SOUTHERN FRANCE: A Last-Minute Road Trip With The Girls

March 17, 2018  •  1 Comment

Toulouse - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaneToulouse - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaneToulouse - Southern France Roadtrip


"Mom, where are we going?" is what the two daughters keep asking for two weeks straight.

We're leaving in a couple of days to somewhere in Europe, but at this particular point in time, I still don't know where. 

This seemed to completely stress out the 16 and 14 year old a heck of lot more than me. "How can you not know where we're going? How can we pack if we don't know where?"

"It could be somewhere in Italy, Spain, Portugal or France.  I have no idea. Just pack enough clothes for 5 days and make sure it fits in your back pack."

 


"IS MOM CRAZY?"


Yes, the children definitely thought I was crazy. How can you go off on a Europe trip and not plan for it? Though teenagers do crazy things all the time, I guess it's not something a Mom should do. Moms should always have a plan. And I did. Sort of. 

The actual plan was to meet up with my cousins in Rome for a few days. But when travelling standby, you gotta keep your options open. Which means kind of planning for a trip to at least four different countries—and going to wherever has the most seats the day you're leaving.

We ended up flying into Toulouse, renting a car and making our way across Southern France to fly out of Nice five days later. I'd never been, had no clue really what to see (except for a few recommendations I got the day before leaving) but it turned out to be a pretty awesome road trip.

 



19 CITIES IN 5 DAYS


Just typing that seems crazy. It seems like it would be a tight schedule, but it wasn't. Stopping at a few places en route to our homes for the night (our first 2 nights we stayed in Le Grau-du-Roi, then 2 nights in Marseille, then the last night in Nice), as well as day trips to surrounding areas was not as hectic as it looks on that map up there.

Since I'm the only driver, I basically stopped whenever and wherever I felt like and we ended up discovering some pretty cool places. 


Here's a quick look at all the stops we made—more detailed posts on each city will follow!

 


Toulouse - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaneToulouse - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaneToulouse - Southern France Roadtrip Toulouse — a quick coffee and walk around when we arrived


Carcassone - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaneCarcassone - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaneCarcassone - Southern France Roadtrip Carcassonne — checking out the castle and views 


Narbonne - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaneNarbonne - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaneNarbonne - Southern France Roadtrip Narbonne — a quick stop to walk along the Quai de Lorraine


Sète - Southern France Roadtrip -  JM Travel Keeps Me SaneSète - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaneSète - Southern France Roadtrip Sète — lunch time and a walk around this seaside town


Le Grau-du-Roi - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SLe Grau-du-Roi - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SLe Grau-du-Roi - Southern France Roadtrip Le Grau-du-Roi — beach time 


Montpellier - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaneMontpellier - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaneMontpellier - Southern France Roadtrip Montpellier — I've let the girls sleep in to go for a drive and check out Place de la Comédie


Palavas-les-Flots - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps MPalavas-les-Flots - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps MPalavas-les-Flots - Southern France Roadtrip Palavas-les-Flots — morning walk on the beach


Aigues-Mortes - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaAigues-Mortes - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaAigues-Mortes - Southern France Roadtrip Aigues-Mortes — stumbling on this walled medieval city on the flat marshes of the Camargue


Nîmes - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaneNîmes - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaneNîmes - Southern France Roadtrip Nîmes — checking out the Roman arena


Pont du Gard - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SanPont du Gard - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SanPont du Gard - Southern France Roadtrip Pont du Gard — educating the girls on this UNESCO World Heritage Site


Marseille - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaneMarseille - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaneMarseille - Southern France Roadtrip Marseille — a boat ride to the Château d'If


Aix-en-Provence - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps MeAix-en-Provence - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps MeAix-en-Provence - Southern France Roadtrip Aix-en-Provence — Fontaine de la Rotonde 


Valensole - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaneValensole - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaneValensole - Southern France Roadtrip Valensole — hoping to see lavender fields in bloom, but was too early 


Les Calanques - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaLes Calanques - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaLes Calanques - Southern France Roadtrip Les Calanques — a pebble beach in Parc National des Calanques


Les Calanques - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaLes Calanques - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaLes Calanques - Southern France Roadtrip Cassis — walking around the Port de Cassis


Saint-Tropez - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SanSaint-Tropez - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SanSaint-Tropez - Southern France Roadtrip Saint-Tropez — visiting the Chanel pop-up store that takes over the private mansion of La Mistralée every year from April to October


Saint-Tropez - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SanSaint-Tropez - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SanSaint-Tropez - Southern France Roadtrip Saint-Tropez — enjoying the view of the bay


Cannes - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaneCannes - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaneCannes - Southern France Roadtrip Cannes — on the hunt for celebs during the Cannes Film Festival


Nice - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaneNice - Southern France Roadtrip - JM Travel Keeps Me SaneNice - Southern France Roadtrip Nice — smelling soaps at Cours Saleya Market


Photos taken | written by JENNIFER MAHON


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