The South of France is about 1,300 kilometres from where I live in Holland, so a stopover was required (I have 3 small kids and you wouldn't want to drive that kind of distance non-stop). Instead of taking some motel I looked around in the area and found an old chateaux where we could stay very cheaply. The building originates from the 17th century and the rooms were kept mostly in its original condition. That means no phones, no internet, no TV, no minibar and ancient furniture. It was like stepping into a time machine.
The next day we drove down to a little town near the Spanish border where our vacation home was. It was a straightforward home, but it did have a ...... swimming pool! That was absolutely great. The villages in the region (which basically consists of the North-Eastern part of the Pyrenees mountains) are both sleepy and enchanting. The area is wild and empty, just how I like it.
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