It is said that Paris is the most romantic city in the world, and I believe I have to agree with the person who first uttered these words. My trip however was not for romance but for site seeing with my Aunty and Cousin.
We gave ourselves 3 days in Paris and I can honestly say this is not enough time. So much to see and do and experience. Again like on my Roman holiday, we did the Hop on Hop off bus around Paris. A 2 day L'Open top bus ticket starts at about $38AUD per person with numerous routes. We saw everything we wanted to see, but it was a whirlwind trip. Paris is a city that you must indulge yourself in, the cafes, the people and their poodles, the crazy traffic and Effiel Tower.
We then travelled by the TGV (fast train) down to Montpellier, it was crazy how far we travelled in such a short period of time (800km) in 3 hours 15 mins. Looking out the window you don't believe you are travelling at approx 350mph. The scenes swish past, while you comfortably recline in your seat. Once we arrived at Montpellier it was time to pick up the hire car and travel South to the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France. In this region you see the intertwined French and Spanish cultures. The Spanish border is about 2-3 hours South of where we were staying. Here you can find the start of the Canal du Midi - a 240 km long canal in Southern France, running from Toulouse to Sete on the Mediterranean.
Whilst in the southern region of France we visited Beziers, Sete and Carcassonne.
Beziers is a beautiful historical city with areas that date back to over 2000 years old, the Cathedral that sits atop the village is amazing and the views are breathtaking. Due to Spanish influence, one can find bull fighting, and a fusion of Spanish and French food, which is unique to this region.
Sete is a beautiful fishing town that we all fell in love with especially with the Mediterranean glisterning beside us as we drove into the town. whilst we were here they had their annual jousting tournament which is held on the Canal that runs through the town, the locals were very excited about the tournament. It's a must see.
Carcassonne is a fortified French town, the fort town or old town is a world heritage listed site. Driving into Carcassonne, you are transfixed on the fort, especially if you have never seen such a sight before. They have restored it to the state it was in when it first came into exsistance. Apart from the fort you can also find Le Parc Australien, yes a wildlife park dedicated to Australia. We never went there, but thought it a pretty novel idea for the South of France.
All in all our trip to France of 1.5 weeks was fantastic. The food was phenomenal, the people were so friendly, especially in the smaller villages and towns we visited. You must do this region of France for it's culture, history and food.