Heading to France

[Amy-Hikes]

Hello Everyone:

We are leaving for France in a few weeks. Has there ever been a harder time to travel? We are older than we have ever been and so is the world. Things have never been so expensive and the climate so tentative. The drought has impacted the Tarn River water levels and the fires are practically of California proportions, no? I even read of a tornado and its devastation near Carcassonne. Still, the areas we will be in are neither super smoky nor burned. It’s still in the 80s Fahrenheit in all the places we will be going. It is predicted to cool down by the end of September. If it doesn't cool down, our itinerary will need to change.

Below is our itinerary. If you have thoughts/experiences in these regions, towns, cities, I would love to hear your thoughts. I will post a trip report later on.

Wed, 9/16: Spend night at CDG Paris airport.

No rental cars this time, we will use public transportation.

Thu, 9/17: Train: CDG > Nîmes (4 nights). We will be in Nîmes during Journées du Patrimoine, four days of bullfights, and a wine festival so the city will undoubtedly be over the top for me.

I have made restaurant reservations. We will walk to the four main Roman archeologic remains (Arènes de Nîmes; Maison Carrée; the Le Temple de Diane/Artemis in Jardins de la Fontaine, and the Tour Magne at the top of Jardins de la Fontaine). We may go to the Musée de la Romanité across from the amphitheater and take an elevator to the top to see the amphitheater from above. Nimes features open courtyards to mansions in the old city during Journées du Patrimoine. These courtyards are usually closed to the public. We will try to see them. We’ll go to les halles. I know Pont du Gard is nearby but we won’t have time to visit.

We will do a day trip to Avignon during our stay in Nîmes. In Avignon we will see the usual, tourist things (the Notre Dame, the ramparts, the gardens etc.) and walk along the river and on the island.

A Multi-day Walk Along the Gorges du Tarne:

Mon, 9/21 : Train: Nîmes > Gare Villefort

9/21-9/29: Hike the Gorges du Tarne

9/22: Mas de la Barque > Pont de Montvert

Wed 9/23: Pont de Montvert > Cocurès

Thu 9/24: Cocurès > Ispagnac.

Fri 9/25: Ispagnac > St-Chély

Sat, 9/26: St-Chély > Les Vignes

Sun, 9/27: Les Vignes > Le Rozier

9/29: Taxi: Le Rozier > Millau > Peyre (ancient troglodyte town, walk to Viaduct Millau). Taxi: Peyre > Millau train station > Albi

9/29 – 10/2: Albi (3 nights). See the usual sites (Cathedral, maybe see le Muse de Toulouse Lautrec); walk the green belt paths along the river. If ambitious, a half day trip to Cordes-sur-Ciel. We won’t have a wine tasting day.

10/2: Train: Albi > Toulouse

10/2 – 10/14: Toulouse. French language school; day trips (see below); and Toulouse’s tourist sites (markets, architectural wonders, historic wonders, gardens, walk or bike Canal du Midi).

Potential day trips from Toulouse: Carcassonne; Grotte du Pech-Merle (massive prehistoric cave network) and Saint-Cirq Lapopie; Foix; wine tasting; Bruniquel; Cordes-sur-Ciel; Ax-les-Thermes / Ax-3-Domaines; Cahors & Pont Valentré

 

[Pauline]

Fabulous trip! We spent a week in Nimes a few years back and loved it. Bull fighting! I want to hear how that was. They have a big statue of a bull fighter near the arena. I saw bull fights in Pamplona, Spain a million years ago (1972).

In Nimes you can see the end of the aqueduct that goes from Uzes to Nimes - the same one that goes along the Pont du Gard. See it now and then see the Pont du Gard another trip.

Pech-Merle was my favorite of all the cave art places in the area.

