Our initial week in Paris after landing was great, a mix of touristing and paperwork. The reality that set in once we had purchased a European SIM card and set up a France bank account was beyond exciting. Especially since our bank appointment wasn't in a small little bank in an alley...it was at the HSBC on the Champs-Elysees! I won't lie, I felt pretty excited sitting in the bank signing papers while glancing out onto the bustling street. Oddly enough, it appeared in order to set up a bank account in France as a foreigner you had to have a deposit of 2,500 Euros to 10,000 Euros! Not only to just deposit that large sum, but you actually had to have that amount stay in your account. After visiting the first few banks we felt discouraged by this, especially since we NEEDED this account in order to obtain our Personal Liability Insurance (at last we discovered how to find this insurance). The last bank we walked into, without much hope, was the HSBC Elite bank on the Champs-Elysees. They were very helpful and thankfully spoke a little English, and helped us set up an appointment to discuss our options. She told us we could set up the basic account that included the insurance, online banking and other important details except that we wouldn't be able to come in and speak to bank tellers with this account. A huge weight lifted off my shoulders when we had confirmed our accounts and handed in our needed Utility bill from Canada. Suddenly everything felt real...very real, I was actually living abroad!
After Paris my fiance and I didn't really have a plan. We had signed up to Wwoofing France and had booked our first stay, starting at the beginning of September in the Pyrenees. So, we had nearly a full month to roam France on our way down to the Pyrenees. We decided to stop at several different villages and cities along the way that were not in the travel books. We wanted to stop and see the real France, where the streets weren't littered with tourists. Looking back I couldn't of been happier that we took that route allowing us to see incredibly beautiful and charming villages minus the tourist traps.
Our first stop was a few hours by train south of Paris to a small village called Brive-la-Galliarde (most people in France know it as just 'Brive'). A small village with wonderful people, tiny streets winding through the old town and an impressive Patisserie in the center. There was also a fantastic outdoor market held on Tuesdays and Thursdays (and possibly Saturdays) where there were dozens of locals offering artisan cheeses, meats, breads and foie gras products. I felt like a child in a toy store... I wanted to sample everything! The hostel in Brive is very basic and very affordable. There was a kitchen to use, free Internet and friendly owners who live above the office. A very good thing to know about hosteling in France is FUAJ, which is the French branch of Hosteling International. It allows you to find hostels in nearly every village in France unlike if you search from the general HI website. I enjoyed Brive very much especially because of a woman we met at our hostel named Annie. She was from Paris and on her holidays for three weeks at the hostel (a very smart budget holiday when you are on a pension) and was so familiar with the hostel she appeared to run it. We spent a large amount of time with her over our 6 day stay, eating our meals with her and practicing french. She was a fantastic person who we will keep in touch with for life I believe.
The next village was my personal favourite of the towns we visited on our way to the Pyrenees. Cahors was about an hour south of Brive. The town was nestled in the surrounding hills and was actually itself surrounded by a river. Therefore, there were beautiful bridges to walk across and admire. The most impressive bridge was the medieval looking "Pont Neuf". Before crossing the bridge you can admire the ancient grape vines along the pathway with benches to sit and take in the view. We also climbed a steep hill on the opposite side of the river where we were able to get a panoramic view of Cahors. I really enjoyed wandering throughout Cahors and I would recommend others to visit.
Montauban was our next stop on our journey South. The buildings were interesting here because in the time period the town was built, reddish-pink bricks were predominately used giving the entire city a pinkish hue. Our hostel in Montauban was very interesting. Still to this day I'm not completely sure what this building was. This large building appeared to house Elderly living, Student housing, summer groups and hostelers! It was a very neat dynamic and was good to see the entire building used to its capacity. The hostel was very comfortable with Internet, a kitchen, spacious rooms and friendly staff. After touring the historic center of the town, we decided to venture out of the city and see the 'modern' side of France. We walked a couple hours from the pink bricked homes to the industrial center where we caught a glimpse of where the locals buy their cars, furniture and tools. It was really interesting to venture to an area like that and see the more modern side as well. There is plenty to see throughout the streets but once again I must restrain myself from writing 3 paragraphs on each town.
The largest city we stopped in was Toulouse where the reddish-pink bricks dominated the city again. I really loved Toulouse. It felt like a smaller Paris to me with charming shops, cafes, boutique clothing stores and many Patisseries. It felt like a city but didn't have that hustle bustle of say New York or Paris. We stopped and ate orange braised duck with a Tarte Tatin at a brasserie that was fantastic and reasonably priced. There is so much to see in Toulouse including an impressive university campus, a canal that winds through the city and the cathedral. We rented bikes for the day allowing us to see more of the city at a great cost of under 6 Euros! Biking was a great way to see the city especially since Toulouse has many bike routes to use. Spending the day leisurely peddling along the canal was a memorable afternoon I am happy to of experienced.
The next town was very small, called Saint Gaudens located under an hour from Toulouse. Most locals ask us 'Why did you go to Saint Gaudens? There is nothing to do there?' but I would disagree. Yes, there isn't a major center or large amount of shops but I found it enjoyable nonetheless. It is at the beginning of the Pyrenees, which you can see off in the horizon and had the most wonderful crisp air. There was also a large sawmill on the outskirts of town which reminded both my fiance and I of home. We spent our two days walking around the neighbourhoods and having fun in the local grocery store checking out new products. It's funny because sometimes just wandering around and doing what you normally do, such as grocery shopping or looking for socks can be really enjoyable while travelling. I wouldn't tell someone to go out of their way to visit Saint Gaudens but if you are passing through its a nice place to spend the night. Do not expect much from the hostel as I think it is more for long term housing with a few rooms available for the hostel. There was no reception for most of the time, the Internet did not work and the building was oddly quiet. Although, in the evening they did offer a dinner for 5 Euros which was fantastic! I will not complain about the hostel though as it was an affordable stay and I am just happy many towns allow a small section of their building for hostelers, or else it would limit us to staying in large cities only.
Lastly, we visited the city of Tarbes. Once again, I really enjoyed Tarbes as there was lots to see and do with a beautiful historic center. The houses were a different style than the previous towns with high peaked roofs and no longer reddish bricks. Some homes reminded me of homes you'd picture in the Alps. The Hotel de Ville (Town Hall) is very beautiful and the small streets through the center have many cafes, boutiques and specialty stores to wander through.
We purchased a can of Cassoulet from a specialty food shop that was delicious with large chunks of duck and sausage, definitely a favourite French dish of mine.
From Tarbes, you have an even better view of the Pyrenees in the distance that reach high up into the sky. My favourite part of Tarbes was the large public Garden in the center of the city. You can wander through the manicured gardens complete with a picturesque pond with ducks, swans and large fish. There is also a section of the garden where there are goats and chickens to go and see which I thought was a very neat addition to the Garden. You will also find peacocks roaming the grounds dragging behind their luxurious feathers (which I was lucky enough to find one laying on the ground!). Do not though, however, venture onto the grass as you will get a whistle blown loudly at you from one of the garden police...yes this happened to us!
I enjoyed travelling down central France and seeing the small villages and cities along the way. I loved being able to see the historic and modern parts of France and actually seeing the real neighbourhoods people live in and not just the touristy cores. After experiencing these areas it made me so happy to know that the traditions of long meals, good food and wine and small shops even exist in everyday life here.
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