France 2020 - I came to see a bridge

The France pre Easter trip felt special, in fact it was wonderful. 

I travelled around for four days, in a region of France I had been trying to visit for quite a while.  I wanted to see a bridge built in the Roman times. 

I thought back to when I first read about the town Nimes and that bridge.  It was in 2018 when reading an inflight magazine. The town was mentioned as an unusual attraction found in France.  The article stated how stunning and well preserved the architecture was. It described the countryside surroundings, and how the bridge and other Roman sites, in Nimes, felt like they had been dropped in the South of France.  How intriguing.

I knew when I saw and read about the bridge - I had to see it. It was added to my travel list and I waited for the right time to seize the day.  If I had to cancel based on Covid I would, but since I was still able to then I made the most of it.  The whole trip had that vibe. 

I ran each day. I wanted to spend every moment immersed in the blue sky backdrop.  Two of the runs were during sunset, which is one of my favourite times to run. To experience a city transcend into night mode, where it moves through the ‘golden hour’, as the light drifts away into the sunset, is absolutely magic.

There was the day I spent in Montpelier, where I had brunch from two different cafes. I didn’t need a reason to, but maybe I felt the UK would be getting locked in soon. I had the city map with my route circled and felt excited to explore. After my first brunch of yummy pancakes, I followed this up with an acai bowl in the second bunch spot. Once I was suitably full of the best food, and coffee, I popped on my sunglasses and spent a whole day exploring the city while listening to some inspiring podcasts. I was like a pig in French shit. 

I ate all the pain au chocolat one girl could manage.  It is my European travel breakfast of choice and since I was in France, the home of the pain, it had to be done. 

On my first day, I sampled two very different versions as I explored the art-filled streets of Marseille.  It was a surprise. I was in France to see that bridge, but Marseille and Montpelier were complete hidden gems. 

I knew very little about either city before I arrived, but it became clear they had a stunning street art culture.  This excited me.  Also, the architecture looked interesting.  I adore the architect Zaha Hadid and when I arrived in Montpelier I found she had designed a building that housed the local library.  The building is known as Pierrevives. Naturally, I had to see this with my own eyes and it was added to the hit list.

The trip was 100% about doing all the stuff you love and brings you joy - on repeat.

You can call me a chancer, opportunist, lucky, or embracer of life.  I 100% embraced that trip.  People create their own fear bubble and talk themselves out of trips, all based on a projected future state, or for justifiable reasons.  Most of the justifiable reasons are created by their minds, which are ultimately trying to keep them safe from possible failure, or danger.

I was not missing that trip when I hadn’t been advised not to travel. I knew we were on the verge of something big and unprecedented. On Monday 23rd March, the first UK restrictions were announced by the Prime Minister in an evening televised announcement labeled ‘Stay Home’. 

The UK would move into a lockdown and be advised to stay at home except for a few reasons.  People were told to work from home wherever possible and they should only leave their homes for essential purposes. The essential purposes included: shop for food and medicine, one form of exercise per day, to care for a vulnerable person, or medical purposes.

I am forever thankful for France and that bridge, as my life became very small.