Nearly everything about the Aude,Languedoc,France

Walks and wildlife in the Languedoc

2010-05-29T11:00:00.002+02:00

The region known as the Languedoc was incorporated into France during the 13th Century although it had existed as a political region long before that. Because of its language it continued to be administered largely independently for many years after its incorporation. Although now firmly a part of France there is still a strong feeling of being different, but none more so than in the department of the Pyrenees-Orientals, where there is a very strong feeling of being Catalan.

The Languedoc is a region of incomparable natural features, stretching from the Garonne to the Rhone. For a long time the Languedoc felt over awed, under the influence of its more affluent neighbour - Provence, but with increased interest in it's better
quality wines and tourism, not to mention the influx of new residents since the inception of the European Community. The Languedoc is now becoming one of the fastest growing regions of France, and full of confidence.

In the north are the rounded green hills of the Auvergne. With the coming of snow this all changes and becomes a region frequented by cross-country skiers searching for peace and isolation.

Traveling south brings you to the deep valleys of the Tarn, before rising up again on to the plateau of the Larzac, a largely inhospitable and rocky landscape, devoid of water, cold in the winter but baked by the summer sun.

The Larzac leads east towards the Cevennes a region of rugged mountains and river gorges that hold raging torrents during times of rain. Many caves and underground rivers are to be found in the area. The slopes of the mountains are covered in Pine, beech and chestnut trees and is an area which until recently was inaccessible.

Before getting to the Mediterranean plain we pass through the Garrigues, limestone hills, burnt white with the sun, whose slopes are covered in lush aromatic plants such as thyme, rosemary and broom. There are often olive and almond trees and low French oak completes the vegetation. Sandwiched between the Garrigues and the Mediterranean coast with its long golden beaches is the Coastal Plain. Covered almost in its entirety by vines, it produces a third of all the wine in France.

This is a land popular with hunters. Talk of the garrigue (the natural low undergrowth of the midi) and we think of the one thing most visitors associate with the heat of the summer - les Cigales (cicadas).

These insects live in larvae form 40cm below ground for 4 years and then fight their way to the surface when the ground warms. At this stage they are at their most vulnerable. After hatching they can be seen clinging to the bark of trees or walls, to dry from their initial pale green colour, to eventual dark brown. Their ear splitting call is the distinctive sound of the South during the summer months. After four or five weeks of life they die, but not before laying about 400 eggs.

The area of Garrigue has reduced over the years because of cultivation, but there still remain several large unspoilt areas where the scent of the gorse and natural herbs such as Rosemary, Thyme and Fennel can at times be almost overpowering.

Birds and butterflies of various species find this sort of terrain particularly inviting. Despite the story that most birds passing over the Mediterranean countries have been eradicated by shooting, they are still plentiful in the Languedoc, and it is still possible to see eagles soaring overhead.

Other common birds are swifts, black redstarts who give a red flash of their tail when they take off in flight, the multi coloured bee-eaters, hoopoes with their large crest, owls and often partridges, seen running in the undergrowth.

Interesting selection of photos to peruse:

Lamalou-les-Bains

Photos taken in or near to the town where we now live in the South of France.

Languedoc Towns and Villages

Photos, and photo essays showing some of the towns and villages in this part of France.

Languedoc Landscapes

Some photos illustrating the beauty and the drama of the Languedoc landscape.

Monochrome images

The photos in this folder are experimental attempts to produce effective black and white images from digital photos.

Languedoc Plants

Flowers, trees and other plants photographed in Languedoc

Languedoc Wildlife

Mammals, Insects, Reptiles and other creatures photographed in Languedoc

Birds

Photos of birds visiting the bird feeder at Lamalou. Also some from a little further afield.

Grotte de Clamouse

Some photographs taken inside the amazing caves at the Grotte de Clamouse. This cave has some very fine examples of Aragonite crystals (Rock flowers).

Find your Property for sale January in the Aude

2010-05-21T17:34:00.001+02:00

This time of year brings to mind thoughts of holidays or you may have made
new year’s resolutions that you would achieve your dream of buying a
property in France during 2010 and perhaps are now realizing that if you are
going to achieve this you had better get started.
This is an extremely good time to buy in France for the many reasons I list
below.

The property market and price increases slowed during the latter part of
2009 due to the outside influences of the financial markets in other countries,
giving way to a much more stable market At present there
are just gradual increases as is normal in France and there are some reductions being made
where sellers had been over hopeful about what price they could achieve.
Properties coming onto the market now are at more realistic prices.
This time of year has always been the most popular for putting properties
onto the market and as such, if you make your trip to view properties now
you will find you are offered the widest choice of properties that are fresh on
the market.

It is a good time to view properties as most areas are not yet looking their
best, the sun may not be shining and it is far easier to see the bad points in a
property when it is perhaps cold and raining. Any problems of leaks, damp
etc are likely to be noticeable at this time of year. It is also much more
pleasant to view properties without the sun beating down on you when it can
be difficult to think properly.

Because the market will be a little quieter at present it means that you may
have the opportunity of taking a little longer to make up your mind about a
property without worrying that someone else may step in within the next 24
hours – but that is not necessarily the case and you should take advice from
the agent you are with if you are seriously interested in a property.

