau was built in 1768 at the end of the aqueduct bringing fresh water to Montpellier. The aqueduct itself is rather spectacular, particularly at night with the blue lighting that’s been installed.  But we couldn’t see the aqueduct this evening; all the action was in the park in front of the Chateau d’eau, with its alleys of trees and grassy areas. And the equine statue of Louis XIV, erected in 1718. Yes, this stuff has been here for a long time, and the celebration really was of Montpellier itself. 

Statue of Lous XIV, with the water temple; note mock-up of the tram, lower left

Elegant lady, in costume!

The new tram extension gives easier access to the patrimoine of Montpellier, its cultural heritage, things historical and geographic that give a local a sense of history, its place in the world. Like this park we were in, called Place royal du Peyrou (now with a tram stop!). Or the next stop up the line, the medical school. Founded sometime prior to 1200, it is the oldest medical school still operating in France and the oldest in all of Europe.

So yeah, there really is something to celebrate here!

Drumming, and dance to the Montpellier Symphony

Spectacular aerial dancing on the face of the Arc de Triomphe

 

It was a good crowd that showed up...

Tables had been set up, laden with food and drink. Once available, the crowd of 2000 did not hesitate to take advantage and it was astonishing to see all those lovely folks storm the table and grab food and drink. But then, we helped ourselves to some of that fine wine, too!

We finally left, passed under the arch and headed down the street toward home. First, though, we paused on the bridge to gaze down at the newly-completed street and it’s as-yet unused tram rails. A woman also stopped briefly, exclaimed to her companion “Montpellier really is a beautiful city!” and moved on. We moved on, too, full of wonder at where we were, and gratitude for the joy of being there.

New tram stop! Let's party!

What it's all about...

Another soft evening in Montpellier: 10PM!

We did, though, stop at a supermarket on the way home to pick up a baguette and some other essentials. As we were waiting in the check-out line, Paula suddenly looked down at her not-yet-empty souvenir glass and exclaimed, in joyful surprise, “I’m drinking wine in a supermarket!” We were not so far into our cups that we actually burst out laughing, but we came close.

It was a very fine walk home.