The plans are still in flux, as you might imagine. Now we're thinking that' we'd rent a car in Barcelona, drive to Carcassonne for 1-2 nights, travel on to the Dordogne for X number of nights, then perhaps to the Lot region for X number of nights, then return the car back to Barcelona for our final 2 nights. Does this make more sense logistically?
As mentioned in my initial post, we're trying to take advantage of American Airlines 20,000 mile rate, good until May 15. At first glance it made sense to fly out of Bordeaux - it was a fairly simple flight and arrived back in Tampa before 8 p.m. Unfortunately the taxes on that FF flight, because we're going thru London, are $242 EACH. that seems really excessive to me.
I've looked into flying out of Rome, Nice and Paris, and considered altering our itinerary, maybe cruising into Rome and flying out of Rome. The logistics of those airports just didn't work - the Nice and Paris flights also go thru London, so same tax issue, and I'm a cheapskate. The Rome flight would involve a looooong road trip, and I'm not a big fan of road trips, altho Art does all the driving and loves it!
So then I took a look at the map and wondered if it didn't make sense to return the car to Barcelona and fly out of there as well. Taxes for that flight are $99 - for both of us. This would also allow us to spend a few days at the end in Barcelona, a city we've visited briefly, and really like.
I'm not as committed to this trip as it might seem, just exploring my options before I decide. Art, otoh, really, really wants to do this. I'm still worried that the first 2 weeks in May will be 'too' early, but Art wants to know what that really means. Will sites, shops, activities be limited at the time? We'll have to forgo any river activities for sure, but other than the (increased) chance of rain because it's still spring and the probable lack of local festivals, what will we miss by going in early May? And one other question: do apartment rentals in France generally run Sat-Sat, and for full weeks only?
Thanks again for your help. I know when I first start planning a trip I'm literally all over the map, but talking about it and getting feedback really helps!