At this time of year travel including flights and ferries are cheaper as well as
hotel accommodation so that you can make longer or multiple trips for a
lower cost than later in the year. You will have the added bonus of being
able to purchase your high season flights in advance once you have bought
and they will of course be cheaper the earlier you buy them. With the
popularity of France increasing there are more and more destinations being
offered which opens up new areas, sometimes at very reasonable prices.

Should you find a property to interest you and require some estimates for
works that you will require to be carried out, you will find it easier to get
artisans to visit the property to give you an idea of costs. And, in the event
that you buy the property you will still have time to get the work completed
before the summer. If you want to install a swimming pool you would still
have time to get it done before the summer and the fact that you are having
it built out of season may in fact lower the cost.

If you buy in January you will be able to complete on it and use your property by
the time the sun comes out in May and into the summer so that you will save
the money that would have gone towards a holiday this year and put it into
the property.

If you intend renting out your property to pay the expenses and the
mortgage then you will have time to get bookings for your property for the
high season which will be particularly useful during your first year of
ownership.

For many purchasers it will be a good idea to take a mortgage on the
property in order to avoid some of the currency risk. The mortgage rate is
lower in France than the UK. It will also be worthwhile to buy your currency
as soon as you agree your purchase in order to fix the rate and therefore the
cost of the property to you in sterling. You can buy your property at a fixed
future rate by lodging 10% of the amount that will be required with a
currency exchange company.
An added bonus for those purchasing early in the year is that you will save
the taxe d’habitation for this year as it is payable by the occupants of the
property on 1st January.

With the unsettled financial markets in many countries at present, it may be
prudent to invest in another country so that you ‘don’t put all your eggs in
one basket’. The Euro is a strong currency and will always hold its own. In
fact France offers a very stable market generally and a safe and secure
purchasing process. Your investment should grow over time and eventually
provide you with a nest-egg, possibly for your retirement as well as having
given you years of enjoyment for you and your family. If you have rented it

out it may even have provided you with an income.

Property for Sale in the Languedoc

2010-05-19T15:40:00.002+02:00

It is the perfect time to buy property in the Languedoc.

Interest rates are at their lowest - though Banks are very tough on their lending policies- a good move for the French economy. Prices are also on the rise. In the last 6 months, prices in the Languedoc have increased by 4% - and look like they will continue to rise.

Have a look at Estate Agents sites in the Languedoc - such as:

http://www.lesclesdumidi.co.uk/agence-122435.html

http://www.propertysolutionslanguedoc.com

http://www.languedoc-property-site.com

http://www.the-languedoc-page.com/property/property-sales-aude.htm

Complexities of the French Language

2010-05-14T18:11:00.003+02:00

La Baguette

Most of us are totally satisfied with the most obvious meaning of this word- and that is the french stick that has a plethora of uses.

However, it does not end there- here begins its voyage...........

Here are some more meanings:

switch
stick
pointer
baton
ramrod
rod
tally
moulding
molding
trim
Then a few expressions to add to the complexity:
- baguette de protection
  side trim
- baguette magique
  wand
- baguette de tambour
  drumstick
- faire marcher quand à la baguette
  have somebody at one's beck and call
Others:

A diving rod
Ramrod, gun, wand used to

compress the load into the barrel.

In some countries, some officers wore a stick when they were in office, hence figuratively, the sense of authority given to stick. Be led by the rod, show themselves subject to an imperious will.

Military punishment involves hitting with a stick. Making a soldier by the rods.

Terms of architecture. Small round molding, rod-shaped.

In laboratories, glass rod for stirring or mixing of substances.

Nautical term. Mast placed behind the lower masts.

Enough............................. long live La Baguette!!!!

French social customs

2010-05-14T17:01:00.001+02:00

French Social Customs You Must Know

In general the French value formality. While some foreigners see this attention to formal detail as "rudeness", the French see this as a necessary part of daily life and consider it rude to not be formal. This is especially true in Paris but you will find the further south in the country you go, the less formal the people are. However, most Americans will still find French culture substantially more formal than their own.

French Speaking Customs

Perhaps the most import French social custom to remember is to use vous for instead of tu whenever addressing a stranger, someone who is older than you, or someone who is an authority (like an officer). Amongst peers in informal situations (like going out to a club at night), tu is acceptable although as a foreigner you should wait to hear it before you engage likewise in using it. You will
find that the younger the generation and the furth south you are of Paris, the less this is true. While the culture in Paris remains quite formal, the South of France is much more laid back.

Using Titles

It is also essential to use Monseiur, Madame or Mademoiselle if you are speaking to someone you do not know. If you are addressing someone important add a title, such Madame Présidente.
Remember also that the French stand close to each other when they converse and do not raise their voices. It would be considered extremely rude to yell across a room at someone, or to yell for anything, except in an argument.

Shaking Hands, Kissing and Other Formalities

It is customary in business situations to shake hands upon meeting someone and when leaving. Kissing is generally reserved for friends and relatives or children, although you shouldn't be shocked to get a kiss on the cheek on occasion. As a foreigner, if you're not sure what to do, it's a good idea to watch the person to whom you're being introduced or meeting for the first time:

Men will almost exclusively shake hands with each other unless related. Sometimes older men will hug and kiss.
A man may kiss a woman's cheek.
Women will often kiss each other on the cheek.
If a woman expects to be kissed, she may offer her cheek to a man.
Small children almost always expect to be kissed.

