Travel
France and Spain and Andorra – Unbeatable Trio
Some General Observations – October 2019
I have traveled to the European Continent each year during the fall. Surprisingly, I was unprepared for fall in France. What were my surprises?
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Paris – Everything but the Siren
29-30 October 2019
Sleeping soundly in Toulouse. Message from SNCF, definitely NOT something I want to wake to find. I believe France is the only country in the world with a mobile APP monitoring strikes. It has come in handy, but sudden cancellations and changes mean an unpleasant wake up call. What? Our train is not departing our station? Then where is it going?
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Toulouse, France
28 October 2019
I like Toulouse. I can’t be much more enthusiastic than that. It is well-located for visiting some great sites in this southern part of France, like marvelous Carcassonne. It is on the road to Andorra. I has some nice parks, pathways along the historic Canal du Midi and River Garonne, big churches and bigger streets and squares.
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Carcassonne, France
26 October 2019
Just 60 miles southeast of Toulouse is the picturesque hilltop village of Carcassonne. I love old fortified cities and Carcassonne is absolutely one of the best!
Carcassonne has dominated this hilltop since the New Stone Age which began about 12,000 years ago when the first farming of domestic crops and a domestication of animals began. Also referred to as the Neolithic period, the era lasted in Europe until about 1700 BC.
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Lourdes, France
24-25 October 2019
Snow! Yikes!
The jagged peaks of the Pyrenees, just a few miles to the south, are covered in snow. The view, as our train approaches Lourdes, is spectacular. I expect cold.
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Bayonne and Biarritz, France
17-18 October 2019
It is a pleasant, slightly misty, train ride through southwestern France. We arrive in Bayonne, a smallish city situated where the rivers Nive from the south and the wider Adour from the Atlantic meet. Just above the train station are the remains of the historic citadel, our hotel is just across the street. We have entered Basque country and look forward to local cuisine.
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Exploring Right and Left – Bordeaux Wine Trails
14-15 October 2019
About twenty miles north on the “Left Bank” of the Dordogne and Gironde Rivers, I learn my first lesson in French wines. It is pretty much “crickets” around here in mid-October. My first destination should not be a chateau but a tourism office.
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