I recently spent three weeks in France hosted by my old college roommate who lives there with his lovely wife. They live in the countryside in an old 1700’s farm house, converted on the inside with all the modern gadgets and conveniences that no one can now live without. They also have a swimming pool, and a garden and fruit trees, and about 3 acres of land, all surrounded by farmland. The house is situated on a ridge with pleasant and post-card ready views of the lovely countryside and small villages and towns that all have the ubiquitous cathedrals poking towards the sky. This adds an aura of irrepressible backwardness to the eye that is only partially mollified by the quaint nature of the views. Sunflowers, wheat, and hay are major crops in the area. The sunflowers were blooming just as I was leaving; a million brilliant yellow suns splashed across the landscape. Van Gogh’s ghost haunts the fields.

My hosts live near Toulouse which is about 40 minutes away by wimpy midget car; which is the main vehicle the French seem in love with. Wisely, my friend has a larger BMW SUV to push the irresponsible and stupid French drivers off the road and into the ditch.

I did a lot on this vacation, including a three-day side trip to Budapest, but for this first post I will give a pictorial rundown on a wonderful day of hiking in the Pyrenees – a border mountain range that holds back the ignorant and vile Spaniards from spilling over into France and terminally ruining their precious haute monde.

We drove to a hotel-restaurant in the Pyrenees foothills and spent the night and got up early the next morning and drove to the trailhead and then did a 6 hour hike through some very lovely and steep country. The trail was very rocky and rough for most of the way but it was worth the effort. Pics and comments follow.


Hotel we stayed at:






My room - and yes those are skeleton keys on the bed, you hung them up on a hook near the hotel front door when you went out.






Hotel was right next to a split in the road up two different valleys. We hiked the Cirque de Cagateille.






And at the junction of two lovely mountain streams. We ate dinner outside on a terrace overlooking the two streams. I had cassoulet, a local dish.






At the Trailhead, looking up valley.






View across valley.






Another view up valley at starting point.






Cirque valley; note all the tumbling cascades and waterfalls along the steep valley walls.






Approximately same view; note the very handsome hiker in foreground.






View back down valley on hike up.






The weather became cloudy/foggy on our hike up but it was in and out, so we still had great views. Following is a picture of a ridge showing the steep and angular terrain of this part of the Pyrenees.






My friend Stuart: he considers himself British and has the passport to prove it. He spent many years in the USA and is also a US Citizen. Wisely he has skipped becoming a froggy, though he has lived in France for more than 20 years.






Lake we hike to (a tarn lake, meaning glacier cut and formed).






Thousands of wildflowers were blooming.






The following are some general views of the area from the hiking trail:












The main road up to the trailhead was narrow to say the least. Following are photos of the road and villages we went through that I took from the car on the drive up:
















The hike was strenuous but very enjoyable and the views and terrain are obviously spectacular. It was a wonderful day and adventure. The drive home was only about 2 hours. We did a quick swim in the pool and had dinner – roasted chicken and a fresh salad made from the garden - And a great wine.

I'll post more about the trip as I find time etc...and will answer questions........

Awesome! Great pics, Zeno. Looking forward to your Budapest report.

Sweet pics. Looks like that's something that would be cool to do.

I've always wanted to visit France. I love how you can see the history by just looking at the buildings.

Charming.

Catch any of le Tour Zeno?

Awesome TR.

This is relevant to my interests.

Tbh, I was kinda hoping this thread would have pics of Zeno at some goofy amusement park named Froggyland.

I doubt they serve cassoulet at amusement parks.

Very cool trip and pictures, Zeno. I envy you.

I visited a number of cathedrals and wall towns while in France the most notable was the Cathedral of St. Cecile in Albi. It is the largest brick structure in the world, or so claimed. It has also been designed a UNESCO world heritage site.

Wiki link for info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albi_Cathedral

It is an understatement to say this Gothic Cathedral is impressive, inside and out.

Photo of West entrance:






It is difficult to take photos of the inside and none do justice to how impressive and beautiful this gothic cathedral is but here are few of the stain glass windows and immediate surroundings. The first photo shows some of the ceiling also.













The French employed Italian painters to gaud up the inside of this vaulted monstrosity, including the ceiling and they did a delicious job, with geometric patterns and other scenes jumping out at you from the walls and ceiling and assaulting the eye to the point of bewilderment.

A gigantic pipe organ was installed in this cathedral and I was thinking while gazing at it that it would be wonderful to hear some Bach organ music. As I was strolling about for the second or third time trying to absorb this gothic paradise all in - guess what - Bach indeed suddenly filled the air and reverberated though the massive structure. I recognized the tune but could not remember the name (it was Choral Prelude in E Flat major), but it is one of Bach’s most beautiful. If that wasn’t enough (but somewhat expected) the next tune was Toccata and Fugue in D minor. I think these are played just before closing as it was getting late. Anyway, to say I got Goosebumps listening to these two great works of music inside this beautiful building is about all I can convey with words.

Photos of the town of Albi which is on the river Tarn, and a garden near the Cathedral.















Albi is also the birthplace of Toulouse-Lautrec and there is a museum there which unfortunately I did not get to see; I spent so much time in the Cathedral the museum was closing so we were going to come back; but of course other things took precedent and I never made it back to Albi. Hopeful to make it back to Albi on my next trip over.

I’ll conclude with a few photos of my friends renovated 1700's farm house, which is quite nice inside and out.

From the Front




Rest of home from the front: used to be the barn/animal shelter.



Back of home with deck, we ate many meals there, at mid-day and in the evening:










They had a garden area in a corner of the fount “lawn” (right background) where tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes, zucchini, onions, chives, and green beans are ground. I spent many a pleasent hour helping out with picking, planting and watering the garden. Voltaire would approve.

Wonderful mate, thanks for sharing.

wow, you've truly inspired me, that's all so amazing.

loled so hard

I hope you spent a bit of time not looking through a lens.

I do appreciate the photos, however. Very nicely done.

When I look at photos of settings so idyllic and charming, it makes me think life must be so different in a setting like this, requiring one only to sit and sip in outdoor cafes daily as you watch the world pass by. Yet, pictures of my own country life might inspire the same feelings in others, when the reality is that I sit at my desk all day, just like the much of the rest of the world. It's nice to dream though.