In general, if you watch what is going on around you, and take cues from others, you can avoid offending someone. However, never assume that every French person wants to be hugged and kissed. You should note as well that customs for kissing on the cheek vary from region to region. You'll find that while Paris is very formal with rather strict social customs, the south of France is not. (This is one reason why watching for cues is so important as a foreigner!)

French Eating Customs

A long French tradition of fine cuisine means that the French take their food very seriously, and you can be assured that anything you eat will be prepared with meticulous attention to detail. Since the cook has undoubtedly prepared the food with such care, it is wise to do likewise and be very mindful of manners at the table--whether you're dining out or eating at someone's house.

In Restaurants

Always begin by greeting your waiter. After you have decided what you would like to eat and are ready to order, close your menu and place it on your table. Your waiter should arrive shortly thereafter.
Waiters will not hover but will glance from afar to check on customers. They will always let customers dine at their own pace. Your waiter will bring your check only when you ask for it, unless you are having a coffee in a café, where they will immediately put l'addition (the check) under your cup.
Don't worry about tipping as in France it is law to include the tip in the bill. However, it is customary to round up your bill with some change. Not to do so would be considered rude, unless of course, you were very unhappy with the service.( Looking for a restaurant in the Languedoc? Click HERE )

The French Meal

Traditional French meals, whether at home or in a restaurant, will always include several courses:

Hors d'oevres- Literally translates into "out of works" and is your traditional appetizer. This occassionally is served with a small cocktail called an aperitif.
Fish Course- You will often find that fish is served between the appetizer and the main meal. If it is served, it will be served with lemon or lime sherbert to cleanse the pallet.
Main Course- You can expect to see meat served already carved. Sometimes cooked vegetables will be on the side or served immediately after as a small course.
Salad-Salads are served after the main course with a simple vinaigrette.
Cheese Plate- An assortment of cheese will be served along with some cut fruit. This would signal the end of a casual meal.
Dessert- Dessert is considered optional in France, however in a formal restaurant, you'll always be offered a selection of desserts à la carte. Desserts are decadently rich and generally served with coffee.

Bread will be on the table throughout the meal as it is considered a staple. Wine is also a staple and you'll find that even children are allowed to have it at meals. If the dinner is very formal, a wine will be chosen for each course although generally you can expect to just see one wine that complements all the courses.

Dining At Home

A casual family style meal in France is much more formal than you might expect. There will undoubtedly be several courses, wine and freshly baked baguettes. Since the French are so attentive to detail in their meal preparation, it is important to be equally attentive to detail as a guest.

Bring a small plant or chocolates if invited to dinner but never foreign wine.
If the dinner is formal, send a flower arrangement the morning of the big event so that it may be displayed that evening.
Never eat before the host says bon appétit.
Never pour your own drink.
Make sure to always send a thank you note in the next day or so following the dinner party.

There are many more French social customs, but knowing the basics is a very good start. If you do slip up and make a faux pas, it's okay to simply apologize and show a willingness to learn. In general, you will find that if you show yourself to be teachable, the French are very gracious.

History and influences of the French language

2010-05-14T16:52:00.001+02:00

One cannot speak about the origins of the French language without addressing the topic of Romance languages, the family of language to which French belongs. Even though Romance languages, share certain qualities not found in contemporary Latin that is taught today, it is believed that Latin is the father of the Romance group of languages. Latin was a language used by Romans during the Roman Empire, which dated to the years before and after the birth of Christ.

Julius Caesar, an emperor of the Roman Empire, conquered Gaul, now known as present-day France in 50 BC. The Romans found these people speaking a language known as Gaulish. Little is known today about the origins of the Gaulish language, but it is known to be an ancient Celtic language dating to before 500 AD used in the western and central parts of Europe and Asia Minor. Little remains of
any vocabulary or sounds. The presence of the Roman soldiers in Gaul gradually introduced a form of vernacular Latin, a language that differed from classical Latin, which was used only by the educated classes of Romans. Yet the Latin spoken by the soldiers was not adopted verbatim.

Instead, the Gauls modified the vocabulary at will on the basis of its sound. "For example, a Gaul hearing the stressed syllables bon and ta of the word bonatitem (kindness) shortened the word to bonta. This word has become bonte in modern French" (The World Book Encyclopedia 517). The Gauls left about 350 words to modern day French.

Frankish Influence

The Franks of Germany conquered Gaul about 400 years later, giving the area the name France; their linguistic influence is seen in the approximately 1,000 Frank words and the use of dipthongs and nasal vowels seen in the French language. Frankish was a Germanic language, and most of the Frankish words adopted have to do with agriculture, war, or social organizations. The French jardin (garden), houe (hoe), guerre (war), and chambellan (chamberlain) are all traced to the Frankish.

Traces of Danish

400 years after the Frankish occupation, Northern France was invaded by Danish Vikings, and there are about 90 words in French left by the Danish. Danish, an offspring of Old Scandinavian, was one of the languages being spoken in the Scandinavian region of Europe. It is believed that it sprouted off at around 1000 AD.

