From Provence to Languedoc

Greetings from Narbonne, in the region of Languedoc. We're still near the Mediterranean Coast, but now we're at its west end, close to Spain. Yesterday 7/1: NarbonneWe arrived in Narbonne yesterday afternoon and for three nights we're trying out a new hotel chain called B&B Hotels. It's very cheap and feels like it. The room is small and the decor is depressing, but the air conditioning is

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by Jour ~ Tuesday, July 1, 2008 0 comments

The Camargue

Greetings from the Camargue, a region of ultra-flat wetlands south of Arles known for white horses, black bulls, cowboys, flamingos, salt and rice. And wine, of course, as with everywhere in France. We are still in Provence, but on its western edge. It is approximately a gazillion degrees outside but we are beginning to adapt. A little.We had a good drive here from Nice, although it was over

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by Jour ~ Saturday, June 28, 2008 0 comments

A Week in Provence

This not-terribly-clever title is a reference to Peter Mayle's book A Year in Provence, a funny narrative of an Englishman's adventures buying a house and living in Provence. I recommend it as good light summer reading if you haven't read it already.This post comes to you from behind the window at top right, in the city of Aix-en-Provence.Happy Summer Solstice! I hope everyone enjoys the longest

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by Jour ~ Sunday, June 22, 2008 0 comments

Ah, Sunny Provence

Greetings again from Provence, where it is finally, actually, hot! Too hot, really. We got good and sunburned yesterday and the temperature reached the 90s this afternoon.This is our last night based in Orange and the last few days have been busy ones. As soon as the rain stopped we got out on the road, exploring the countryside with its castles, churches and Roman ruins.Tomorrow morning we are

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by Jour ~ Thursday, June 19, 2008 0 comments

Le Puy and Orange

Partway through the long drive described in the last post we stopped in Le Puy en Velay, which is the largest city in a fairly remote and mountainous area. Every route out of the city goes over a pass of 1000m (3280ft) or higher, so it's pretty isolated in the winter. It is built on several volcanic formations and makes an interesting sight when you come down out of the mountains. The large rock

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by Jour ~ Tuesday, June 17, 2008 0 comments