MarkandJim.com

Whenever possible we like to break long journeys into smaller pieces. Rather than spending eight hours on a train we prefer to stop in the middle. Two four hour journeys aren’t nearly so bad, especially if you get to discover a new place in between. Since we had a couple days to spare between our stay in Cannes and our visit with my brother John and his family in Barcelona, we decided to make a stop smack in the middle. And that brings us to Montpellier, the vibrant capital of the French region of Languedoc-Roussillon.

Montpellier feels like a young town, with lively streets and bustling squares full of bars and restaurants. It’s been a college town since the founding of the University of Montpellier in 1160 — one of the oldest universities in the world. It is also reported to be the fastest growing city in France over the past quarter century.

It’s been a nice place to hang out for a brief couple of days while we got a few practical things done — shopping for toiletries, getting Jim a haircut, and doing a bit of travel research. We also visited a nice botanical garden, the Jardin des Plantes, and enjoyed a couple great meals in those lively Montpellier squares.

But this morning we are more excited than usual to board our next train. Because this time we are headed to one of our favorite places on earth — Barcelona!