A festival that I really enjoyed playing was
Réal Croche, held in the town of Réalmont
down in the southwestern part of France.
The drive down there from Paris -- in the
midst of the worst heat wave in France in
many years -- was grueling (and definitely
not fun), but it was worth it. The festival
itself was great, with thousands of people
having a good time out in the town square.
And the surrounding area was filled with
all sorts of interesting historical sites and
places to visit, including the fortress city of
Carcassone, which dates to Roman times,
where we spent a really nice day.