Other European Contributions

Greek, Spanish, Italian, and more Latin vocabulary were also introduced into the French language during the time of the Renaissance in Europe. Vernacular Latin had changed so much by 700 AD in France that it was now considered a Romance language. The first written form of this language, Old French, is traced to the Oaths of Strasbourg, an oath signed in 842 AD by two grandsons of the French emperor Charlemagne. Another document in Old French dated shortly thereafter at about 880-882 AD was a history of the life of St. Eulalia written by a man named Prudentius. Old French has two primary groups of different dialects- the langue doc and the langue doil. The langue doc was used mainly in the south of France; the Provencal dialect was used very commonly in medieval literary language. The langue doil was based in the northern parts of France. One dialect, Francien, was the primary language of Paris. By 1200, the Francien dialect had become the dominant form used in France. The Edict of Villers-Cotterets in 1539 established Francien as the language of France, partly because it was so popular in its written form.

Dissemination of Francien

Slowly, this standard French began to diffuse from Paris throughout France, while local dialects were strongly discouraged. It was not until the 19th century that standard French became widely used and accepted throughout the country. Over time, French grammar has developed into a simple form of Latin grammar. Tenses, cases, and gender, each found in Latin to a more complex degree, are all used in a simpler, more reduced form in French.

Plight of the Bumble bee in the Languedoc

2010-05-06T10:01:00.002+02:00

The bumble bee in Languedoc

Albert Einstein once said that if the bee disappeared off the face of the planet, man would only have four years of life left. Honey bees pollinate four fifths of the flowering crops, which in turn provide a third of the human diet. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.
OK, Einstein didn’t actually say that – it’s an urban myth. But there is a very
real world crisis in beekeeping that threatens natural pollination of crops across the world.

To bee or not to bee

In the Aude, Narbonne is world famous for its honey, and in the Hérault there are 2,500 hives. But an average of 300,000 bee colonies have been disappearing every year in France since 1995.
Across large parts of North America and Europe, hives have been struck by a mysterious ailment dubbed Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). The spooky thing is that usually no bodies are found near the deserted hive.
CCD is probably due to a complex web of factors, and nobody knows for sure what’s to blame:

Pesticides and industrialised farming
A blood-sucking mite called varroa
A fungal parasite called Nosema cerenae
A lack of variety in the sex life of queen bees

Another threat is the Asian hornet, Vespa velutina, which lurks near hives and captures the poor honey bee in flight and devours it.

"The strange silence of the bees", recent book by Hérault science journalist Vincent Tardieu

These insects with their orange heads and yellow feet probably arrived in France on a boat carrying ceramic goods from China in 2004. Since then they have spread rapidly in southern France and could reach other parts of Europe soon.
Then there’s the weather. While 2006 was a good year for honey production in Ireland, the last three waterlogged summers have been an absolute disaster.

Honey please don’t go

We normally grow dozens of tomato plants in our garden in Dublin, but despite hundreds of flowers very few of them bore fruit this year.
There were reports earlier this summer in Ireland and Wales of bees starving to death because the relentless wet weather prevented them from foraging. Some official sources say numbers have been cut by up to a third.
Similarly, a survey by the British Beekeepers’ Association found that a third of the UK’s 240,000 honeybee hives were wiped out last year.

Economic activity and industry in the Languedoc

2010-05-06T08:10:00.002+02:00

The Agriculture
Viticulture is concentrated in the plains of Aude, Hérault, and Gard, which produce about one-half of France's grapes. Animal husbandry predominates in the Causses region.

The agriculture of the Hérault département is a monoculture based on wine. The irregation canals, that were recently built, have mainly fallen short of diversifying agriculture. The exception is locally grown vegetables and fruits. The Compagnie Nationale d'Aménagement de la Région du Bas-Rhône et du Languedoc ("National Company for the Development of the Region of the Lower Rhône and Languedoc") has brought approximately 500,000 acres (200,000 hectares) under irrigation in an effort to diversify agricultural output.

Sheep are raised in the north of Hérault. Some of Hérault’s ewes' milk is sent to the cheese factories at Roquefort, in the neighbouring département of Aveyron.

Cultivation of vines, fruit, and vegetables in the
plain of Pyrénées-Orientales has been pushed up into the mountain valleys; apricots, peaches, and cherries are specialties.

The Perpignan is an important center for trade in fruit, vegetables, and wine, and also has factories making clothing, processed food, and building materials.

Nîmes has long been known as a farm-trade and manufacturing center. Apart from textiles, its products include shoes, clothing, processed food, brandy, footwear, machinery, and chemicals. It is also an especially important market town for wine. The city is an important crossroads for road and rail transportation.

Narbonne is a wine-trade center for Aude wines. It is also a major road and rail junction and a manufacturing center. Its products include clothing, pottery and tile, machinery, and fertilizer. In 1959, a uranium processing plant was built just outside the town.

Today, Montpellier is a commercial and manufacturing center. Its industries include food processing, textiles, metallurgy, electronics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, and textile weaving. The modern city is a tourist Center and the seat of the annual International Vine and Wine Fair.

Carcassonne engages in some clothing manufacturing. It is also a trade center for wine, grain and fruit that is produced in the region. Today, Carcassonne is a popular tourist attraction.

In Aigues-Mortes, fishing is a source of revenue, although the port long ago silted up. The principal industries are tourism and the extraction and processing of marsh salt.

