Trans Europa Montpellier

This city wears its heritage casually whilst quietly being modern. A population of near 300000, 25% of whom are students. The University is one of the oldest in the world and it has the oldest medical school still in operation. Nostradamus is (was?) an alumni. Who’d have predicted that?

It remains France’s fastest growing city. We saw part of the greater metropolian area yesterday, though thankfully not all of the 800000 population. The location, 10km from the Med, helps.

So an old city with a young feel: the centre is largely pedestrianised. We ambled through narrow streets: easy to do on a quiet Sunday when most shops are shut. Great street art makes the mundane pop.

The highlight was the recently reopened and repurposed Carré Sainte-Anne church with a great JR display. Key learning point for me: JR is a famous grafitti artist, not from Dallas.

Adventice draws from a little-known chapter of the city’s history. In the Middle Ages, wool imported from Spain, North Africa, and beyond carried hidden seeds. These foreign seeds thrived in the Mediterranean climate, giving rise to France’s first botanical garden.

In botany, adventice stems from the Latin advenire, “that which comes from the outside.” Once seen as invasive weeds, they are now recognized as vital to biodiversity, supporting pollinators and enriching soil. Cornflowers and poppies are among them, now iconic in the French countryside.

In the middle of the church, a tree stands tall, covered with over 10,000 hands sent in by participants from around the world. The roots reveal themselves through anamorphosis, and those who approach the tree can listen to its heart beat. Each visitor is welcome to scan and add their hand to the project. 

For a change, not bullshit: quite stunning.

After all these cities, I’m left wondering how the UK lost a lot of its central cities to modern development. Only a relative few were bombed. We also lost trams. Somebody got the plans wrong methinks (simplistically).

The Antigone area we’re staying in gives a glimpse of what might have been. Regenerated from 1980s it’s concrete with style and purpose, centred around a University campus and social housing. The contrast with Swansea University’s new bleak campus couldn’t be starker. Antigone is a 20 min walk from the centre, great public transport and a variety of good eateries. How complicated is it?

Must be lack of exercise today – the judgemental cells have woken up!