jpie

joannyc thanks for posting the lovely photos. I couldn't open the first two links- they both gave me "404, Page Not Found" errors but the last one worked!

I am bringing my cousin along on a driving trip to that area (from Bordeaux through the Dordogne and then ending with 3 nights based in Toulouse before her flight back to London Heathrow to catch her connecting flight to the US). And she doesn't know that area at all, so I have been wanting to show her some pictures to get her even more primed for the trip! So these will be just the ticket.

jpie

I spent some time looking at foodie stuff this morning for Toulouse, so I thought I would post a couple things here since you might be interested. While looking at food tours, I ran across this which has an excellent foodie blog:

https://www.tasteoftoulouse.com/blog/

One post that caught my eye was about the 2020 Bib Gourmand restaurants-I especially want to try this one since it is a short walk from the Mercure where we are staying and is also listed by Michelin as one of the 11 new Bibs “not to miss” in France!

L’Air de Famille*
6 Rue Jules Chalande, 31000 Toulouse
lairdefamilletoulouse.wordpress.com

In another post they also point to another interesting article about food in the Toulouse area

https://www.olivemagazine.com/travel...p-in-toulouse/

MaineGG

I'm bookmarking this thread since we, too, will be in Toulouse in late April. A few years ago we returned our rental car there in the late afternoon, walked around some, spent the night and left the next morning by train for Paris. I have wanted to go back ever since. Love the pictures kja.

marleneyvo

joannyc,

Yay! I was able to open them from the last link you sent. What beautiful photos! They really gave me a good feel for the area (much better than guide books!) Your trip was a bit more ambitious than ours. Because of the amount of time we're there, I think we'll focus on Tolouse, Albi and Carcassonne. But, that should be plenty!

And jpie, thanks for the foodie info. I'll check it out. So much to do to prepare! But at least I have a little time before April.

Very much appreciate all of your great help and suggestions. I will definitely reciprocate when we get back

Marlene

jpie

Just one little note that you might see in other posts of the area. The fortified citadel of Carcassonne is what most people got to see (and of course should see) but try to plan your route to get some good vistas from the surrounding area-one of the best views is around this guesthouse along the quai:

Location | Guest house in Carcassonne

Carcassonne Guesthouse
11 Quai Bellevue
11000 Carcassonne

The citadel area itself is kind of "ticky tack touristy" these days IMO. It was the only place on the trip where my friends we kind of disappointed-but I guess I am used to it! But the village itself is very nice.

StuDudley

Get to Carcassonne early. We stayed nearby in Trebes for 2 weeks a few years ago. At 8:30 the Cite was vacant, and we got some fabulous photographs. My 11:30 it was mobbed. Here is my wife's Shutterfly book for our 2 weeks near Carcassonne & 2 weeks in the Gorges du Tarn. Click on "full screen" Because of some recent Shutterfly "enhancements", captions & titles are sometimes missing or truncated.
https://stududley.shutterfly.com/51

Stu Dudley

joannyc

Thanks very much, jpie! I spent 7 weeks in western France this past fall including Bordeaux and the Dordogne. If you are interested, here are my pics from that trip:
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1Q...k1cFFHZUZRR0dR

joannyc

Thanks very much, Marlene! If you didn't see them, my pictures from Carcassonne follow my time in Lourdes on that same trip. Tip: Get off of the highways while driving and take the local roads to see the beautiful sunflower fields!

kja

Thanks, but they weren't mine! I just tested a link for joannyc -- maybe those are the ones you saw?

MaineGG

Apologies to joannyc for my mistake. They are wonderful photos.

marleneyvo

jpie,

Thanks for that. I'm putting it in my notes. Yeah, my husband was in Carcassonne when he was 12 or so. He really wants me to see it (and I want to as well) but I think it's going to be quite different now than he remembers. It seems that everywhere is so much more crowded. He also wants me to go to Venice, but leery as a friend of ours recently compared it to Disneyland. And I hate the idea of seeing big cruise ships there. Sometimes our fantasies of places are better than the realities. Of course, not always!

Marlene

marleneyvo

Stu,

Thanks for the tip about Carcassonne. We'll make a point of getting there early. We learned that lesson on a recent trip to the National Parks in Utah. If we didn't arrive early, they were a zoo by mid morning! Especially Zion and Arches.

I loved your photo albums, and will take more time to look at them and joannyc's in the next few days. I really appreciate all of your help!

Marlene

joannyc

MaineGG, thanks very much! No apology necessary. 😃

annhig

<<He also wants me to go to Venice, but leery as a friend of ours recently compared it to Disneyland. And I hate the idea of seeing big cruise ships there. Sometimes our fantasies of places are better than the realities. Of course, not always!>>

As a frequent visitor to Venice I have to agree that there are crowds but I suspect that your friend made the mistake of sticking with them instead of walking in the opposite direction by doing which you should lose them surprisingly quickly. And as there are no boring parts of Venice that is often the best way to explore. But you are right, the big cruise ships are a blight, and last year I was fully convinced that one was about to hit the vaporetto stop I was waiting at as it seemed to be on a collision course!

jpie

joannyc, Thanks for the lovely photos of western France as well. My husband and I have a family home at the beach in St. Palais sur Mer which is about an hour north of Bordeaux and the way that this May trip came about is that my cousin from San Diego really wanted to do a "girl's" trip but she really wanted to see the WWII areas first.
So she will visit many of the places you took photos of in that area, then after her tour she will take the train down to Nantes where I will pick her up. Since the best connecting flight for her back to London Heathrow is from Toulouse, I have kind of plotted a course down to our place from Nantes and then to Bordeaux for 1 night and then 3 nights in Sarlat and 3 nights in Toulouse before she flies out. My DH is then going to take the train to join me in Toulouse and we will continue down towards Narbonne and that area for a few days before returning home.

But my cousin made the comment that she knows nothing about the areas that we will be driving through-so your photos will be a big help for her to look at. She has been to France a fair amount but like many people, the west and southwest usually aren't the first places people visit. Really the whole west and southwest of France is one of my favorites areas these days especially-still not as crowded as some of the other parts of France and such good eating and so much to see. It looks like you had a wonderful trip!

Also I thought it was very smart of you to take a photo of the google map of the route you took for the album-so helpful after the fact!

marleneyvo

annhig,
Thanks for the advice. And you're right - there is almost always a road less traveled to find.

Then again, your photo of the cruise ship exemplifies my fears. It looks so out of place! I used to scuba dive in Cozumel, Mex when it was a sleepy little town. Went back years later and was rather horrified to see several of these behemoth ships in dock. Totally changed the feel of the place. Of course, I know that cruise ships have their fans - I'm just not one of them!

menachem

Coming late to this, but yes, Albi and the Templar strongholds (La Cavalerie, La Couvertoirade) and the Grandes Causses towards Montpelier would be my itinerary, especially with a car. Also many megalithic monuments in that entire area and it's beautiful countryside.

marleneyvo

Thanks, menachem.

That sounds like a great itinerary, but may be a bit ambitious (and a lot of driving!) for the amount of time we have. Next time!

menachem

It's meant for two days.

Adelaidean

joanny - just wanted to say I enjoyed looking at your Spain photos again. The link in post #35 works.
Now I’m going to check out your France photos again. I recall following your reports, you always see so much!