La Région Midi-Pyrénées De France

France is a vast country, home to a wide range of different regions and landscapes that all have something new! I traveled to the 'Midi-Pyrénées' region to visit family two years ago, but little did I know that I would be discovering two different places within the region. Over the last five days during my current French holiday I've been quite busy seeing new places and blogging about my every move whilst being in France, so I wanted to go back in time to relive my previous experiences from the South of France.

The first port of call happened to be Carmaux, an ex-industrial town located in the South of France. Getting to Carmaux posed to a be challenging course of events, a journey that should of taken under four hours took closer to six hours. Travelling to Carmaux from the small hamlet of Chatenet was an adventure in itself. Passing through mile upon mile of French countryside was great because the views were exceptionally  beautiful. It wasn't difficult to see that this route was shared by the numerous Spanish cargo trucks making their way ever-closer to the border with Spain and Andorra.

Carmaux grew nearer as road signs for 'Cahors' and 'Salvagnac' passed by, looking back I now realize how long this drive took, all in all it was worth the wait! Eventually, the final few miles passed by concluding the journey, my final destination of Carmaux had arrived. There I spent four days with my aunt and cousins who I had not seen in a very long time! I did notice that this part of France featured a more hilly terrain compared to Chatenet, the saying goes that 'variety is the spice of life!' Landscape aside it was great to see another part of France, because France is a country that has many different sites to it. 

My next discovery happened to be the nearby city of Albi. Albi, a historical and charming city that showed me a series of beautiful sites. Captured to the right is the 'Saint Cecile Cathedral', standing as Albi's focal point that towers over the city to be seen from miles away. One thing that I didn't originally now before is that Albi's Saint Cecile Cathedral was made an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010. The 'Old Bridge' is also part of the UNESCO classification, translating into French as 'Pont-Vieux'. Whilst in the city of Albi I discovered the 'L'Office Du Tourisme' in the main square that overlooked the cathedral.

I always find myself close to a river, in this instance I was close to the 'Tarn' river which flows through both Carmaux and Albi. Looking back I did enjoy my afternoon in Albi because this town was very different to Carmaux. Dubbed 'the Episcopal City' with its intricate and monumental brickwork, I did appreciate this added spice to the city. One place of interest that I didn't managed to see was the 'Toulouse-Lautrec museum' as I was accompanied with my energetic 3 year old cousin Tommy. Albi is connected to the Toulouse by rail from the train station, which is located in Albi's city center area.

Further into the trip I visited a string of small French villages just north of Carmaux, they must of been so rural because I cannot remember the names of these places. So, I look forward to the future to see what other places I want to visit in the 'Midi-Pyrénées' region of France. Captured to the left is the nearby city of Toulouse, I would choose to take a day or two to discover the colourful city to see the historical attractions on offer. 

I would like to discover the 'Les Jacobins' monastery complex, also the 'Saint-Sernin Basilica because I'm always partial to seeing points of interest that are filled with history.  The 'Notre Dame de la Daurade' would be another possible place to visit, maybe I could compare it to the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris? You might think that my ideas regarding traveling are quite far fetched, but it's what I enjoy to do. I simply find a destination, book a flight and pack my bag! So, looking back I had a really nice trip down to Carmaux and Albi seeing all of the cultural and historical delights! 

Ne Faire Qu'un Avec Le Tarn !!! Admirer La Cathédrale !!! Choisissez La Région Midi-Pyrénées !!!Joseph Harrison