The Industry

Manufacturing is underdeveloped outside the lower Rhône. Plutonium is processed at Marcoule in Gard, while Ardoise in Gard is the site of the electrometallurgical center of Ugine-Kuhlmann. Tourism is being developed along the Mediterranean.

Minerals are scarce, with some sulfur mined at Malvési and iron ore at Leucate on the coast. Quillan, in the foothills of the southwest, has an important plastics industry.

In the areas around Nîmes and Alès industries such as steel, aluminum, textiles, and electrical equipment have been established. A former coal mining center, on the Gard, has been transformed into a tourist Center. The oldest of France's nuclear power plants is situated at Marcoule. The irrigation projects, of the 1960s, transformed poor and infertile land into a rich agricultural region.

The Mediterranean littoral is being developed for tourism by the creation of beach resort towns. The main harbor at Sète has been transformed into one, of several, prominent seaside resorts.

The area’s traditional industry has been viticultural implements, but there are also important refineries and chemical plants.

The département of Lozère has little industry. Farming has been the principal economic activity, devoted almost entirely to sheep and cattle raising. This animal husbandry is difficult except in the valleys. Increasing tourism has not arrested the exodus of the rural populace.

In Canigou The high-grade iron ore is still worked. Light industries have been developed around Perpignan, which is also a tourist Cente

The seaside resorts of Languedoc-Roussillon have become popular and its winter sports are attracting large numbers of visitors. Summer music festivals, given by the cellist Pablo Casals, served to popularized Prades.

Food and drink in the Languedoc

2010-05-05T17:57:00.002+02:00

FOOD AND DRINK IN THE LANGUEDOC

Cooking traditions in Languedoc Roussillon have roots in the same primary products as those in Provence. The main ingredients in Languedoc Roussillon cuisine are olive oil and tomatoes, garlic, onions and aromatic herbs are also used. The only difference may be that cooks use a little bit less garlic than in Provence. Sea food products are an essential part of the Languedoc Roussillon cuisine.
Gastronomically, the Languedoc isn't the most renowned of France's regions - a turbulent history and a degree of confusion due to culinary diversity being the main reasons for this. Its location at a geographic crossroads means that a wide variety of ingredients are available and the diverse cuisine this leads to make it a great all-rounder. On the coast is the seafood of the Mediterranean, go north and there is the full range of mountain produce - many overlook that Lozere is part of the region. Catalonia to the southwest brings a refreshing non-French influence. The Pyrenees and Gascony, land of the duck and goose, are to the west. Last but not least, to the east is the vibrant market garden that is Provençe.

The area is particularly rich in in traditional foods of the region, and has borrowed freely from the cuisines of Aragon and northern Italy, and to a lesser extent Spain and Morocco. There is also of course a strong Mediterranean influence, even an hour or two's drive inland - merchants bring fresh fish to inland markets and fishmongers every day

Aperitifs
Apart from the obvious International drinks, the following are made in the Languedoc:
Noilly Prat

Muscat de St Jean and Muscat de Rivesaltes

Maury ( natural sweet wine)
Banyuls ( sweet red wine served chilled)
Byrrh - Byrrh is another of those peculiarly French concoctions of red wine, quinine water and spices from the Languedoc-Roussillon made at Thuir ((66 Pyrénées Orientales, Languedoc-Roussillon). Reportedly it has a touch of bitterness and orange overtones and is best as an aperitif (similar to Dubonnet) or as part of a cocktail.
Pastis is very popular, though does not come from this area

A small note on serving aperitifs. ALWAYS serve some nibbles to go with it. Nuts, crisps,salami,dried ham, olives and even Fougasse which is a crusty flat bread cut to bake into a grid shape. Its traditional ingredients include olive oil. Can be stuffed or coated with onions, olives, pork scratching or cheese

Starters and Seafood
Cargolada.  A Catalan grilled snail dish.
Escargots Catalans.  Snails in tomato sauce.
Olives.  Several varieties of olives are grown in the Languedoc, the most important of which are Picholine and the Lucque (cultivated in the West of Languedoc-Roussillon).
Saucisse de Toulouse à la languedocienne.  Sauteed in goose fat and served with tomato, parsley and capers).
Hammon.  Like fine sliced smoked ham, only a hundred times times better.
Oysters ( mainly from Bouzigues)
Bourride ( fish with aïoli )
Morue Catalane ( cod with tomatoes and peppers)
Grilled Mushrooms stuffed with Pélardon Goat's Cheese

Truffle omelette/pasta - yes these Black pearls also come from here
Wild asparagus - their locations a closely guarded secret by those in the know
Tapenade - a rich paste made from olives and olive oil

Foie Gras - usually served with a Fig confit

Grilled local Goats cheese

Fish from the Mediterranean - thon (tuna), sardines, anchovies, baudroie (local name for lotte i.e. monkfish), rouget (red mullet), seiche (cuttlefish), calamar (squid), supions (baby squid or cuttlefish), encornets (local name for squid), pisseur (local type of squid with pale skin and longer tentacles), poulpe (octopus), dourade (bream), loup (sea bass) and many others.
Shellfish - is reared in the large Basin de Thau behind Sete with its miles of oyster and mussel beds. Young shells are actually imported from the Atlantic coast to mature in the basin. Connoisseurs will say they are inferior to produce from cooler Atlantic waters, but locally they will be fresher. Also look out for small triangular clams called tellines, they're sweet and make a superb jus.
Anchovies - most famously landed at Collioure on the Cote Vermille near Spain, are available fresh, salted, in oil or marinated in various ways.
Salt Cod - would have originally arrived via traders from the north and could penetrate much further inland than fresh fish in the days before roads and refrigeration. Best known for carefully mixing with olive oil, milk, garlic and perhaps a little potato to make Brandade de Morue, a speciality of Nîmes.
Charcuterie - dried sausages are made all over region but for something special and reliable seek out the mountain produce from Lacaune.

