The sun sets behind the walls of Carcassonne, a preserved medieval walled town in southwestern France.

Tricia and I rented bikes and rode from Carcassonne to the tiny rural village of Lastours. On the hills overlooking the river and village are the ruins of four fortresses built by the Cathar heretics in the thirteenth century.

On the way back, we stopped in a little town which, like every other village in southern France, has a Virgin Mary beside the road.

When we saw the beach of Villefranche-sur-Mer sparkling far below the train on the wasy to Monaco, we knew we had to stop for a swim. Too bad the water was cold.

These children were about to perform in a school pageant we ran into near the ruins at Nice.