Adventure Around Every Corner Teed Up in the South of France

France is always a great country to visit, no matter the time of year. Paris is consistently ranked among the top 10 most visited cities internationally, with about 18.3 million visitors annually. However, we are not going to Paris this time; the action, at least for me, is in the South of France, and more specifically on a writer’s retreat with other Akimbo alumni in a small hamlet of maybe 240 people in St. Felix de Pelliers. It’s in the Cévennes region and OUTSTANDING in every way. It’s not the lights/camera/action of the big city up North, but it has history, tradition, community, gastronomical specialties (wine!), unmissable sights, serene natural surroundings, and last but not least, it sits at the foothills of the Cevennes, and it’s winding roads - an adventure around every corner, literally (The Tour de France races through the area some years).

The adventure of travel, even destinations I’ve been to already, is making my heart sing, since no one steps into the same river twice. There are changes in me, and the destinations I’m headed to are ready to reveal themselves to me once again. Their changes can be as simple as a different light, sky color, or a change in temperature since my last visit. My agenda also includes checking out new places and other small hamlets in the South reachable by train, with the hope of writing about some of them here. We are not sure about the Wifi situation, but I plan to write and post, and they will fly when the WiFi is available.

One of my favorite places in all of France is Nîmes, which is to the left, or West, of the Provence Region. It’s really a hidden gem, and it keeps drawing us back to the Occitanie Region, an important outpost of the Roman Empire, and the intact architecture that blows my mind! Take, for instance, the 2000±year-old Arena de Nîmes, which is still in operation today. From concerts to bullfights, it’s still a huge draw for many people who marvel at the arena and other well-preserved monuments like the Maison Carrée (a Roman Temple that has been used for many different purposes over two millennia) and the Pont du Gard (up the road a bit), and truly one of the most amazing architectural sites I’ve ever seen. It’s over 2000 years old, and it looks like it was built yesterday. How did they do it? Those smartypants engineers figured out how to build an aqueduct to carry water from the Gard River over 50 km (31 miles) to Nîmes Center and the other areas of the Occitanie region.

Perhaps that’s why France keeps calling us back — not simply for the breathtaking history, wine, food, or landscapes, but because these places remind us how small we are in the grand sweep of time, yet how connected we are to it all, still today. To walk where Romans walked 2,000+ years ago, to sip tea in a tiny hamlet tucked into the foothills of the Cévennes (this is very cool!), and to share stories with fellow writers I've known for years now, feels like a privilege I don’t take lightly. The roads ahead may twist and turn through the South of France, but honestly, that’s where some of the best adventures begin. ✨🇫🇷

bSoleille!

Terri

Photos below are from our trip to France in May 2024 - St. Felix de Pelliers.