Week 15

I’ve had a wonderful week away. I didn’t go far – just to the Midi-Pyrénées for a few days. It would have taken 2.5 hours to drive from Pézenas if I’d had a car. Big IF. There’s a recurring challenge there.

Let me get the Learnings and Challenges out of the way before I lean into the great Joy I experienced this week.

---

Challenges

I’m increasingly frustrated with transportation. I’m aware of how often this pops up.

This week, I spent a few days in the village of Castelnau-de-Montmiral. Travelling home on Thursday was easy and without incident. It took approximately 4 hours from door to door. The trip there, however, was … an adventure (🎶 always look on the bright side of life 🎶).

My voyage involved a very expensive Uber ride to get to the train station because I didn’t realize how few buses would run on November 11. It also involved a one hour delay before I even got on the train because there were goats on the tracks. Goats!

Once on the train, there was another one hour delay because too many people boarded and the train wouldn’t budge until some got off. No one did. Many appeared to be students who simply sat down in the aisles and proceeded to study. An hour passed, along with multiple announcements, before the conductor gave up and the train started to move. We cheered – the people won! For the next 2.5 hours, I sat scrunched in my seat with my legs at a painful angle but (mostly) grateful that I wasn’t standing.

I got to Toulouse in time to enjoy dinner with my friend, Emily. It’s always so great to connect with friends from home. The next morning, I carried on to Castelnau-de-Montmiral without having seen Toulouse. I was disappointed but it’s not going anywhere, so I’ll make a return visit.

I’m putting off buying a car because I’m saving for a big adventure next spring. I also want to see what happens to the Canadian dollar in the next 6 months so I have a better sense of my budget. At my most frustrated, I remind myself that maybe, just maybe, it wouldn’t hurt to slow down a bit.

---

Learnings

After several months of weather that either demanded or accommodated sandal-wear, I was lulled into thinking that the south of France would be warm year-round. As I travelled just 250 km northwest of Pézenas, and with an elevation gain of approximately 250 metres, I was glad I had thought to bring better footwear and found myself wishing I had a heavier jacket. It was only a few degrees colder, but at just above 0 Celsius, I felt like I was back in Canada.

I know there is cold weather and snow in the north of France but, for some reason, assumed it would be much warmer in the south. I returned to Pézenas to find it just as cold and have begrudgingly started turning on heaters in the apartment.

---

Joys

You know that experience when you meet someone and know right away that you’ll be friends? Mary is one of those people. We met through a mutual friend and connected immediately.

Mary owns a house in the medieval village of Castelnau-de-Montmiral. She visits from Toronto for a few months every year and rents it out the rest of the year.

Castelnau-de-Montmiral was founded in 1222 and is one of 176 listed on Les Plus Beaux Villages de France. Villages must meet criteria to get on the list, including having fewer than 2000 inhabitants and at least two national heritage sites. Pézenas feels old to me, but visiting these villages felt like a bigger step back in time.

On Wednesday, Mary took me to two other villages on the list: Puycelsi and Bruniquel. We also stopped by the village of Penne.

It’s hard to describe what I felt that day. My imagination and my senses were overwhelmed and I experienced surges of awe and delight. The contrast of stunning colours with the starkness of ancient times was a dream for this photographer!

Rather than provide details of the history of these villages, I invite you to see them through my eyes.

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

On Thursday, before I left for home, we lunched at Pechauzi, a gite owned by Jonathan and Elizabeth. The hospitality was warm, the meal was fantastic, the scenery was beautiful and the company I kept provided fun and insightful conversation.

As I mentioned at the top of the blog, my trip home was uneventful. Except it really wasn’t. I experienced a beautiful sunset and gazed out the window at the full moon. And, if I had been in a car, I wouldn’t have noticed the shadow cast by the massive lion sculpture in Bezier’s Place Charles-De-Gaulle where I catch the bus to Pézenas. The magical moment perfectly wrapped up my getaway.

---

In last week’s blog, I told you that I was feeling sad and anxious. This week, Mary provided the perfect antidote. She introduced me to beautiful villages and to her friends in Castelnau-de-Montmiral. All signs of anxiety disappeared and my joy returned. Thank you for your generosity, Mary!

À bientôt .