I was led to believe South of France would be a romantic, irresistibly beautiful place. Instead, it was just…fine.
Nothing went wrong for me while I was in France; mostly I just found it a bit boring. Maybe it’s because I don’t drink a lot and that region is all about their wine, maybe it was because I didn’t connect with anyone until near the end of my time in France, maybe its because France is overhyped as a Destination.
Bordeaux
I started in Bordeaux, where it was hot and the mosquitoes were abundant. I did my usual walking tour and learnt some interesting history. I walked the entire length of Rue Sainte-Catherine, a 1.2 km shopping street that goes from high end stores like Louis Vuitton at one end to a really good kebab place and op shops at the other end. The first hostel I stayed at was a little way out of the centre proper, so I had a lovely walk along the river at least a couple of times a day. Bordeaux is…fine. The old town feels like an old European town, the slightly less old areas of the centre are very uniform. The neoclassical style of the architecture and the straight Roman roads get boring…especially if you don’t necessarily have good enough vision to see the small details.
I skipped all the wine related tourist spots due to a distinct lack of interest on my part.
What probably didn’t help was that, coming from Portugal and Spain, I suffered food lag (like jet lag, but with food). In Portugal and Spain, there are a lot of dinner options from around 3pm (when lunch ends) util 11pm – or later. In France, you have a two hour window for lunch (12pm – 2pm) and a two hour window for dinner (7 – 9pm). And that’s it. Got lost or distracted? Too bad! Go hungry! (Or eat a supermarket salad – they’re actually pretty good.)
Toulouse
Toulouse, similarly, was kinda just meh. I did have a really fantastic guide for my walking tour. She wasn’t a native to Toulouse but she was very passionate about the city, and it showed.
The art on the ceiling in the walkway by the main square is spectacular, and the inclusion of the zodiac signs on the monument in the centre of the square is a fun nod to the city’s secular history. The organist practicing their art in the cathedral added a haunting atmosphere when we went to see the Black Mary.
The weather while I was there wasn’t great, a bit drizzly and overcast, which, despite being able to see better in that kind of weather, makes me grumpy. I had lunch with a lovely lady from the tour but beyond that, didn’t really connect with anyone the way I did with the people I met in Portugal (I fear Lisbon and Porto set an extremely high bar). Toulouse, like Bordeaux, just didn’t impress.
Carcassonne
Things started to look up once I got to Carcassonne. I still didn’t meet anyone interesting and the hostel was very antisocial, but Carcassonne has a walled village. It is a super tourist trappy place, but don’t let that put you off! It’s absolutely worth a visit. The walled village and castle are the only things worth seeing in Carcassonne, and you really only need one day.
Getting through the walls and into the village is free. All the buildings are shops aimed at parting tourists from their money. My favourite of these were the knife and sword shops. So many fun looking swords! So many wicked looking knives! I’m sure they were al blunter than your average soup spoon but they looked wayyyy cool. If I wasn’t travelling with only hand luggage I would have been tempted to buy one, just for funsies. I settled for an overpriced keyring instead.
There’s also a bunch of nice (and overpriced) restaurants and cafes, so you don’t have to leave for lunch. Right at the back, about as far from the gate as you can get, there’s a little square that you can eat your packed lunch in if you’re pinching your pennies.
To get into the castle and on the ramparts, it’ll cost you €13 UNLESS you’ve got a physical disability – which I learnt too late! It is money well spent though. The audioguide is really informative and well done. For anyone with any interest in fantasy (reading or writing) the Carcassonne castle is well worth a visit, it’ll bring your epic fantasy alive. Visiting castles like this really puts into perspective how much the definition of ‘luxury’ has changed since medieval times when it comes to the size and insulation of living quarters.
I went to the walled village both days I was in Carcassonne, mostly because I had nothing else to do. By fun coincidence, it was the anniversary of the board game “Carcassonne” and they were having a little festival tournament in the courtyard at the back of the village. The organisers were dressed up and inviting people to play a round or two. I didn’t participate – the sun made it impossible for me to see the details of the board – but I had a great time people watching as I ate my lunch.
Marseille
I’ve written about how the people I meet (or don’t meet) can make or break a location for me. This was proven by Marseille.
On the bus from Carcassonne to Marseille, the bus driver got very concerned for me at the toilet stop. The man didn’t speak a word of English, but he did speak Spanish, so he found another passenger who spoke Spanish and English and asked her to take care of me. I don’t really need this kind of preemptive help, but in this case it worked out because this lady from Argentina and I became fast friends! I’m even still in touch with her. We were staying at different hostels, but hers was on the way to mine, so we walked together from the bus stop and met up again a day later for a long walk on the waterfront and dinner.
In addition to that marvellous lady, I met a couple of very fun people on my walking tour. I had lunch with them and ended up doing a bit more exploring. It made for a really great day and really bought the city alive for me.
My lunch buddies included the tour guide, who recommended a really great place. I feel this is the moment to take a minute and emphasise how much more – generally speaking – I get out of the tours that are run by independent guides rather than by a company. The independent guides often have better stories and take you to more interesting places. Also, I know more of my tip goes to the guide, with just the Guruwalks app taking their cut. Tour guides who work under a company umbrella get a much smaller portion of the tip. My problem isn’t with the tour guides themselves – they’re great – it’s with the companies, which aren’t always avoidable as in some cities they’ve effectively pushed out the independent guys.
Another point in Marseille’s favour is the fact that it’s on the waterfront, with the port filled with boats big and small right in front of you. It makes for a gorgeous view, night and day. The sea breeze makes it a refreshing walk. There’s a fort at the end of the port that I particularly liked, you can walk all around it. I packed myself a lunch and tucked myself into a crevasse with the waves crashing on the rocks below me – it was very atmospheric and just delightful.
Don’t let the graffiti – sorry, street art – in Marseille put you off. If you must got to the south of France, I think this is one of your better choices.
It just wasn’t for me
Overall, France wasn’t the favourite leg of my tour, but Marseille (or rather, the people I met there) did go a long way to redeeming the region for me.
Maybe, if I’d indulged more in proper French cuisine, I would have enjoyed it more. But food there is so expensive. Not to mention, the French cannot seem to get the hang of fries – I don’t know what they do to those poor potatoes but the results are not good!
Honestly, it’s fine. If you love France and the French and wine, go for it. Just take bug spray and ALL your money.
