Upon touchdown in Montpellier, I had no way of getting in touch with Kaitlyn. I went to baggage claim and half-expected my bag to have just finished it's thousandth lap around the baggage claim carousel in Minneapolis thousands of miles away (MPS vs. MPL), but I was relieved to see it tumble down the slide a few minutes later, zippers bulging with my clothes and Kaitlyn's. Unlike American airports, the baggage claim area is separated from the public area, so those few minutes of waiting for my bag took FOREVER. I wanted to see her! As soon as I got my bag, I wheeled it through the opaque sliding doors, and there she was. A big hug or two later (I was reluctant since I smelled bad but she was a trooper and put up with it), we were sitting outside the airport at the bus stop, waiting for our bus into the city. Kaitlyn was awesome enough to pick up a sandwich for me. It was a chicken and tomato and cheese sandwich on a really good baguette. It had some mayonnaise on it but she assured me that it tastes better in France. I agree. I wish my body wasn't so confused so I could actually have an appetite to eat the sandwich, but I still managed to eat half.
The bus ride couldn't have been more than ten minutes, and Kaitlyn and I caught up on the previous night's festivities. I couldn't believe I was finally there! I don't think it sunk in for a few days. It was so cool being in a new place. I couldn't decide whether to look at her or out the window, but I don't think she was too offended. The bus dropped us off at a tram stop in a more modern part of town, where we caught a tram to the center of the historic area. From there, we walked a few minutes towards another bus stop that we'd take to her room. The whole time, I was loving EVERYTHING. I know it's super cliche, but it really was everything I imagined and more. I felt on top of the world, a feeling that she'd make fun of me for as the week went on. She would catch me just smiling and looking happy. I probably looked insane but the emotions were genuine. Whatever. Also, side note, I think whoever invents a rolly-suitcase with off-road tires will be a billionaire. Those cobblestones were pretty rough on my wimpy plastic wheels.
The first thing I wanted to do when I got to her room was to take a shower, but being the martyr I am, I sacrificed my hygiene temporarily to give her all of the Reeses Peanut Butter Cups I packed for her as well as all of her clothes. After my shower, I got dressed and we walked downtown. We wandered up and down the narrow streets and alleys, never knowing what we were going to find (I can say that this is 100% true for me, but she assured me that she hadn't been in those particular alleys at that time of day yet so it was an adventure for her too). I felt incredibly lost for that first hour or two but fortunately I got the hang of the town over the course of the afternoon and the next day. I started to recognize places, buildings, and monuments from all of her pictures and it all started to make more sense to me. We stopped at a bar for a beer and sat outside. Ordering the beer was a bit of a struggle for me, but with Kaitlyn's help, we managed. From there, we went to the Irish pub that she's become a big fan of, O'Carolans. I met the guys who helped her out so much over her first few days in Montpellier. I really liked them a lot. On the way home, we grabbed two take-out pizzas (ordering food and drinks was always such an adventure). I think we eventually figured out that the pizza chef was a big fan of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for whatever reason, so we bonded a bit over the Keystone State. I met the first two of her friends outside of the pizza shop. I would see them again about a half hour later in one of the patio areas of the residences, where fifteen or so of her classmates gathered to taste wine, eat cheese, and talk. It was very cool finally getting to meet everyone. Everyone was super welcoming and friendly towards me. It was awesome.
A few of us decided to head downtown to meet up with another group of her friends, who were already in town, having just watched the Real Madrid versus Barcelona soccer game. I was amazed that I was still feeling so good despite having had about seven hours of sleep cumulative over the past few nights, so i just kept going with it. This other group of friends was in the loft at a pretty crowded, pretty hip bar. It was in a beautiful stone building with vaulted ceilings and great stonework throughout. Unfortunately I found out the hard way that the stonework was real, as I knocked the hell out of my head on a low ceiling a couple of times. This group of friends was just as welcoming as the first and we tried to make conversation over the loud music. At the end of the bottle, we moved to yet another bar. It closed soon after we got there but that didn't stop the party. Everyone spilled out into the alley, sitting around, talking, and laughing, and it wasn't until the third or fourth time that the bar's employees came by to ask us to leave that the crowd started to disperse. Our group started wandering home, taking things very slow and stopping to talk to other friends. I have no idea what time it was but I just remember being so impressed by how much energy there still was out in the streets from all of the people who were out. It was incredible. It was a warm night, all of the buildings were lit up, and I was having a great time, loving every minute. We eventually got home, but did everyone part ways to go to bed? No way! A few of us went to Kaitlyn's friend Dor's room, where we sat around chatting and drinking wine for another hour or so. I think the time change or lack of sleep or maybe just all of that wine finally started to catch up to me as my eyelids suddenly weighed a ton. The night wrapped up and we went back to Kaitlyn's room, where I fell asleep before my head even hit the pillow.
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