Sunday, October 21, 2012

France Day Three - Montolieu


I would never have known about book towns had it not been for Nancy's husband, John, who owns Seattle Book Center.  It's only because of him that I've learned there are a handful of small towns around the world with a large number of used or antiquarian book stores.  These towns are called "book towns."  Several years ago, we visited my first book town, Fortenoy-la-Joute, France. Today, we drove about half an hour north of Carcassonne to find another one in Montolieu.  Nancy was at the wheel of our rental car, and once again she did an admirable job of getting us out of Carcassonne and onto the road to Montolieu.  As we neared the town, we did accidentally take a brief detour.  The donkeys and sheep should have been our first clue...
That said, a quick turn-around took us back to the right road, with its narrow streets, beautiful colored shutters, and tiny bookstores.  The morning's rain had finally moved on, and the sun came out to help us enjoy the afternoon.


 















 

3 comments:

  1. I love the donkeys and sheep...I think I would have spent a little time with them. Also love the blue shutters and the bookstores. Too bad I can't read French, but that wouldn't have stopped me from picking out a few. Have fun!

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  2. Thanks, P! The book town was the best! On Thursday we are going to le Moulin a' papier in Brousses...a paper making factory! And they have a gift shop! It comes highly recommended, and we are anxious to check it out.

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  3. I would have spent time with the sheep and donkeys, too!

    Love that single leaf shot. So jealous of all of the colors you are getting to enjoy!

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