A week in the Occitanie
 

Even though it was our first visit to this region of southwest France, I'm still getting used to this designation, rather than the traditional names like the Languedoc Roussillon. It is of course much too large an area for a week's visit, and so by our lodging's location, we focused on the western area, not making it farther east than Collioure in the south, and the Tarn gorges farther north.So, Montpellier, Nimes, and the other areas to the east will have to wait for another visit.

The report is done in my usual phototravelogue style, with the report integrated into the album captions. Here are the albums, in the order of places visited.

Plaigne (our home base): https://photos.app.goo.gl/GS7LuAaU1AbDvxpD3

Mirepoix: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Vj7ygqFCa69Skaam1

Albi: https://photos.app.goo.gl/qdE9xFYm9eyiuSae2

Cordes-sur-Ciel: https://photos.app.goo.gl/6b5Qv3YSAynx4iGC2

Carcassone: https://photos.app.goo.gl/l400ulKePk4Tzyy83

Narbonne: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ql2rtUG8bFbOcUPu2

Tarn Gorges (including Millau Viaduct): https://photos.app.goo.gl/gGHaTDoO8udHTxDl1

Collioure: https://photos.app.goo.gl/w5qNOXd722veZFO52

Peyrepertuse: https://photos.app.goo.gl/wlMoIusWrTJIfYov2

Toulouse: https://photos.app.goo.gl/bcdjQZfODz43NfUr2

Great photos, Mike! The Cathar region of France is high on my list of places to go. I would like to do this next September with my husband...but wonder if we have "aged out" of this area. Was the trip up to Peyrepertuse a difficult walk? I long to see the Abbey of St Martin du Canigou, also. We are in our 70's, in good health. We walk about 4-5 miles a day, but Kansas is fairly flat. Decisions, decisions!!

Thanks again for sharing your photos!

kansas, the first photo in the album is not from some distance away, but in the parking area where the climb begins. So, it is quite uphill, on a winding set of irregular stone/rock steps, with no handrails and limited natural handholds. Nevertheless, I am not far away from my 70's, and also walk on flat terrain at home (Florida!), and found it challenging but manageable. I did envy the folks with the foresight to bring a sturdy walking stick - even more useful on the trail down as on the trip up. I would be very reluctant to attempt it in damp/wet weather,but otherwise - no time like the present!

Thanks, Mike. I think we will go ahead and finalize our plans for a trip next September. We will get walking sticks and do what we are able to do. The whole area looks amazing! You covered a lot of distance from your one location. It looks like you had a fabulous trip. From your text with the photos, I am assuming you traveled with friends...?

kansas, that's right - a group of 6 from the French club in our community (The Villages, FL). The maximum group size is not based on housing: plenty of whole house rentals with bedrooms for more people. Rather, it is the local transportation options: even what passes for a 9 person van in France starts to get quite crowded with more than 6 adults - not to mention maneuvering it around smaller roads, like in the Tarn gorges. It's also sometimes interesting to find parking places to accommodate such a van - came very close once (in Arcachon) to getting stick entering an underground parking lot. Never had that problem before!