Since I’ve been learning French in France I have come to learn that Rugby is a big thing here. It definitely seems more popular than football to me but that may just be in the circles I run in. The son from my French host family, Pierre, is a particularly big fan so I have tried to get into it a bit since I started my intensive French course for adults in France.
Fortunately for me the 6 Nations has just started and just like with Wimbledon in England; people who don’t normally watch the sport get quite into it for the tournament so there is a lot of rugby buzz around Montpellier at the moment. So where in Montpellier is good to watch the rugby? Honestly there are loads of places. If you walk down any of the streets off the Place de la comedie you will see chalkboard after chalkboard with all the fixtures on there. Pierre however is a particular fan of Fitzpatrick’s which is an Irish pub not too far from the EasyFrench Language school in Montpellier city centre. I had been there once or twice before and I like the feel of it so it sounded like a plan to me.
A Cosy Sanctuary To Enjoy A Match During Your French Language Stay
Fitzpatrick’s has a wonderful and cosy atmosphere. The interior is all wood furnished with green cushions, chairs and wall hangings etc. and in the low lighting when you’re inside it feels like the only place in the world. They have got plenty of TVs dotted around the rooms so no matter where you perch yourself you will be able to see the match. We turned up to watch the first French game and we were expecting it to be heaving but when we got there it was quite quiet. I was expecting to have to stand shoulder to shoulder with some jostling die-hard ruby fans but instead I found myself sitting at a table in a comfy seat; I was starting to feel happy with the nights proceedings. Pierre and I were joined by his very close friend Guillaume who I had met a few times throughout my French language stay in Montpellier. He was great but didn’t speak a lot of English and it was a bit hard to understand each other from time-to-time. This was quite cool though as I probably saw him every 2-3 weeks so each time we met I could gage how much progress I had made on at the EasyFrench language school and because I am on the intensive French immersion course for adults all of the things I am learning are directly applicable to daily conversations with locals.
The three of us got comfy in our seats and got some nice beer to enjoy with the match. I was looking around the bar about 20 minutes before the match and it was still quite empty so I wondered if we might be lacking a bit of the ambience that makes watching a match in a pub exciting but shortly after people started filing in and by the time the match started it was quite lively.
I had a little chat with the staff too who were extremely friendly and most of them were Irish and could speak perfect English and French. When I told them I was in Montpellier to learn French in France they very kindly offered to not speak any English to me which I much prefer but I know some students like to have the option.
The match was good fun and everyone got really into it and animated and I was definitely inspired to keep coming back during my French language stay in Montpellier.