Quakers in France: Finding Friends in Languedoc
By Judy Kashoff

During their prolonged and often off-the-beaten-track travels around the world, Judy and David Kashoff settled down for five months at the Quaker Center in Congénies, a village in France’s Languedoc region between Nimes and Montpellier. In this article, Judy explores both the beauty of their stay and the unique history of Quakers in France. David's accompanying photos can be seen by clicking here. There are about 350,000 Quakers worldwide, with some 500 in France.

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La Rochelle: A Winter Wanderbout in an Old Port Town, Part I: Night
I’ve just checked into a mundane hotel in La Rochelle, a port town for all seasons situated along the Atlantic between Bordeaux and the Loire, three hours from Paris by train. I set down my bags, verify that my room overlooking the trashcans is quiet, suitable, and heated, and then go out.
 
I am not a seafaring man. My ancestors took several billions of years to evolve from the deep; I see no reason to go back.
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La Rochelle: A Winter Wanderbout in an Old Port Town, Part II: Day
The following morning is sunny and cool. I have breakfast in a café facing the port. I visit the Saturday morning market in and around Les Halles, the covered food market on Place du Marché.
 
I meet with the president of the La Rochelle Tourist Office. He tells me much I didn’t know about local history, local politics, local characters, and town planning, while we drink bad coffee.
 
I return to the Old Town.
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La Rochelle: Part III, History and Practical Information

A brief accounting of local history, some practical advice, restaurant tips, and hotel suggestions for this town for all seasons, whether for a 1-, 2-, or 3-night stay, plus excursions to the nearby islands.

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Sight-Sitting in Toulouse
I love the clichés of seaside and countryside travel in southern European. Sitting in a seaside café I’ll let the whish of waves against a pebble beach draw me into a Mediterranean daze. And pausing by a bubbling fountain on a hillside village I slide easily into a “year-in-Provence-under-a-Tuscan-sun” frame of mind.
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