Day 24 - Thursday, February 20 - We attend the Montpellier expats meetup and make some new friends, and have Japanese gyoza for supper. Cloudy 53°F (11°C)

Today we planned to attend an "Expats in Montpellier" meetup at the Cafe de la Mer. We had no idea what to expect. When we got there, the cafe only had a couple of people, and we were a bit dismayed. Then the server must have noticed us looking around, because he motioned toward the courtyard outside, and said the meetup was out there.

There were two table areas full of people!

We met a few different folks who have been living in and around Montpellier, of different ages too. One woman was a professional basketball player from the US who had played for the Italian team, and was now married to a woman playing for the French team. We met several couples, most older than us, who have been in Montpellier for a while. It was inspiring to hear their stories; though most had adult children they were missing back in the US.

Things they liked about Montpellier were: the mix of students, young people, and older, retirees; the easy (and free for residents) tram system; the access and availability of health care; the ease of getting to other places in France and Europe; the many events going on year-round; the temperate climate; the proximity to the Mediterranean.

We stayed for a few hours, talking and sharing stories. It was nice.

After that, we headed back to the apartment for some lunch and a rest.

It was much needed!

Later, we decided to go out for dinner. Jamil found an award-winning Gyoza restaurant, called Shoyu, in a new-to-us neighborhood but not far from our place.

The Gyoza was delicious!