Where to go? What to do?

I'll worry about the "when" a little later, mainly because the what and where often help to determine the when.

Now that the date of the hike is set, it's time to start the hurry-scurry flurry of confusion that goes into making a list of all the things I would like to see and do while in France. While there are sites to see in Paris, and I do plan on seeing them someday, this may not be the right trip for that. The trek is based out of Montpellier, so the thought is to either fly into Paris and then take the train or another short flight directly there.

After that, well touring Montpellier is obvious. There are also several other nearby (by train) sites to see. Such as Toulouse, which has a basilica, a cathedral and a monastary that was apparently home to the early beginnings of the inquisition. Then there is Albi--not far from Toulouse. Albi was a major center for Cathar Heresy (right in line with the theme of the hike I will be on) and the birthplace of Toulouse Lautrec. Naturally, the Lautrec Museum is there.

Along this same path, though a bit further away, lies Rocamadour. I would definitely like to see this village, but the trains don't seem very favourable for a day outing. Basically, I would have to spend the better part of a day from mid-afternoon to evening getting there, then spend the next day touring, and most of a third day getting back to Montpellier. It might be a better trip for the route back to Paris after the hike--I should check.

There's also Lascaux with it's cave paintings, even if we can't see the originals anymore. And Les Eyzies as well. Both are in the Perigord (Dordogne) region, which has more to see than I can possibly manage on this trip.

Closer to Montpellier is Nimes with its Roman ruins. Avignon lays claim to the Palace of the Popes. And there is still more, but I haven't had a chance to research it all yet.

This list is likely to just keep growing for a while. I'm such a hopeless case when it comes to narrowing down what to do on a trip.