Auberge La Diege Capdenac

... view from the drivers side as I was looking right into the gorge (don't worry mum I drove very slowly and was very careful not to drive too close to the edge). Luckily there were many parking areas to stop at so both of us could get out and really appreciate how beautiful it was. On the downside it was still a little wet so hiking was off the cards...next time.

... as well about my situation in specific is that I really don't have a care in the world. Time is meaningless, as every minute, every second, is just ephemeral. What matters is what those seconds and minutes amount to. A whole experience. Worrying about tomorrow is useless. When traveling, I had no idea where I would be in 3 days. 2 days was the maximum I would allow myself to look into the future. As a result, time ...

... two weeks (I was planning on staying for 12 days). So instead I've mapped myself out a really nice road trip throughout Spain, where I will stop in Valencia, Granada, Malaga, Gibraltar, Sevilla, Cordoba, Madrid, and Pamplona. This should take me about the same time, so I'd have approximatelty 2 1/2 weeks. Hopefully my next post will be from a strange and foreign Spanish city.

... loved me and couldn't wait to see me (I can't blame them). I only have one week until I leave for Portugal, so I really don’t have time to sit around and feel sorry for myself (Boo Hoo Hoo, I have a whole year of vacation and I am going to Asia, poor me…right, pffrtt). So that’s that. As time goes by, I promise that my blog will get more and more interesting.

... luck at the local grocery store. Anyway... it was not to be so we just continued to the town of Gatuzieres (near Meyrueis). We drove past miles of scrubby forest land mixed with well used rocky fields and even a ski hill. This was actually all in Parc National Des Cevennes. There were hundreds of broken trees (some leaning on or hanging over the phone wires). We thought the terrible wind we had experienced was responsible ...

... brain was broken up into pieces and sautéed in butter and herbs. It looked like chicken nuggets and actually tasted pretty good- yes, I tried a bite of it too. John liked the stuff and ate the whole portion. Anyway, we are staying here a couple of nights and exploring the area on foot and by car. The roads continue to be a challenge, but now we have the added fun of dealing with antiquated tunnels through some of the mountains. The tunnels are very long, only one lane wide ...

... and white snap dragons, and wild hyacinths in pink, purple, and yellow. This area is really a nature lover's dream come true. From here we continued deeper into the canyon and followed the road along the river. There are two small villages on the opposite side of the river that are not connected with roads and are only accessible by hiking trails, boats on the river or by a "basket" that carries you across the gorge to the village!!! (see photos ...

We are still staying in Florac tonight, but we took a beautiful drive to this village today. The Cevennes national park countryside is gorgeous with big, green hills and hardly any homes or buildings...just countryside! We went on a 5km hike to the Chateau Roquedhouil, a nice old home built in the 1500's. There was a very tall sequoia tree that was planed in 1887 and was about 25 feet in circumference.

... appearance (thus the name- St. Guilhem le desert) and reminded us of the Sedona area of Arizona with its enormous cliffs surrounding the ancient village. A river runs down through the middle of the village and creates rapids and waterfalls. The village itself is built along both sides of the river and descends down through a canyon. It was so beautiful, spotlessly clean and every home was immaculate. The main church (called the ...

... that the locals hang out in sipping a coffee or a mid-morning beer. Not quite ready to take on the primary attractions in town, I headed to the southeast corner and found the oldest remaining road - Rues des Tenturiers. What an nicely odd place! The sun was shining gold through the canopy of the plane trees, speckling shady cobblestones with intermittent light ...