Rouille à la setoise - cuttlefish cooked in a tomato and saffron sauce thickened with a garlic and olive oil aioli. Also cooked in a similar way is encornets farci - stuffed young squid. Bourride de Sète is similar but features monkfish (locally called boudroie). Bourride can also mean a soupy fish stew - a more rustic Languedoc version of Provençe's bouillabaisse.
Tielle or Tièle - these orange glazed seafood pies are commonly seen in markets (and supermarkets). Quality varies and they have a high percentage of pastry so big is better plus they're splendid takeaway food. Based on poulpes (octopus) and tomato they came to Sete with Italian migrants. The best are made by Cianni - available in the Cenral Halles or from their ovens at 24 rue Honoré Euzet.
Anchoïade - is a spread similar to tapenade (olives) but made with more anchovies.
Brandade de morue - amalgamated salt cod, olive oil, milk, garlic and perhaps a little potato. Can be served warm or cold. Best to make it at home.
Brandade de Nîmes.   A Gard speciality made with cod and olive oil.  The ingredients are thoroughly mixed to form a white, creamy paste which is usually combined with a touch of garlic and olive oil and boiled, mashed potatoes.  Served with a green salad or as a gratin.  It can also be served as petits-fours or spread on toast.
Bourride de Séte  Monkfish is seared in olive oil, then simmered in white wine and thickened with a good strong aioli (garlic mayonnaise). It is served on a bed of toasted bread, with small, finely chopped vegetables.   Ingredients vary from place to place - it can also be made using cuttlefish or squid.
Gigot de mer à la palavasienne.  Another monkfish dish.  Flavoured with garlic and served on a bed of tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes and peppers.
Encornets farcis.  Stuffed squid, a Sète speciality that originated in Italy. Generally served with rice. The squid are filled with a stuffing made from meat, soaked bread, egg, garlic and parsley.  They are seared in olive oil and sometimes flambéed in cognac, before being simmered in a tomato sauce.   In some recipes, the sauce is thickened with aioli, a garlic mayonnaise.
Local Seafood Platters.  Featuring snails, sea urchins, mussels, clams, Thau basin oysters.
Morue Catalane. Cod with tomatoes and pepper.
Tellines.  Little clams.
Ttoro.  Fish Stew
Garbure is a thick meat, bean and vegetable soup. It is a Famous Traditional French Recipe from the South-West of France.

Main Courses

Ollada or Ouillade - a Beef stew

Cassoulet

Paella

Gardiane - a slow cooked Beef stew - usally served with Camargue red rice
Lamb " sous la mer " suckling pig
Boles de Picolat - Catalan meat balls with garlic and tomatoes
Duck - in various guises. Magret de Canard can be simply grilled, brochettes of Duck, a stew with olives, Confit de Canard ,
Pistache de Mouton ou d'Agneau - basically Drunken Lamb or Mutton
Tagine - influence from Morocco - slow cooked stew with vegetables and served with couscous
Wild Boar in various ways
Notes on Vegetables.

Apart from all the obvious, a few very local specialities:
Green Asparagus - the first of the new seasons produce appears from the end of March (best, with most flavour) to the beginning of June
Garlic - new seasons green garlic from May. The purple tinged skined Ail rose de Lautrec is the finest.
Wild mushrooms - are most common in the autumn when the large cèps arrive from the mountains of Lozere. Buying cèps can be very hit and miss as some lack flavour.
Winter root vegetables - the village of Pardailhan in the cooler Haut-Languedoc is renowned for its Navet Noir (black turnip), carrots and other root vegetables grown on a schist soil plateau.
Onions - Cebes, sweet white onions famous in the area around Lézignan-la-Cèbe in the Herault valley.
Aligot - what is basically a mixture of mash potato and mountain cheese with garlic is, when well made, a uniquely stringy textured and delicious creation that demands second helpings.
Cheeses
With the Languedoc planes dominated by vines one has to head for the limestone hills to find sheep and goat country. The most famous cheese is the blue Roquefort. Matured in the caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon (politically in the Midi-Pyreneees) much of it originates from the ewes living on the high Grande Causses (limestone plateaus) of which Larzac is by far the largest. 
All over the hills goat's milk makes small Pélardons and Crotins. Perail is a runny sheep's cheese made throughout the region. Beyond the Causses are the mountains of the Auvergne and their famous cows cheeses - St. Nectaire, the Cantal family (Salers, Laguiole), Tommes, Brébis ( a female sheep )
Puddings

