Travel Inspiration – South West France

     While living in France, I began to think that every town I visited there looked the same, especially as the months wore on. But now, as I look back at my photos, I can see some of the differences coming to light, especially so in the south west region of the country. I travelled here during my Easter holidays, two years ago now, and visited half a dozen towns along the south coast (the remainder can be seen in my Provence travel inspiration post). Toulouse was my first stop, followed by Carcassonne and Montpellier, and the differences between the three are quite interesting, especially when they are fairly close together.

     Next to the other towns, Montpellier feels the most typically French of the three, reminding me of many other places I’d visited in the country. Much of the architecture is classical in style, with pillars and archways in shades of white and cream, which feel clean and bold and striking. What these photos don’t capture though was the atmosphere as I wandered those streets, as I remember it to be relaxed and easy-going, but still full of life and people and plenty to do and see – there’s far more to it than old buildings, however beautiful they may be.