Hotel Le Drakkar Mende

... 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.

... themselves over time will become extinct. That seemed odd to me but in a country that has such history I suppose you have to decide what era you want to preserve. There is even a problem now with wolves coming in to the park from Italy. They just can't keep intruders out of here! We spent two days exploring the Gorges of Tarn and the highlands. What an amazing area again very different from what we had seen. Windy narrow ...

... is definitely one of our favorites because it is immaculate and the setting is amazing. There are a few restaurants, a couple of small inns and shops. The Tarn river has a mix of rapids and pool areas as it winds through this village. It was a bit cool for swimming but we really wanted to go. John waded into the river and it was cold. There are canoe and rafting trips down the river and the hillsides are covered with wild iris, red poppy's, wild ...

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.

... 40's), beautiful, inspiring, peaceful, peaceful peaceful. No noise, no engines, no horns, no sirens, just the sound of the Tibetan prayer flags flapping. It is like watching a movie as incredible images come and go before me. The contrast intensity of the sun on the peaks fluctuates as the sun changes angle. Clouds swirl in the valley below me mixing white clouds with grey. Without notice the wind shifts bringing a grey cloud ...

... months exploring the hills and valleys in this region. We have just two days. The first we went to Mont Aigoual, which at 1567m (5100ft) is the highest peak around, the site of the French Meteorological research centre and the source of spectacular views including Mont Blanc, most of the French Mediterranean coast and the Pyrennees. That is on a clear day in January. On a ...

... to Millue, thats pronounced ¨meyou¨, and Aura did a wond**ful job. I am good at directions and she is good at driving crazy so we w**e a good team. About speaking French, dont even try, we suck. Nothing sounds the way it looks nor looks the way it sounds. Again, these folks are so helpful and like myself, v**y light spoken. OK, so the climbing h**e is ev**ywh**e (france) and p**fectly shaped. Steep, colorful, and my favorite, POCKETS ...

... in suthern france and visit avignon and Nice using Marseilles as my base camp... I go to the bathroom and the instant I open the bathroom door, it is decided. Back to belgium I go. They had a turkish toilet, but a real one, all you had was a bucket of water and a hole... I ended up riping up pages of my journal.

I arrived after a 6 hour train ride, 5 hours of waiting, and a 1.5 hour bus ride to my favorite French exchange student´s house from the US. The entire experience was awesome! I stayed for 3 days visiting the sites, canoeing, and eating spectacularly every night. I can´t thank Emmanual´s family enough for their spectacular generosity.

... still a formidable sight along the edge of the Rhone river. Avignon is also famous for its bridge, as in the nursery rhyme "Sur le pont d'Avignon, l'on y danse, l'on y danse" (on the bridge of Avignon, we dance, we dance). Part of the bridge remains, so Mom and I checked it out too. I guess we were lucky enough to be there during Avignon's famous theater festival. The streets were packed with tourists as well as actors and actresses who ...