While recently staying on holidays in Villenouvelle, we were so close to Carcassonne that it would have been a pity not visiting it. Not only the history of the city goes as far back as the 6th century BC, which is impressive in itself, but the entire area is really beautiful (we could even spot the range of mountains les Pyrenées on our way there).

 When choosing our holidays destination of Villenouvelle in the Languedoc region (France), where we stayed last month, we also planned it so we could visit the beautiful city of Toulouse. Our guesthouse being only a 20-minute drive there by car, it was very handy for a day trip.
As it turned out, we also ended up spending an extra day and night there due to our airline cancellation (we were originally meant to fly back to Dublin via Carcassonne). It gave us plenty of time to visit Toulouse, also known as la Ville Rose (Pink City). Its nickname originates from the colour of the terracotta bricks that is a part of almost all of the city's amazing architecture.
Apart from a couple of specific places we wanted to go to, we decided to wander around the city and see where it would take us. So, let's visit la Ville Rose!

Last month, I got to discover a part of France I had never been to: the Languedoc region (if you follow me on Instagram, you will have already spotted quite a few photos from the trip). It was absolutely beautiful and one of the most relaxing holidays I have had in a long time.
Our friends Rebekah and Frank joined us in Dublin and from there we all flew together towards the South-West of France. We stayed in the quaint village of Villenouvelle, located about 20 minutes from Toulouse, for the entire week (plus one night in Toulouse at the end because of a certain airline's cancellation shenanigans). I will tell you about our visits to Toulouse and Carcassonne in future blog posts. For now, let me introduce you to Villenouvelle and the nearby Canal du Midi.