We have a prolific amount of locally grown fruits ( nectarines, peaches - flat ones, red and white - figs, apricots, cherries, strawberries, melons, pomegranates, quinces,grapes, chestnuts,walnuts, almonds,as well as chestnuts ) so many sweets are based on these.
Clafoutis, a cherry cake
Crème catalane - is crème brûleé flavoured with lemon peel, fennel seed and perhaps cinnamon bark
A few notable general food items:

Honey - there are apiculteurs all over the region. Depending on the blossom and flowers in season different honeys are produced so have a tasting at a market stall or visit a producer. The range is as diverse as wine with the heady flavours from the indigenous plants and trees resulting in some powerful tastes such as chestnut and lavender. If you like something more delicate seek out bruyère (heather).
Salt - The town of Aigues-Mortes at the edge of the Camargue remains a major producer of salt. Fleur de Sel is collected by hand when the conditions are right for surface crystals to form on the evaporating salines. Buy it in small cork lidded tubs that state the name of the family producer and use it as a garnish. La Baleine (whale) make a more everyday salt that's available world wide. Also, very good salt comes from Gruissan.

Termites and Capricorn beetles in the Languedoc

2010-04-29T09:38:00.002+02:00

The termite problem in France, long localized mainly with the Southwest region, is now recognized by the government to be a nationwide epidemic. In order to establish effective and definitive means of fighting this scourge, we should learn more about termites, the insects that eat away our house and home...
Termites, the perfect social insects

Clearly defined roles
The termites found in buildings in France belong to the genus Reticulitermes. Like bees and ants, they are organized in a society where each member has a very specific role.
Workers, feeding of the colony
Tiny white individuals that move quickly, they make up the largest portion of the colony. They literally swarm inside the pieces of wood they infest. Their work involves consuming cellulose, digesting it and then regurgitating it to feed all the other members of the colony. This is what is known as trophallaxis. Always on the lookout for new sources of food, workers tirelessly prospect at full speed. They are also the ones that cause damage and that build the "cords" that reveal the presence of termites in the walls of a building while allowing them to move around obstacles without being exposed to the light.
Soldiers, defending of the colony
White and the same size as workers, "soldiers" are significantly fewer in number. They can be recognized by their disproportione, highly-colored head with

its two large mandibules used to defend the colony from its enemies, primarily ants. The size of their head prevents them from feeding themselves: workers feed them by trophallaxis.
Swarming, or the search for new wood
A typical sign of termite presence, swarming occurs once per year, between January and April depending on the species. During this period, hundreds of winged reproductive termites fly out of the holes dug by the workers. Couples are formed by chance. The luckiest ones land near another hole in wood and are therefore able to reproduce and rapidly create a new termite population.
Reproductive couples, phenomenal fertility
The termite colonies found in France contain a number of reproductive couples. The first couple originates in the swarming that leads to the formation of a new colony. Later, many individual termites become male or female reproducers. These individual termites, called neotenic, contribute to the growth of the colony without having to face the constraints of the outside world... This method of reproduction notably allows termite colonies to multiply through a "cutting off" process brought about by movements of the soil or rubble...
Hard-to-locate parasites
The winged reproducers are the only termites that are not blind: the others fear light and avoid it at all cost. That is why they remain inside wood, away from the light and therefore out of sight...

Woodworm have to be taken much more seriously in France than in the UK - partly due to the presence of termites and partly due to the fact that the House Longhorn Beetle is relatively common.

It is normally pretty obvious if you have House Longhorn (also known as Capricorn Beetle, Italian Beetle, or Hylotropes Bajulus). The large oval holes (approx. 10mm diameter) are the main giveaway. Most other types of woodworm bore much smaller holes.The noise of the beetle is a clicking noise, usually audible at night.

If you do have House Longhorn, the treatment will be more extensive than for standard woodworm treatment. As House Longhorn can do a lot of damage in a short space of time, the woodworm treatment fluid will have to be injected into larger dimensioned timbers, rather than just being applied to the surface. Special injectors are available for this purpose, which, I believe are actually produced by a company based in France.

