Our Neighbourhood

As we've taken the tram through our local neighbourhood, we have slowly come to understand a little more about it - definitely not yet a full understanding of its complexities, but a beginning.  We are in the Celleneuve area of Montpellier, to the west of the city centre (15-20 min by tram). 

Just north of us is a large French pharmaceutical research facility, Sanofi, which employs 200 people. Nearby is the administrative headquarters of the Department of Herault. It is surrounded by a park area which we walked through on our previous exploratory excursion. On Sunday we returned to that area. Previously we'd followed the Camino route, and walked for a couple of hours to get there. Sunday it was about a 20 min walk from home!

In the same area there are numerous schools - at least one high school, an eco-school, and the Montpellier Business School. These help explain why there are always so many young people on the trams we ride. (Downtown there is a university, with the world's oldest medical school, as well as many other faculties). So there are lots of young students around, all over the city. 

In Celleneuve the population is predominately Muslim. We see the women wearing their headscarf coverings, and depending on the day (special holidays), men in long white gowns.  The kids have the most beautiful big brown eyes!  There is lots of outdoor socializing, by the men especially, at bars and cafés.  That includes the pizza restaurant across the street from us where they sit outside chatting till 11pm or later. 

Other parts of the city have larger populations of Africans.  The south of France is a very eclectic ethnic mix that has been interesting to experience.