The World has always been a big place...in a physical travel sense it has got smaller, more accessible, although aircraft now fly slower than they did 50 years ago. Non-stop travel seems to be the way ahead; 17 hour flights to become the norm. Is that for you? No, me neither. I like my travel plans to be smaller scale, more intimate and personal. I have exacting needs. My attention span is short. That is one reason why I live in the Ariege. I have everything I need within 3 to 4 hours to enthrall and entertain. Ocean, mountain, mystery and grand design all at my 'fingertips'. That is to say the rolling, thundering Atlantic or the more soothing Med, the Pyrenees chain with volumes of history and Barcelona a pleasant drive away through snow-capped mountains.
My shopping needs are small but if the inclination arises, Toulouse fulfills. Andorra offers duty free enticements and fine skiing. I don't like mass tourism; that is another reason why I like the Ariege, although contrary to running a travel business. Real life, real food, real villages & real humour. Pretty and authentic. Sometimes wild but shelter & a warm welcome are at hand. Expect the unexpected. This is a different France, a unique character fashioned from a hard environment, harsh history, rebellious nature but from a warm heart. Catalan & Occitan still influence, culturally & in the kitchen. Everything stops for lunch. Good wine is here. And this is still a wilderness. Bears roam, vultures soar.
So why not join me in my smaller, better World? What we offer is a chance to taste, to explore, to experience. We can point, encourage as much as you need...but the choice is yours. We know here, we love here. We think you will too. And indeed, you may feel that 17 hours is a small price to pay for finding a new World at the end of your finger tips!
My shopping needs are small but if the inclination arises, Toulouse fulfills. Andorra offers duty free enticements and fine skiing. I don't like mass tourism; that is another reason why I like the Ariege, although contrary to running a travel business. Real life, real food, real villages & real humour. Pretty and authentic. Sometimes wild but shelter & a warm welcome are at hand. Expect the unexpected. This is a different France, a unique character fashioned from a hard environment, harsh history, rebellious nature but from a warm heart. Catalan & Occitan still influence, culturally & in the kitchen. Everything stops for lunch. Good wine is here. And this is still a wilderness. Bears roam, vultures soar.
So why not join me in my smaller, better World? What we offer is a chance to taste, to explore, to experience. We can point, encourage as much as you need...but the choice is yours. We know here, we love here. We think you will too. And indeed, you may feel that 17 hours is a small price to pay for finding a new World at the end of your finger tips!