Fun Frivolous Facts about France (from our latest visit)

     When I first started thinking about making a permanent move to France my search was focused on the area called the Dordogne, or Perigord.  It's a region located in SW France in what once was the ancient kingdom of Aquitaine (remember Eleanor?).  A region known for its amazing prehistoric cave paintings (Lascaux being the most famous), foie gras, cliff towns such as Rocamadour, beautiful winding rivers such as the Lot, the Dordogne and the Vezère.  The first time I visited the area in 1996 I was smitten!

Me in the Dordogne many years ago

     Then about five years ago something happened that made me look further south towards the Pyrenées.  I moved to SW Kansas for two years to help care for my mom and I realized how much the mountains are a part of me.  I couldn't wait for those weekends spent back in Colorado Springs with friends and with Andy.  I (not-so-patiently) focused on the horizon for my first glimpse of the mountains driving west.  This was a life-changing experience for me - I have to have mountains within sight on a daily basis!!
     Andy and I had not spent any time in the Pyrenées.  We had driven through them on a couple of occasions usually on the Spanish side of the mountain range that provides the natural border between France and Spain.  So in September we decided to explore the possibility of living further south from the Dordogne in the Gers/Midi Pyrenées region closer to Spain.

The 300 year old farmhouse outside of Auch

      We really lucked-out on the "gite" we rented for a week outside of the city of Auch.  It was part of a 300 year old farmhouse run by a wonderful French couple who made us feel like part of their family.  We rented a car and spent our days exploring the countryside which included a day in the high mountains, and 4 days in the foothills seeing medieval villages, Roman ruins, Gothic cathedrals, and some of the most beautiful scenery anyone could imagine.  Andy and I both grew up in the foothills of the Rockies so it takes quite a bit to impress us!

High Pyrenees

Gothic church in St Bertrand de Comminges

     After our week in the Gers we spent a few days in Paris before our return to the States.  As much as I love Paris it was a shock to the senses after experiencing the calm, quiet solitude of the mountains.  When I got back home I started thinking about all the things that made our trip an adventure.  There are some things that can only happen in France and I want to share them with you. Here they are in no particular order:

#1)  I believe that Andy was a French driver in another life.  He loves to drive fast and will park on sidewalks when all the marked parking spots are taken.  On our first day in the city of Auch there was a street market so the place was really busy.  We needed to find an ATM and have some lunch before heading to the farmhouse so we looked for a place to park.  The parking lot (which was quite small because the market took up 3/4 of it!) was filled, but we noticed that the French were pulling up onto the sidewalk which bordered the lot and decided "why not?"  Fortunately, no tickets.  However, Andy was not so fortunate when it came to speeding.  The French do not stop you to give you a ticket.  Your license plate is photographed, the speed recorded and you are sent a ticket in the mail.  Those sneaky French! We learned all about this process!
#2)  French ducks and cows are the loudest I've ever heard.  Is there such a thing as a duck-rooster?  Every morning around sunrise we could hear one out on the lake - he was LOUD!!!  And French cows can be heard in the neighboring valleys.  We encountered quite a few on our drive into the Pyrenées.  And we found out that they do not take kindly to being mimicked!  Andy did such a good impression of the cow that was coming down the mountainside to the road that I thought she was going to charge him for being so impertinent.

The angry cow

 #3)  The reason the parking lot in the city of Foix is free between the hours of noon and 2pm is because nothing in the city is open during the 2 hours that everyone has lunch - not the grocery stores, or the shops, or the banks, or the tourist office, or the tourist sights!  There is no reason to be in Foix during these 2 hours!  Unless you need a free bathroom.  The public bathroom underneath the parking lot was free.  And speaking of bathrooms, did you know that France still has "Turkish toilets?"  - you know the hole in the ground.  Well, they are nicely tiled holes, but still . . .   Thankfully, the ones at the parking lot were the only ones I came across on this trip.

The castle in Foix that we had hoped to visit but it was closed

 #4)  It's quite unfortunate if you are hungry between the hours of 2pm and 7pm as restaurants are closed and bars do not serve food, only drinks during this time.  If you want to eat between 2 and 7 you are forced to go to McDonalds - which we did upon arriving in Paris at 3pm not having had anything to eat since breakfast.
#5)  Speaking of McDonalds, did you know you can get a Heineken with your Big Mac in Paris?
#6)  The GPS in our Renault Scenic (a great little SUV which got the equivalent of 60 mpg!) insisted on taking us the most direct route (not the quickest) which was usually right through the middle of every little town instead of staying on the highway which skirted the towns.  We didn't really mind as we saw parts of towns and villages that I'm sure no other tourists will ever see - unless they happen to rent that car!  I appreciated that it asked us if we wanted to avoid the toll roads = perhaps that is what gave it the go-ahead to take us on the "scenic route" (or it wanted to do justice to its name - "Scenic")  We had many a laugh when we came out of the little town and ended up on the highway behind the bus that we had passed many miles back.
#7)  No matter how many Gothic churches I have seen, I always am ready to see another.

The Eglise (church) de Raynaude

Inside the Eglise

 #8)  And I am always fascinated by Roman ruins.

Mosaic floor of a Roman villa

 #9)  And no matter how many times I have been to Paris, there is always something new to see.

A natural cave and waterfall in Buttes-Chaumont park in Paris

 #10) I believe that the statue in Auch proves that d'Artagnan really was a Musketeer.

D'Artagnan of Gascony

 #11) The peace and tranquility of the Pyrenées is addicting!

The Neste Valley - my valley!

Thanks for joining me on my journey!  Merci!