A former neighbor has - or had - a vacation home for decades in the mountains near Perpignan where his wife is from. He (and also his wife) are Jewish and it was never a problem of any sort. But since a few years the mood got more rough with some of the newer locals who discovered political Islam. Long story short: He they had enough problems that they decided to sell everything and his wife's family moved to Israel. My impression is that the temperature starts increasing to uncomfortable levels, not sure if that's the best for children.. But since your wife is a local, she probably knows better what is going on and where things are still ok.
About the carriage: If you find something up to date, I'd love to read about it. Just imagine sitting in your own carriage (nude!) with a good drink in your hand while the landscape passes by;-)