Sky Watch Friday..... Arc de Triomphe.

The sky was very blue and there was not a breath of air: look at the flag on the roof of the Arc de Triomphe, one of the most famous monuments in Montpellier. And no car in sight!
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Ciel bleu et pas un souffle d'air à Montpellier, la dernière fois où j'ai fait du vélo (pour me rendre à mon rendez-vous chez l'anesthésiste) il y a une dizaine de jours. Pauvre petit drapeau français qui semble tout penaud et tout ratatiné sur cet imposant édifice à la gloire du Roi Soleil.

ABC Wednesday...... V stands for Visit Montpellier

I took these photos from the top of the Arc de Triomphe on Avenue Joffre, probably in 2006. That was on the occasion of a great visit of the major monuments in Montpellier with people from the Office du Tourisme.
ABC Wednesday blogs

Ces photos figurent parmi les premières photos que j'ai prises de Montpellier. C'était à l'occasion d'une visite avec l'office du tourisme. Très sympa cette visite, je vous la recommande.

Court of Justice

This is the Palais de Justice in Montpellier. It was built around 1850. It is a very beautiful building, which is located on the avenue Foch, close to the Arc de Triomphe and to the Esplanade du Peyrou.

Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe stands at the end (or beginning :-)) of the avenue Foch, before the entrance of Les Jardins du Peyrou. As you can see, it is perfectly aligned with the statue of Louis XIV and the water tower.

Before it was restored a few years ago, the stone was white, or rather grey and black. We were first surprised at seeing this ochre color but we were told that it was the original color of the Arc when it was erected in the seventeenth century.

You can read a complete description of the Arc de Triomphe on the site of Montpellier Hérault.

Place de la Canourgue

Yesterday I spent some time on the very beautiful "Place de la Canourgue," which is close to the cathedral, the Court of Justice, the Arc de Triomphe, in the most elegant part of the Ecusson. I loved the color of the parasols at the terrace of the "Comptoir de l'Arc" (trendy café). The wind was gently playing with the branches of the trees of the micocouliers (nettle trees, the name is definitely more beautiful in French). I watched them dancing through the parasols.

A few years ago, the mayor had decided to build an underground parking lot under the Place de la Canourgue, and one morning bulldozers came and pulled down the old plane trees that lined the square. But there were riots, upheavals, revolutions (we are good at that!). People were very angry and they eventually managed to have the project cancelled. The mayor had young micocouliers planted (back). The square was a bit disfigured for a few years but now it's beautiful again.

I'd like my photos to appear bigger on the screen when one opens the blog....

Avenue Foch

Photo taken from the top of the Arc de Triomphe, which I will show in the next days. The Avenue Foch is probably the wealthiest street in Montpellier, with some of the best and the most expensive "boutiques" in the city.