We've spent a couple of weeks near the lagoons of Vic-la-Gardiole village, situated in Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France, where Luis' sister, Teresa and her husband, Jerome, live together with their baby girl, Lou Lou.
Map to Vic-la-Gardiole
It is a beautiful and calm area, surrounded by vineyards, several étangs (lagoons) that stretch along the French coast and home of dozens flamingos. Here you can also find the grandiose White Horse of the Camargue and ride it on the lagoon trails.
Warm sunlight in the South of France
During our stay, we had experienced the famous winds of Provence, winds that sometimes beat without stopping all day and you can barely stand. So what can you do under such conditions? Stay indoor, eat great food, drink good wine and play Mahjong!
Since Teresa and Jerome lived and travelled mostly around the Atlantic and Indian islands, Africa and Brazil, their cuisine is so diverse, with a bit of creole and Asian influence and very tasty. Regarding the wine...well, we are in South of France, so good wine you find at any corner. Therefore, we had everything settle to spent endless hours playing Mahjong, a tile-based game that originated in China which it's played for generations in Luis' family.
When was not windy, we went for a walk through the vineyards
Photo gallery here:
Colors of autumn in Guyor-Haut
For a couple of days, we left the van behind, took Lou Lou and the cats and exchanged the sea for the mountain. Teresa and Jerome found a beautiful rustic cottage near Guyor-Haut, in the heart of Sidobre, a mountainous zone located in the south of the Massif central, in central France. It is a charming forestry area, full of chestnut trees (we've returned with a bag full of chestnuts) and donkey rides. Between the walks and chestnuts hunt, we continued with our championship of Mahjong in front of a warm fireplace.
Walk in the forest
The cats adapted quite fast to their short-term new house and checked each corner of it, finding good spots to relax. It is incredible to see how fast they changed, got more confidence and are quite obedient to us. They are not anymore the scary cats, afraid of everything and it is great to see how carrying and supportive are with each other.
Cats doing what they do best
Getting comfortable in the new house
Cats being cats
Photo gallery here:
Useful tip: While you are travelling in South of France, grab a bike and follow the ViaRhôna path, from Aigues-Mortes or Palavas-les-Flots to Frontignan or Sète. We'll talk about all these places in the next post. Stay close!
