#aniane

Have you ever seen Chocolat? What about Beauty and the Beast? If so, picture one of those tiny, medieval villages with cobblestone streets (most aren't wide enough for cars to pass through, certainly not two at a time). Cute shops and patisseries proudly display antique signs above their storefronts, with people who live above them people-watching from their balconies. Well, we were lucky to stay in a very cute, similar “commune” called Aniane. It is located in the south of France, along with other picturesque towns like the famous Saint Guilhem le Désert.

During our visit to this region, we did three of our favorite things:

1) Picnic/swimming at a lake: There is a lake below the Pont du Diable (Devil's Bridge), which was built by Benedictine monks to connect the abbeys of Aniane and Saint Guilhem le Désert. The water below the bridge forms a beautiful and freezing lake where we enjoyed a picnic of a bottle of wine (we made it happen!), cheese, meats, crackers, and macaroons as we watched people jump into the water from things they probably shouldn't have.

2) Cave exploration: La Grotte de Clamouse is an enormous cave that is millions of years old. The tour we went on was only available in French. Luckily, they gave us audio guides, but due to the laughter of the other tourists, it sounded like the real guide was way funnier than the British bloke we listened to. We have taken a few cave tours on this trip, but I think we both agree that this was the coolest, and not just because it was the biggest. A composer has even dedicated a piece of music to the cave, which is paired with neat lighting for a very interesting experience – you can see it here: https://youtu.be/b0c1PgttAm4.  

Pont du Diable, France Mai 2014 Facebook | 500px | Instagram