 

[Pauline]

Occitanie - Pont du Gard and the Nîmes Roman Aqueduct

The Pont du Gard, an ancient Roman bridge, is part of the Nîmes Roman Aqueduct that carried water from Uzès to Nîmes. The bridge, which crosses the River Gardon, is essentially three bridges built one on top of the other to reach the required height. The lower bridge has six arches, the next has...

www.sloweurope.com

 

[dayhiker]

You aren't giving much time to Millau. The view of the viaduct is beautiful from below or at a distance, but the exhibition at one end of the viaduct itself (at road level) is fascinating. They show how it was built from each end to meet in the middle, and give more information about the structure. Sounds like a wonderful trip!

 

[TomandKathy]

Hello Everyone:

We are leaving for France in a few weeks. Has there ever been a harder time to travel? We are older than we have ever been and so is the world. Things have never been so expensive and the climate so tentative. The drought has impacted the Tarn River water levels and the fires are practically of California proportions, no? I even read of a tornado and its devastation near Carcassonne. Still, the areas we will be in are neither super smoky nor burned. It’s still in the 80s Fahrenheit in all the places we will be going. It is predicted to cool down by the end of September. If it doesn't cool down, our itinerary will need to change.

Below is our itinerary. If you have thoughts/experiences in these regions, towns, cities, I would love to hear your thoughts. I will post a trip report later on.

Wed, 9/16: Spend night at CDG Paris airport.

No rental cars this time, we will use public transportation.

Thu, 9/17: Train: CDG > Nîmes (4 nights). We will be in Nîmes during Journées du Patrimoine, four days of bullfights, and a wine festival so the city will undoubtedly be over the top for me.

I have made restaurant reservations. We will walk to the four main Roman archeologic remains (Arènes de Nîmes; Maison Carrée; the Le Temple de Diane/Artemis in Jardins de la Fontaine, and the Tour Magne at the top of Jardins de la Fontaine). We may go to the Musée de la Romanité across from the amphitheater and take an elevator to the top to see the amphitheater from above. Nimes features open courtyards to mansions in the old city during Journées du Patrimoine. These courtyards are usually closed to the public. We will try to see them. We’ll go to les halles. I know Pont du Gard is nearby but we won’t have time to visit.

We will do a day trip to Avignon during our stay in Nîmes. In Avignon we will see the usual, tourist things (the Notre Dame, the ramparts, the gardens etc.) and walk along the river and on the island.

A Multi-day Walk Along the Gorges du Tarne:

Mon, 9/21 : Train: Nîmes > Gare Villefort

9/21-9/29: Hike the Gorges du Tarne

9/22: Mas de la Barque > Pont de Montvert

Wed 9/23: Pont de Montvert > Cocurès

Thu 9/24: Cocurès > Ispagnac.

Fri 9/25: Ispagnac > St-Chély

Sat, 9/26: St-Chély > Les Vignes

Sun, 9/27: Les Vignes > Le Rozier

9/29: Taxi: Le Rozier > Millau > Peyre (ancient troglodyte town, walk to Viaduct Millau). Taxi: Peyre > Millau train station > Albi

9/29 – 10/2: Albi (3 nights). See the usual sites (Cathedral, maybe see le Muse de Toulouse Lautrec); walk the green belt paths along the river. If ambitious, a half day trip to Cordes-sur-Ciel. We won’t have a wine tasting day.

10/2: Train: Albi > Toulouse

10/2 – 10/14: Toulouse. French language school; day trips (see below); and Toulouse’s tourist sites (markets, architectural wonders, historic wonders, gardens, walk or bike Canal du Midi).

Potential day trips from Toulouse: Carcassonne; Grotte du Pech-Merle (massive prehistoric cave network) and Saint-Cirq Lapopie; Foix; wine tasting; Bruniquel; Cordes-sur-Ciel; Ax-les-Thermes / Ax-3-Domaines; Cahors & Pont Valentré

we really loved Albi - what a majestic town... the cathedral is of course fabulous and the market, but what we really loved was the Toulouse Lautrec Museum... don't miss it.