Days 3-4: Montpellier

"I think we're going into bullet mode."

And he was right. After what seemed like a brief intake of breath, TGV 6205 shifted gears, causing my window view of grafitti'ed walls on the gritty outskirts of Paris to suddenly switch to scenes of a lush green countryside. (Look, sheep!) My heart leapt at the sight of wind farms, sweeping the hills with their enormous white blades; and solar panels adorning roofs in otherwise rustic villages. Although the rolling landscape became familiar after a couple of hours, I felt like I could have watched this fleeting filmstrip all day long.

We reached Montpellier (in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of the south of France) -- and were warmly welcomed into the home of my other soeur francaise -- by lunchtime. Her villa, with its sun-heated pool and fragrant fruit trees, was a welcome resort after our 3.5-hr train ride. We ate, swam, frolicked with her rambunctious 2-year old at the neighborhood playground, wandered around a nearby 12th century château, ate again (ratatouille!), and sipped Muscat wine over photo albums until it was time to toddle off to bed.

Day 4 highlights: Blended in with the locals at a downtown fair, apparently "the place to be" for clubs and associations (e.g., for art, music, social services, pet rescue, civil rights advocates, religious groups, etc.); visited Musée Fabre, which featured a special exposition of local-born Alexandre Cabanel; rode around in the cheesy but fun le Petit Train; and, got a taste of amazingly friendly Montpellier hospitality when looking for directions.

Our stay culminated with a memorable family dinner, featuring an intriguing blue apéritif from Marseille; grilled merguez (spicy sausage) and brochettes (skewers); and gâteau aux pommes avec du fromage frais (apple pie with soft cheese), made from scratch. As I gazed across the shimmering moonlit pool, satisfied and calm, I recall thinking, "This is certainly the life." "C'est la vie."