The South of France

With 96 departments, you could spend years exploring all the wonderful and very different regions of France. It's fair to say this country has it all; historic cities full of interesting monuments, cute little villages,  pristine beaches, ski slopes and not to mention it's culinary delights that make it famous the world over. What more could you hope for? And yet, what puzzles me is that it's a country that I have rarely seen featured in blog posts. Of course, posts about Paris are abundant. You may come across the odd post about other big cities but what impressed me the most about France are the hidden beaches, castles and quaint little villages. The South is where I had the opportunity to do my year abroad and I certainly made the most of visiting many interesting places.


Lac de Sainte Croix

This lake is one of many in the region of Gorges du Verdon situated in the south-east of France. It is the most popular lake and offers many chances for aquatic adventures such as swimming, canoeing and hiring a pedal boat. Perfect for when the temperature is soaring high.

I also recommend visiting Moustiers Sainte Marie which is a pretty little village situated in the Canyon area. It does involve a walk up a very steep hill! However, the views are definitely worth the climb.

You could easily spend a couple of weeks in this region visiting the many villages and lakes without getting bored.  I only got to spend a day here and would love to return and explore further. See this website for further details: http://www.lesgorgesduverdon.fr/en/history-verdon.html

This was probably one of my favourite places in the whole of France, although it is definitely crowded with tourists, particularly in the warmer months.


Pont du Gard

If you have read my post about Segovia, you will know I'm a bit of an aqueduct geek. It's an inexplicable obsession but maybe it's the fact that they were built by Romans or that such a beautiful structure was used for the important task of transporting water. On this particular aqueduct you can walk across the middle part of it to the other side of the bank. You can not imagine how delighted I was by this!

This aqueduct sits on the River Gardon and is surrounded by magnificent banks where you can sit and listen to the water streaming down the river. It is such a peaceful environment and the best part is that it's not crowded with tourists, at least it wasn't while I was there. You can take your time strolling around and taking photos. The tranquillity is such that you won't want to leave! In summer, there is a River rendez-vous where beaches are set up and you can swim in the calmer sections or sunbathe. To be honest, I don't like it turning into a sunbathing spot as it is listed as a World Heritage Site and should be well conserved for future generations.

 

 

 

Hope you have enjoyed reading this post. There are certainly plenty more hidden gems up my sleeve to be revealed in the next few blog posts. Vive la France!