Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
for lunch, reduced hours in winter, tel. 05 63 33 13 67). A night in Puycelci is my idea of
a vacation.
$$ L'Ancienne Auberge
is
the
place to eat and sleep, with eight surprisingly smart
and comfortable rooms, a country-classy restaurant, and two outdoor patios (€13 lunch
menu,
dinner
plats
from€15,dinner
menus
€26-40,closedMon-Tue).Owner/chefDorothy
moved here from New Jersey many moons ago and is eager to share her cuisine and her
passion for this region (Db-€70-125, air-con, Wi-Fi, Place de l'Eglise, tel. 05 63 33 65 90,
www.ancienne-auberge.com
,
contact@ancienne-auberge.com
). The
Jardin de Lys
bistro,
theirlatestadventure,clingstothehillside,offeringbreathtakingviewsandall-dayservice
(€4 nibbles, €15
plats
, daily, 10:00-23:00). They also run
Le Rempart,
two self-catering
apartments that can accommodate up to five people (€550/week,
www.puycelsi-le-rempa-
rt.fr
).
$$ Delphine de Laveleye Chambres
isanother great choice, with everything froma
small romantic room for two to a three-bedroom suite with a kitchen, all hovering above a
small garden and pool (Db-€64-76, Tb-€90-110, Qb-€145, cash only, Wi-Fi, tel. 05 63 33
13 65, mobile 06 72 92 69 59,
www.chezdelphine.com
).
Castelnau-de-Montmiral
Thisoverlookedvillagehasquietlanesleadingtoaperfectlypreserved
bastide
squaresur-
rounded by fine arcades and filled with brick half-timbered facades. Ditch your car below
and wander up to the square, where a restaurant, a café, and a small
patisserie
await. Have
a drink or lunch on the square either at the simple
Auberge des Arcades
café (open daily,
tel. 05 63 33 20 88) or the slightly more upscale
La Table des Consuls
—worth the extra
euro or two if you have time to linger (May-Sept, closed Mon, tel. 05 63 40 63 55).
East of Albi
Two hours east of Albi lies a hauntingly beautiful region unknown to most Americans.
Mountains, rivers, and
Brigadoon
-like villages conspire to give the adventurous nature-
lover a true experience of
la France profonde
.
▲
Gorges du Tarn
You can canoe, hike, or drive the beautiful Tarn River Gorge by heading east from Albi to
Millau,thenfollowingthegorgeallthewaytoSt.Enimie. Roadsareslowbutspectacular.
The best base for canoeing is from tiny La Malène (on the way to St-Enimie, 25
miles northeast of Millau). In La Malène,
Company Canoë 2000
rents what you need
to run the mellow river (down the path to the right of bridge, tel. 04 66 48 57 71); the
8- or 11-kilometer trips (about 5 or 7 miles) have the best views (€30-35/canoe, canoe
