French geography is always confusing because there are
départements, which are administrative devisions, and regions, which are larger
divisions, and historic names which overlap both regions and départments,
without matching either of them.
So here’s where it is.
Midi-Pyrénées is the largest of the French regions,
encompassing the huge chunk in the middle of southern France, just north of
Spain and south of the Auvergne.
To the west is the Dordogne and Bordeaux, to the east is Carcassonne and
Montpellier.
What’s there?
Toulouse, the largest city in the region, home to Airbus, called la Ville Rose because of its brick architecture. The Canal du Midi, with its barges,
Rocamadour and Conques, famous pilgrimmage sites on the route of St. James,
Lourdes, and more recently, the stunning Viaduc de Millau. And Cathar castles, mountain spas,
wonderful medieval towns, and some of the best food in France.
In the next few posts I'll share some of the places we visited and offer some suggestions for traveling to the region.
