Hey everyone,
here's a trip report from my usual Christmas trip I did last year but never got to posting it. The first part of the journey was Grenoble to Bordeaux through Ardèche, the Cévennes, and Tarn, the way back through Camargue and Provence.
Ardèche is well known from French people. It's like Provence, but cheaper and with less crowds. There's a feel of Italy here with the rolling hills, the vegetation, the vineyards... The first village I checked out was Mirmande, a very pretty village on the top of a hill, but the weather wasn't cooperating. Same thing in Vogüé, Balazuc or Montclus, equally as pretty, equally as grey. Luckily it cleared a bit when I did the scenic road through the Gorges de l'Ardèche, a favorite for kayakers, with its bends and rapids. It's a beautiful area, and since the road doesn't connect major towns, it's pretty quiet as well. There's a ton of lookouts, and you don't need to go hiking to reach them, American style. Further along, I loved the village of La Roque-sur-Cèze, forbidden to cars and where you just can get lost in the cobbled streets.