We left Barcelona.
Past Monserrat….
We drove north through the Pyrenees, both in Spain and in France…..
Used the mirrors to glance back and back till we could no longer see the mountains……
Through the edge of the Lauragais, south of Toulouse…..
….reaching Cahors by the evening.
Much of the next day was spent in the flatlands of central France, in the Touraine…..
And now we’re with friends in Normandy, on the border of both Mayenne and Manche.
Which landscape would you choose?
From Pyrenees to Pennines 
That’s a difficult one! I love the water, I like the mountains, I’m happy in valleys and happiest when I’m somewhere with my partner, friends, or just people I love and appreciate…. But I couldn’t live in some of those hot spots in the South, and I wouldn’t want to live in the mountains either, generally in a rather quiet (quaint!?) spot CLOSE to public transports to take me quickly to a good sized town/city because I also need the stimulation and buzz of a cultured place…. But mostly I’d need right now and then forever…. a place to feel totally home again. Mutch of my married life I’ve spent ‘in between’ places. This last big adventure is ‘selling our house’ and then returning to Switzerland AND finding for exactly the right time in the future a place to rent where I feel AT HOME.
Beautifully evocative post. Safe trip home
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. You have big adventures ahead, so good luck. Switzerland will mean mountains, won’t it? No flatlands there! Yes, we all seem to need a bit of everything, don’t we? Just don’t ask me to live somewhere flat.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The third one is the one for me, looking back at those wonderful mountains. Thank you so much for that view.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh, that view does it for me every time. Love it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a wonderful view!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hate that moment when I see the last of the mountains – until next time!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me too. Tough moments.
LikeLike
We have no regrets moving from flat Ontario to British Columbia. The mountains are always in view. Always beckoning. Love it. Safe travelling. Cheers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gotta be the mountains. Always.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I loved the mountains when we lived in Scotland, so yes I’d choose your third view. But like many others have said, cities are enticing, rivers have their beauty, and the sea is amazing. Great photos!
LikeLike
Ah, so that’s Monserrat. I recognise the view from a couple of years ago when we drove past. No time to stop then but I made a mental note to return some time. Those mountains, which I now understand to be Montserrat, looked fantastic. So that’s my choice from the landscapes you offer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Montserrat is so dramatic. Best reached by cable car. You could – just – do it in a day trip from Quillan, crossing via the stunningly beautiful road through Ax-les-Thermes and Puigcerda. On the other hand – make it a long weekend.
LikeLike
Mountains every time! Love the photo journey.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, mountains it is.
LikeLike
The mountains are breathtaking to visit, but as a place to live it would be the flatlands of central France for me every time if estuary marshland was not an available choice. Beautiful photos.
LikeLike
Yes, Joyce, mountains for me too. But please let me go on having access to all the rest too!
LikeLike
I’m astonished. Every time we drive through the Touraine, we give thanks that we don’t have to live there. No secret views,no hills to climb, no variety. Don’t tell me – skies. Wonderful of course, but not enough.
LikeLike
Interesting question. My Goldilocks location is somewhere not too hot, not too cold and not too domesticated. But I admit that I do like having access to the conveniences of town.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I tend to agree. But hills, if not mountains, have to be part of the deal.
LikeLiked by 1 person