fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2401 ]

[ SECRET POST #2401 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2401 ⌋

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My mother loves France and has always wanted to travel there. I'm thinking about surprising her with a trip there for her fiftieth birthday. She doesn't have any interest in Paris or the Eiffel tower or any of that.

She's interested in more rustic, romantic, southern France with farmer's markets and stone buildings. I've been looking into renting a farmhouse or something and there are a lot of great options but I don't know very much about the areas was wondering if anyone lives or has traveled in France and has an area or city to recommend.

Somewhere with a lot of old buildings, historic sites, beautiful scenery, little restaurants, shops etc. for her to explore?

I went to Toulouse with some friends when I was a teenager and I liked it very much as I recall but I don't know whether it fits exactly your criteria. But it was very pleasant and a lovely city full of very nice people as I recall.

Really I think that whole part of the world in the South of France there is very nice and I think there's not so many bad options. In other words, wherever you end up going with, there's likely to be something nice. And it's a very nice gift to give to your mother. That's really great

Hmm, yeah Toulouse seems a bit bigger than what I had in mind but it does have me thinking maybe finding a rural area within driving distance to a larger city in case she wants a change of scenery for a couple days. If no one else has a suggestion that clicks I might look into the area around Toulouse. Thanks. :)

Like I say I don't know whether it's a useful recommendation for you because so much of what I liked about the trip was tied up in the specific circumstances of it - being with my friends, a few people who we met there that we hung out with considerably, and just generally the time of my life in which it fell. In other words, the things that I liked about it may be be personal and non-transferable. So don't take my word as gospel. But it is a pleasant place.

Well, Paris has a lot of that... It's also one of the more tourist-friendly places, in case your mom doesn't actually speak French.

Personally, for as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to see Camargue.

She's actively expressed disinterest in Paris? She's mostly talked about going camping or living in an old farmhouse without electricity, etc. I'm not 100% convinced that she'd enjoy that half as much as she thinks :) and so would rather just get her something liveable but in the countryside.

She reads and writes decent French so I'm not too worried (she's deaf and so is in the habit of using notes to ensure clear communication with new people intimidated by her anyway).

Googling Camargue has brought up a very promising site for walking holidays in France. TY1

Perhaps try to make her reconsider Paris. It's considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world for a reason, and it's a great place for food and music and shops and uuuugh I LOVE PARIS. The food alone would be perfect. You don't even need to do anything touristy. Sticking to the off-streets, so that you can't see any big monuments, guarantees virtually no tourists and great things to do.

Great hat you love Paris but not everyone is you. I've been a few times and never cared much one way or the other, but twice I've been with groups that included people who did not want to go and they hated it and often made everyone around them miserable.

Paris is a nice city but it is only one small part of a large country that is full of some of the most beautiful natural and man made things a person could see. Your narrow-minded insistence that someone should reconsider going to a place they don't want to go is ignorant and disrespectful.

I recommend Saint-Paul de Vence. Think Soho or Williamsburg dropped in a castle-like setting. Old buildings? Yep. Historica sites? Yep. Beautiful Scenery? Good Lord, yep. Little Restaurants? Yep. Shops? All that and more.

And it's right around the corner from Nice, which is also a fantastic place to explore.

Holy cow that place is gorgeous and seemingly right up her alley! Also fifteen minutes from the sea? This definitely merits further investigation, thank you!

That's really sweet of you! I can't offer any advice, having never been there myself, but I hope she has a wonderful time.

It's not southern France but Strasbourg is lovely. We only spent a day in France (we were vacationing in Germany) but we visited some lovely villages/towns along the way that had those charming old buildings and farm markets. Ribeauville and Riquewihr were two of those towns, if I recall correctly.

As for the south, Marseille is supposed to be beautiful, but then, so is pretty much all of southern France. At least if you believe my friends, who spent half a year travelling through the country. ;)

You can take a look at "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France" - it lists the most beautiful villages in the country. Here's a map: http://www.les-plus-beaux-villages-de-france.org/fr/carte-des-plus-beaux-villages-de-france

Now it depends where you think she'd like to go the most. The south-west : very green, can be very hot depending on where you are, the sea-side is either new buildings built from scratch or older, more authentic towns (you can find more of that in Brittany, actually). It can hugely vary, from green and rural to the very opinionated Basque country and the more posh areas around Bordeaux (beautiful city by the way). In Dordogne (Sarlat and Bergerac in particular) and Bordeaux, you'll find people who speak fluent English because lots of UKers moved around those parts.

South-east: completely different. Way hotter in the summer, but you'll find many rustic villages and beautiful beaches. Corsica, miles off the coast, is absolutely beautiful and very preserved (Corsican people are *very* particular about that.)

North-West: Brittany, mainly. The coast is very rocky but there are many villages, often beautiful, made of granite. Very celtic. If you go there, you might want to turn up around the beginning of August for the Interceltic Parade in Lorient. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jyYH7gaKUo). Mont-Saint-Michel is also a must-see.

The Loire Valley has a series of Renaissance castles like Chambord.

I don't really know the North, former mining land. The East is full of precious houses with timber framing.

Oops! Forgot that she preferred the South.

