Friday, September 26, 2014

Pyrénées trip 2. Foix, Carcassonne, Cévennes and everything in between…

After hiking around Bouillouses, we drove toward to our next stop, Foix!  The driving was really great.  We enjoyed all the beautiful Pyrénées and somehow ended up checking Andorra.  We didn't have time to drive little further as everybody recommended but just saw the ugly shopping mall with tons of cigarette signs and turned around :) 


I didn't take a photo but Andorra to Foix, it's stunningly beautiful! Highly recommended!


Again somehow I found this auberge ( Auberge Les Myrtilles) and we loved it! It's about 30 min drive from Foix so little bit long but it was the right choice.  We will definitely go back if we go Foix area again. 


L'Azinat - the local specialty!


Le cassoulet au Confit de Canard


We had to try this blue berry pie since the restaurant+auberge name is myrtilles! (blueberry :P) It was really really good!


Next morning, we got up super early like 6:30 and headed out for hiking.  The owner of the auberge recommended this hike trail and it was fantastic!


It was little confusing but we met a french guy who knows this area. :) Lucky as usual~




So peaceful, beautiful….




Sun came out and getting hot hot hot… good to start hiking very early in the morning~





The map of this area.  We'd love to come back explore all the places!


I already posted all the Cathar castles we visited.  I visited most of the famous ones except Foix because it was far up north.  I expected it as Carcassonne but meh… very little one.  It's cool but little.  We spent  about 2 hours and left… I am so glad that we stayed the night at the Auberge; there isn't many things to do inside Foix just you know….








From Foix to Carcassonne, we drove through the plateau and it was full of sunflower field!  So beautiful, cheerful and many huge fields full of yellowness :P 


They are all looking at me :P since I am a so very sunny person…



I love Carcassonne!  We stayed again! Last November we visited but just you know, November is the worst weather season in south France… cold, windy, rainy….


See?  So much prettier under the sun :) 




We went to the same restaurant again :) 3 times! Adelaïd





My husband really wanted to take the sunset photos so we hastily ate all our food and left the restaurant. 






I don't know the name of these musicians but it was an absolutely fantastic concert on the bridge! 


Carcassonne at night



I love stopping at the Plus beaux villages while we are driving.  There are a lot of them but very often it's worth it.  This is Minerve.  We stopped at this village when we came back from Dali museum but it was cloudy and cold.  I'd like to take the photos when it's sunny but we had to pay 3 euros! for parking.. there was nobody but us! so we took this photo and left :P BTW it's a very cute nice village.  If we had some more time, we'd have been staying for a while…


Next stop! Another Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, Olargues





Charming little village…. 


Next one! La Couvertoirade


It's very nice village inside rampart.  It's also famous for the sheep! You can smell them when you enter the cité :P


We had lunch at Auberge du Chat Perché but it wasn't that good.. Looks great, right? but taste? not so much….




But nevertheless charming!  There were actually the Chat Perché~ in the garden :)


The sun came out when we had the lunch, Great!




Isn't it so cool! You can just walk less than 10 min and go up to this windmill



Our plan was going to Cévennes and couldn't miss the famous Viaduc de Millau! 


Apparently this area is the major center for outdoor sporting activity as you can see!





Very very touristy but there is reason why…




Drive toward to the Cévennes nationa park … Wow I just google it and saw this photos from National geographic :) Same spot but much more pretty ( well they photoshopped) !


Finally we arrived at our hotel in Cévennes but the weather was aweful so we couldn't do hiking.  The hotel was very nice.  - BTW you don't have that many choices in that area.  The villages are super small the roads are extremly narrow - can't pass 2 cars same time- but beautiful! 



We had very nice dinner and listened all night the local band playing.  Next morning, sadly it was raining so we drove back to Montpellier! 

It was a great trip!  Pyrénées, we'd love to go back again!

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