The Gorges of the Tarn
Vissec, France
14 July 2005 (Bastille Day)
The area in which we are located is Languedoc/Roussilon. As previously mentioned, it is not often visited by non-French tourists who choose more famous areas, such as Provence or the Riviera. Yet, this area is strikingly beautiful, criss-crossed, as it is, by various mountain ranges, rivers and gorges. The most well-known of these is the Tarn River Gorge. We visited it yesterday. Unfortunately, no photo can capture the immensity of the gorge. It’s like trying to photograph the Grand Canyon. Hopefully Mel’s photographs will give you some idea of the beauty of the area.
The River Tarn carved the gorge over millions of years. It is a clear, beautiful river that runs along the bottom of the gorge. The mountains that surround it are covered with forests but have immense, jagged limestone outcroppings at their peaks. At their base, where the river is still carving its path, the river has undercut the cliffs on one side so that they shadow the river like giant mushrooms. On the banks opposite the cliffs, the river has deposited river stone which have created beaches. On some beaches, the river has pounded the stone into sand. The river has also pushed its stone ahead of it, creating small rapids at various points. Small villages of stone houses, typically with a church spire as the most striking feature, clung to the sides of some of the mountains.
We took a boat ride on the river. Many, many French families were canoeing along the river and picnicking on the beaches. (Incidentally, the French are more quiet and subdued than Americans, in public, so even though there were many canoes on the river, it was very quiet, even on the beaches.)
We had lunch in a small, outdoor café (eating out-of-doors is very popular here) that featured French pizza, which has a very thin crust and a very crispy edge.
As Mel’s photos will show, although the entire day was one series of “Isn’t that gorgeous?” after another, one of the thrills of the day was seeing a recently-opened bridge that we saw described in the July 4 issues of the international version of Time Magazine.
Naturally, the French do not celebrate the 4th of July. They do, however, celebrate Bastille Day which is a national holiday. So, tonight we plan to drive to a town that is 30 minutes away to join the celebration.
Odds and Ends:
The French tend to have smaller refrigerators than Americans, shop more frequently and have more access to farm-fresh fruits and vegetables. Our diet, while we’ve been here, has included lesser amounts of meat and greater amounts of fruits and vegetables.
The French drink wine with lunch and dinner. White is not very popular but rose is popular in the summer. It is usually served chilled with lunch. Naturally, we have tried to fit in with the local scene!
In America, the French have a reputation for being rude (particularly Parisians). We have found the reputation not to be deserved. We have found that it is possible to run into rude people everywhere in the world but that if you attempt to speak someone’s language and are polite, they are thrilled with your efforts and are very polite in return. The French, especially, have a strong sense of public manners and find American tourists to be loud and somewhat rude, especially those who have not learned one word of French and pronounce the names of French sites, etc. in an American pronunciation, not French.
This has been a wonderful trip. It is hard to believe that it is coming to an end.
Love,
Janet
14 July 2005 (Bastille Day)
The area in which we are located is Languedoc/Roussilon. As previously mentioned, it is not often visited by non-French tourists who choose more famous areas, such as Provence or the Riviera. Yet, this area is strikingly beautiful, criss-crossed, as it is, by various mountain ranges, rivers and gorges. The most well-known of these is the Tarn River Gorge. We visited it yesterday. Unfortunately, no photo can capture the immensity of the gorge. It’s like trying to photograph the Grand Canyon. Hopefully Mel’s photographs will give you some idea of the beauty of the area.
The River Tarn carved the gorge over millions of years. It is a clear, beautiful river that runs along the bottom of the gorge. The mountains that surround it are covered with forests but have immense, jagged limestone outcroppings at their peaks. At their base, where the river is still carving its path, the river has undercut the cliffs on one side so that they shadow the river like giant mushrooms. On the banks opposite the cliffs, the river has deposited river stone which have created beaches. On some beaches, the river has pounded the stone into sand. The river has also pushed its stone ahead of it, creating small rapids at various points. Small villages of stone houses, typically with a church spire as the most striking feature, clung to the sides of some of the mountains.
We took a boat ride on the river. Many, many French families were canoeing along the river and picnicking on the beaches. (Incidentally, the French are more quiet and subdued than Americans, in public, so even though there were many canoes on the river, it was very quiet, even on the beaches.)
We had lunch in a small, outdoor café (eating out-of-doors is very popular here) that featured French pizza, which has a very thin crust and a very crispy edge.
As Mel’s photos will show, although the entire day was one series of “Isn’t that gorgeous?” after another, one of the thrills of the day was seeing a recently-opened bridge that we saw described in the July 4 issues of the international version of Time Magazine.
Naturally, the French do not celebrate the 4th of July. They do, however, celebrate Bastille Day which is a national holiday. So, tonight we plan to drive to a town that is 30 minutes away to join the celebration.
Odds and Ends:
The French tend to have smaller refrigerators than Americans, shop more frequently and have more access to farm-fresh fruits and vegetables. Our diet, while we’ve been here, has included lesser amounts of meat and greater amounts of fruits and vegetables.
The French drink wine with lunch and dinner. White is not very popular but rose is popular in the summer. It is usually served chilled with lunch. Naturally, we have tried to fit in with the local scene!
In America, the French have a reputation for being rude (particularly Parisians). We have found the reputation not to be deserved. We have found that it is possible to run into rude people everywhere in the world but that if you attempt to speak someone’s language and are polite, they are thrilled with your efforts and are very polite in return. The French, especially, have a strong sense of public manners and find American tourists to be loud and somewhat rude, especially those who have not learned one word of French and pronounce the names of French sites, etc. in an American pronunciation, not French.
This has been a wonderful trip. It is hard to believe that it is coming to an end.
Love,
Janet
posted by Mel and Janet Muchnik | 1:26 PM
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