--------My trip to France (2003)

We drove through the Cote d’azur but we did not stop. We only went to Monaco. It took me awhile to get out of the city. I was constantly missing the exit to get me out of town. On our way to Spain, we only stopped to put gas and to eat.

After going to Portugal we had to drive back to Germany. Again we had to drive through France. I came through France this time via Andorra. We came in through the "tunnel du Puymoreens". It is 6 kilometer long. The French authorities have the guts to charge you over 5 euros to go through which only lasts few minutes. Disgusting. It is about time that North America charges a tax when they come to visit our countries just like they do to us.

I find it fun to drive through France in the country if you have a little distance to go. In the contrary if you have a long way to go France is the most frustrating place to drive in the world. They have tolls almost everywhere that charge you almost 10 dollars cdn for every 100 km.

When we reached France, after we drove for awhile, we stopped at a cafe for an expresso. Locals were very friendly. Some after they knew we were Canadians, they offered to pay for our drinks. We kept driving and looking for a place to stay. We were getting tired of driving on those roads that were quite snake-like and narrow

We stayed in a village called Vinca in the Pyrenees. We stayed at the Petite Auberge, it was a charming little place. We had a great breakfast. The auberge was really affordable, in fact all this area is (Maybe it was because it was winter) it's on avenue Général de Gaulle. We payed a little bit more than 30 euros if I can recall correctly. The owners were friendly. The room was simple but quite clean. The night before I had a meal at a cafe on the avenue Général de Gaulle a block away. I had some duck for a little bit more than 10 euros. Those are not Paris prices.

We also walked and went to take a look at the Eglise Saint Julien Sainte Baselisse de Vinça. This is the main church of the town. It was built in the eighteen century. This is very charming village and I would like to go back one day.

We also stopped by Sete in the awesome beach. The beach from Marseillan to Sete is 10 km long. It was a very nice January day and we were dressed like it was summer. Nadia (my daughter) enjoyed herself picking up beautiful shells. We did not

take a swim. I learned from some people that this area is called the Cote d'Azur of the poor. If it is true, I do not mind not being rich. This was beautiful sunny weather for the month of January. It was probably near 20 degree celcius. We continued towards Avignon and Geneve.

Small marina near Perpignan and Montpellier


Nadia running by a river near Perpignan in southern France


A beautiful sandy beach in January in Sete

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