Vézénobres
After breakfast, we continued on our way. One of the great pleasures of driving in France is the motorway aires. Service stations in England are often unattractive and rather seedy; in France, possibly due to the cost of travelling on the motorways, there is a huge range of aires. French government regulations stipulate that aires must be placed at a maximum of 20 kms apart so there is never one far from you. Some aires are simply picnic areas with an emergency telephone and toilet facility (some containing only the dreaded “Turkish toilet”!) Others are stunning with unique features and beautiful views. One of my favourite aires, the Aires des Volcans, is on the A71 on the way to the Auvergne, about 30km north of Clermont Ferrand. As soon as we stop there I know that we have almost arrived and I can start to breathe the clean air and let the sense of peace overtake me.
Our first stop was the Catalan Village Aire on the A9 autoroute leading to the Spanish border. It was a burning hot day (the hottest we were to experience during the whole of our trip) and the theme of Catalonian architecture gave us a taste of what we were to find in Spain. It was an unusual aire: vast and rather soulless, in our opinion,but there was plenty of parking and the facilities were clean.
On arriving in the outskirts of Barcelona, we took one exit too early from the motorway so got slightly lost. Luckily, the sat nav was able to help out. To help ease our transition from France to Spain, we ordered a jug of sangria to drink by the pool after a refreshing swim. We then took the short train journey to the centre of Barcleona. We ate paella and after a short wander around we returned to our hotel as it was getting late. We noted that the people did not have the same welcoming, hospitable manner which we had encountered throughout France.
We spent the next day in Barcelona. It was raining but still warm. Obviously Barcelona is a destination worthy of far more than a day but we felt that we got a taste of what it had to offer and, yet again made a note to return! The cathedral was spectacular and the views from the roof were stunning. After spending sometime in the cathedral, apart from anything else sheltering from the rain, we wandered down to the beach then on to the port area from where we took a cable car up to Montjuic from where we were able to admire Barcelona spread out below us. The funicular metro took us back down and we decided to head off the beaten track a little towards the market area where we were able to share tapas with the locals as opposed to the many tourists to be found in Barcelona. There is no doubt that Barcelona is a fascinating city with much to offer, but I had left my heart in France and was glad to be returning the following day.
Carcassonne
The traffic was busy that morning and we eventually arrived in Carcassonne in the early afternoon. We headed up to the fortified Cité de Carcassonne which consists of a double ring of ramparts and 53 towers. The history of Carcassonne is re-told in the Kate Mosse’s novel, “ Labyrinth” which I had just finished reading, so this visit brought it to life somewhat. The medieval city is still home to approximately 120 people and contains a large number of shops and craftsmen. On entering the city it was rather alarming to find a car trying to squeeze through the narrow streets thronging with people! There was much to see in the city and as usual on this trip we did not have much time. We had a late lunch whilst watching, ironically enough, Spanish musicians who were so full of energy that they were really drawing in the crowds. It was great fun. We then walked past the 17th century castle which was the residence of the Trencavel (the viscounts of Carcassonne) and up to the cathedral: the
Basilica of Saint-Nazaire
Basilica of Saint-Nazaire with its beautiful stained glass windows. A windy walk around the ramparts allowed us to see all the sights around. I was left with a memory of a fascinating city which, despite the number of tourists crowding through the narrow streets, still carries a certain atmosphere of days gone by.
Next stop was Toulouse. We were nearing the end of our trip and felt a certain sadness as it had been all too short and we had seen so much that we would have liked to explore further. We were staying in a comfortable but soulless hotel on the outskirts of Toulouse. The rather grubby pool and the miserable weather only added to our sense of gloom. However, we wanted to make the most of the remnants of our trip so we headed for Toulouse centre. On entering Toulouse we discovered why it is called La ville rose. We drove into a lovely square edged with pink buildings. We parked and wandered down some of the side streets and found a cosy restaurant at which we drank our final apero of a coupe de champagne. We had a fantastic last supper before heading back to our hotel for the night. Toulouse is a beautiful city which is lively and contemporary yet rich in history. There are many sights to visit and, yet again, we noted it as a place to return to.
Toulouse
The following morning we set off for La Rochelle, the end point of our road trip. The capital of the Charente-Maritime department is reputed to be the most attractive and unspoilt seaside town in France. We spent very little time here on this occasion so that exploration will be for another time.
We had a fantastic and fascinating time and felt that, although we had covered a vast distance in a very short space of time, our trip had served its purpose: an introduction to some of the best which France has to offer and a taste of wonderful trips yet to come.
By Megan Oliver
