Dream Trip 2008: March

Great Travel Moment

Located in France, 421 miles SW of Paris, Cordes-sur-Ciel was the second stop my husband and I made on our tour of France. We ventured into town bright and early. The village was very quiet, except for the cats going for their morning walks on the traffic free cobblestone streets. The shops weren't open, so we hiked up and down the narrow passages with this renaissance village all to ourselves. The fortified town was built in 1222 by the Count of Toulouse. The town's name comes from "corte" meaning "rocky heights." The village is striking as it rises into the sky above the clouds on a towering hill with a beautiful fertile valley below. It consists of many ancient houses with artisans plying their skills such as blacksmiths, sculptors, and painters. We knew that if this was what France was like, we had a great adventure lying ahead of us.