Okay so:

South-West:
Bordeaux - big city with numerous old buildings, recently listed on the UNESCO world heritage. Very nice, but very big, however you might want to go there during your trip.
There's a really famous and nice market in Brive-la-Gaillarde, which is admittedly a bit far from Bordeaux (300 km) but chances are that there are markets *everywhere*. The biggest ones are on saturdays, smaller ones are on tuesdays and thursdays. Look out for "marchés des producteurs de pays" in particular.

If you go a bit more down south, you'll enter the Basque country. Closer to the mountains. On the others side of the Pyrénées, it's the Catalan country - with cities like Collioure (http://www.collioure.com/en/). In Bayonne, there's a 3-day party every year in August (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fêtes_de_Bayonne).
In Nîmes, there are corridas every year.

South-East, now: similarly, it can vary widely from bigger cities (Marseilles) to smaller villages. You can go quickly from sea-side urban areas to very rural, if not mountainous lands (the Alps are close). Aubagne, Cassis, Menton, Gordes, Moustiers Sainte-Marie...etc. The food is much more fish-oriented.

And of course, Corsica. An island a few miles away from the continent, with both small mountains and beaches.

I hope you'll enjoy your stay if you do come here! If you want, I can drop you my email in your inbox.

! Thank you. This is SO helpful. I don't know if circumstances will permit me accompanying her ( I hope so!) If I go I will definitely share pics here!

I'd love to have your e-mail. :D

I studied abroad in Montpellier and traveled around Languedoc-Roussillon and it is definitely the place to go. Montpellier is more modern, but Carcassonne (medieval walled city), Nîmes, Arles, Avignon all beautiful.

And it may not be so straightforward to get there, but if you're looking for tiny rustic and picturesque, PLEASE try to visit Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert. It was the most beautiful place I've ever seen. Like Rivendell. Plus French country. You will not regret it.

Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert definitely lived up to your advertising! I'm a little overwhelmed and will probably have to do a lot of investigating into all the lovely suggestions I've gotten but atm I'd have to say that's the front runner. Here's hoping all the other little details fall into place! Thank you! <3

Oh I'm so glad! It was by far my favorite place we visited. Good luck with your planning!

We spent a month in Loire Valley and it was the highlight of my life. We planned the trip using the Michelin guide and rented a car so we could do whatever we wanted. We had to get international driver's licenses to do it but it was a pretty simple and relatively inexpensive process.

I would definitely recommend the Provence as a general region. You could visit Orange, Avignon, Marseille, Arles, Nîmes and have such interesting sights as the Pont du Gard, the Lac de Sainte-Croix and the Vallon-Pont-d'Arc. Among other stays, we had a lovely time in Tourtour - it's a beautiful village (http://www.tourtour.org/page_en/1_bien.htm).

You could also have a look at the Périgord-Dordogne departement. Sarlat-la-Canéda.

Personally, I'm very fond of Brittany, but that's mostly my love for all things celtic - it's very nice there as well, though, and they have the best cidre, Crêpe and Galette. So delicious! They have some nice medieval cities, like Nantes, Vitré and Concarneau. If one is interested in celtic stuff, the Carnac stones are definitely worth a visit. Ploumanac’h is also interesting - rose coloured granite and all.

That is really sweet of you. Please do share where you decide to go!

My favorites were Avignon and Nice. I loved the history in the latter, plus it feels like the city IS the beach. (Some good water shoes are necessary, though - nothing but stone beaches!)

In Avignon, we just happened to be in town for the annual arts and theatre festival. Unicycle bands, living statues, plays, and all around these little windy streets with the papal palace at the top of the hill. (At least that's what they called it. I think it was a summer house, or something, that's not used anymore.) I was so sad we only got a few hours there, there was so much to see and do. So! if she likes theatre or art, that would be a magnificent week(end?) to visit. Plus all the old buildings, and nooks and cranies.

For Nice, there was a lot of history in that city. We walked around for a few hours and couldn't get more than a few blocks without finding something to tickle our fancy. Tons of little restaurants, but my group wasn't as interested in shops so I couldn't say what's there. There are larger sections of town, too, if you enjoy a combination of old town-modern city. Smelled better than Paris, too. :P

I thought the trip between Auvergne and Provence had the most of what you mentioned. There were rolling fields, most just harvested in June just along the main freeway, little towns, some just visible around a hill. It seems anywhere you go in Europe will have history in it, because they started building structures with incredible longevity long before anyone north of the Yucatan did. Not to mention that everything is MUCH closer since the country is simply smaller.

My mom has a friend who travels the world by kitchen, meeting the chefs of restaurants (since she's a self-taught polyglot) and using their recipes back at home. France is one of her most frequent destinations, so I could ask her if you find you're still looking.

Your mom is lucky to have you. :)

It may sound a bit hokey, but I'd definitely look into the Rick Steves DVD series for general ideas and an overview of different regions in France.

Personally, I really loved the Dordogne region, especially Beynac. Gorgeous little town built into the side of a cliff with a castle on the hilltop, winding cobbled streets and stone houses with tiny gardens, views of a peaceful river valley, and surrounded by farmland. Lots of great markets in the area, too. You could probably hit one per day if you had a rental car,

Arles was also beautiful, but hotter and less lush even in spring. It has the advantage of roman ruins and a very large, colorful weekend market. It makes a good homebase for exploring Provence, too.

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[ SECRET POST #2401 ]

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