In La Grande Motte - 30 May 2008

 

 

 

 

Bub and I had spent our final day with the car on 21 May visiting my new friend of the Lille to Montpellier train, Jacqueline.  It’s half an hour by car from Montpellier to La Grande Motte – and about the same on the bus.  La Grande Motte was developed at the instigation of Charles de Gaulle who wanted to transform several mosquito infested wetlands into cities.  La Grande Motte is one such city, built in the 1960’s and still being developed, on the site where there was once a tiny fishing village.  It’s a bizarre collection of white, leaning pyramid structures which seem to rise out of the land on every side and although it’s stark and unexpected, it’s surprisingly effective.  It has marinas and wonderful facilities for tourists and I imagine it would be particularly delightful for children with its golden beaches and endless array of activities.  Perish the thought, however, that one would visit it in July or August!  

 

 

This is just one view from a spot along the coast, past the beautiful sandy beaches you can see in the distance, where the fishermen can still enjoy the peace and quiet.  However, when we were there, the cormorants were having much more luck than the fishermen! 

 

 

It was wonderful to be entertained by Jacqueline and we were treated to information about the local area and shown some of the more serene sights, like the lovely golf  course.

 

Here’s a view of the ocean from Jacqueline’s apartment from which you can see the strange buildings from above.

 

 

Julie and I visited the city together on 31 May and this time we travelled by bus which was easy and didn’t take much longer than it had by car.  We relaxed on the beach and enjoyed one of the few days of beautiful sunshine.

 

 

While we enjoyed some refreshment in one of the many cafés!