South West of France

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One thing we seek from the place we live is a warm and sunny weather, to enjoy more outdoor activities through out the year.
Picardie, where we were born, is a nice green region but not very sunny, neither warm. It rains a lot all year long, and the scenery is monotonous - flat fields as far as the eye can see .-

Eiffel tour

The weather factor pushed us South, and circumpstances pinpointed West to a region curiously unknown to most people, even French themselves. The place was called Gaillac (Tarn), a little town in the middle of vineyards, in the "Languedoc", and Midi-Pyrénées.
Most foreigners to whom you mention France will think Paris. We want to share with you a little of another region that is worth the detour if you go visit our beautiful country.

It turned out to be a wonderful location -2 to 3 hour-drive from the Atlantic coast, the Méditerranée, and the Pyrénées. Life there was more affordable than in South East (Riviera), with no seasonal price inflation. The country side is very attractive and changing. A half hour-drive brings you to a completely different scenery, from flat plains to valleys and scenic mountainous areas, and fishing pounds to lakes and water falls.

Tarn and its region are renowned for its wines and wonderful gastronomy.

Among the wide variety of foods, you find "foie gras", "magret de canard", "cassoulet", and all products using "fat ducks".
Wines include Bordeaux, Cahors and of course and not least Gaillac.
Surrounded by vineyards, it was no surprise that some of our friends were wine-growers (vignerons). Wine Grape

Many of them were organic wine-growers. For having tasted it, it is at least equally good, and even better for not giving you headaches afterwards.

Eventhough they consume more of those rich foods, people in South West live longer in average than other parts of France. This is a French Paradox...

There are very few cities in that part of France, Tarn in particular., but more little towns and medieval villages spread out in the country side.
You will see very narrow streets, with old houses held by walls 4-feet thick, and shutters left ajar during the summer days, to keep the coolness inside - there is no air-conditionning -
Old habitations are made from stones or rose-red brinks - which gave Toulouse her nickname "la ville rose" (pink city) - opposed to dark red bricks in Picardie.

Most towns and villages have a main plaza where open and covered markets are often held several times a week.
The picture shows a typical "place des halles" of a village. Some merchants display their produce under the arcades, to be protected from the heat and sun. People like living outside, much more than in Northern parts of the country. Therefore streets are very lively and animated except during the hottest hours of the summer days.

Keeping a lot of its medieval heritage, the region is filled with fortress remains. One of the most famous, a little South from our town is of course Carcassone, very well preserved.

	But you can find many remains of forts scattered through out South West. Some of which you won't see much, because the successive wars and centuries distroyed most of them.

Among the cities and towns worth seeing around the Tarn, there are of course Toulouse, the "pink city", with her famous "place du capitole", multitudes of churches from different centuries and styles, mainly medieval. Among them the St-Etienne cathedral and the Romanesque basilica of St-Sernin. Also Notre-Dame du Tour has an interesting gabled facade with ornamentations made with bricks.
There are also opulent Renaissance and 16th-century buildings to see all through the city.
pont Neuf (Toulouse)

Toulouse possesses a lot of Museums, like the Augustins, Paul Dupuy, etc... where are displayed works of artists from the medieval period to present.
You can also walk along the beautiful "canal du Midi", and over 100 gardens, including the Royal Gardens, created in 1754.

Albi is one interesting town to visit with typical narrow streets, and a impressive monumental fortress, the cathedral "Ste-Cécile" built to protect the clergy during the wars of the Inquisition.

And just next door from the cathedral you'll find the extensive collection of Toulouse Lautrec's works, in his museum.

Among hundreds of charming little villages and towns worth seeing along an escapade in the areas, Cordes-sur-Ciel is a renowned medieval cité that has been preserved well, and where artisans are working and selling souvenirs.

The list would be too long if we wanted to give all the names of the villages and places to see in the region. I still want to mention "les gorges du Tarn" though, a canyon that you can ride by car, or canoe, and that offers breathtaking scenic views of the mountainous shores of the river Tarn.

If you go there, you will find all kinds of information and directions for all sorts of places to see.
And if you wander the region, you can find some older testimonies of the past, that will bring you all the way back to prehistorical times, with caves. Forests with mysteriously shaped granites rocks, multitudes of churches and fortresses.

The beauty of the cite inspired and continue to inspire artists, and you see that at every turn you take in this beautiful region SOUTH WEST.

LINKS ABOUT FRANCE

Here are some links where you can find more info, pictures and history of the South West of France.
Some are in French only, others can be read in English. These are not limited, and if you know of other good ones that you would like to share with others, don't hesitate to contact me and I'll be glad to add them on this page.