Cathar History in the Languedoc

2010-04-03T10:19:00.000+02:00

Doctrines		The term "Cathars" derives from the Greek word Katheroi and means "Pure Ones". The Cathars professed a theological dualism in which two coequal divine principles, one good and one evil, struggled against each other from eternity. They believed all matter to be evil because it was created by Satan, the principle of evil. The soul, which has its origins in the realm of the good God, is trapped within the material body. In order to liberate the soul, and thereby to achieve salvation, it was necessary to undergo a ceremony known as the consolamentum. After a probationary year of fasting and instruction the believer would be baptised by those who had already received the consolamentum. S/he would then make a vow to be celibate, not to own property, not to go to war and not to eat any food that that resulted from coition. Having received baptism the believer would acquire the title of "Perfect" and be allowed to recite the Lord's Prayer. Those who died without receiving the consolamentum would be reincarnated, only attaining salvation when their soul was purified of all material elements. Such doctrines necessitated the reinterpretation of the Bible. Much of the Old Testament was viewed with suspicion or even discarded. The doctrine of the incarnation was rejected. Instead Jesus was regarded as an angel whose sufferings and death were only apparent.
History		The origins of the Cathar movement lie in the missionary work of the Bogomils, a dualistic sect that emerged in south eastern Europe in the 11th century. During the 12th century the doctrines of the Bogomils were brought to western Europe by missionaries and soldiers returning from the second crusade (1147-49). In about 1150 the first Cathar bishopric was established in France. A few years later two more bishoprics were set up in the regions of Albi and Lombardy. By the end of the 12th century the Cathars had eleven bishoprics - five in France and six in Italy. Such was the perceived threat posed by Cathar doctrine to the mainstream church that in 1209 Pope Innocent III proclaimed a crusade against the Cathars. There followed twenty years of ruinous warfare, during which cities and provinces throughout the south of France were devastated. In one of the worst episodes of the war almost the entire population of Toulouse, both Cathar and Catholic, were massacred. Resistance continued until 1243 when the Cathar fortress of Montsegur in the Pyrenees was captured and destroyed. Those who refused to renounce their beliefs were often tortured or put to death by fire. In spite of continued persecution the Cathar movement continued through the 14th century, only disappearing in the 15th century.
Symbols		The belief that all matter was evil discouraged the Cathars from using symbols, including the sacramental bread and wine and baptism by water. However, certain ritualistic actions could be interpreted as of symbolic significance. During the consolamentum the candidates were baptised by the laying on of hands, signifying the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Perfect were distinguished from other Cathars by the black clothes they wore.
Adherents		No contemporary adherents.
Headquarters/ Main Centre		The movement had no headquarters. It was dominant in the regions surrounding Toulouse in the south of France.

Hiking in the Languedoc

2010-04-02T09:11:00.001+02:00

Hiking in Languedoc is an exceptional experience and the tours listed below are exceptional walking holidays in France. Please click each one or scroll on down the page for background information on some remarkable long distance trails for hiking in Languedoc.

Hiking Huguenots Trails

Trekking Huguenots Trails

Trekking the Regordane Way

Trekking the Saint-Gilles Way

Trekking the Robert Louis Stevenson Trail

Walking the Valley of the Cèze

Trekking France's Garrigue

A.The Stevenson Way (GR 70) As far as the rating of walking tours in France goes, this hiking trail is often ranked in the top ten. It is a trek that takes you from Le Monastier, near Pay-en-Velay in Haute Loire, to St Jean-du-Gard in The Cevennes, a distance of 156 miles or 252 kilometres.
Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes, first published in 1879, was one of Robert Louis Stevenson's earliest works. Admired by the likes of John Steinbeck, it is considered a pioneering classic of outdoor literature and one that set the standard for the whole travelogue genre that was to follow by presenting hiking and camping outdoors as a recreational activity. Futhermore, Stevenson's hiking in France can be considered as a catalyst for the whole back to nature and modern hiking sports and social genre.

The Book relates Stevenson's twelve-day, solo hiking trip through the thinly populated and impoverished areas of south central France and into the Cévennes. He spent a few months planning it from Le Monastier before he departed and, whilst twelve days is perhaps the optimum period for accomplishing this delightful walking tour in France, the minimum time required is nine.
Stevenson was bedeviled with poor health for most of his life and some argue that this trek hastened his departure from the world; not due to the level of difficulty of the French walking trails themselves, but because he developed a penchant for sleeping out rough at night that few others would undertake nowadays. Thankfully the quality of accommodation that can be found along the entire length of the modern Stevenson Trail obviates the necessity to have recourse to a tent.
Stevenson was in his late twenties when he undertook his long-distance trekking in France and the route he took was not of any particular significance prior to his visit. His objectives were simply to visit some of the places in The Cevennes that had become household names during the Uprising of 1702 and, along the way, try to forget his American ‘lost love’.
Stevenson’s route, aka The GR70, can nowadays be walked for purely recreational purposes, and in relative comfort, from April to October respectively. For those who enjoy backpacking, walking Languedoc is a must.
B. Roman Roads - The Via Domitia
The Celts preceded the Romans in Languedoc-Roussillon. Having arrived from Northern Europe, they settled and rarely travelled, and brought in their provisions by sea. In contrast, for reasons of Empire construction and maintenance, The Romans were much travelled and constructed fine and straight roads or ‘vias’ on which to do so.

The most important of such roads in France, The Via Domitia, joined Rome with Spain and traversed the south coastal strip of France along what is now called ‘La Languedocienne.’ It was constructed by Emperor Dominus Eanobarbus in 118 BC.
A good part of the route still remains as it traverses The Region from Beaucaire in The Gard to Spain. Once it reaches the Pyrénées, it splits into two paths: the Eastern Route follows the coast down to Portus Vénéris (Port-Vendres) whilst the alternative path goes via Perthus Pass in French Catalonia, crossing Cerdagne by la Via Confluentana. Most of this is now covered by the RN116.
All along the route The Romans placed monolithic stones of around 2 metres in height called ‘borne Milliaires’ at a distance of one mile from each other. They were engraved with the name of The Roman Emperor. The first of these monoliths can be found 2 kms west of Beaucaire. The UK has of course kept faith with such an ancient measurement. Just like today, there were locations en route that served as staging posts and watering holes. Perhaps the most noteworthy along the route is the town of Salses. The surface of the Via Domitia was not paved or cobbled, except for the parts inside towns or at major crossroads.
Credits: This map is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. The map comes from the Wikipedia article "Via Domitia".
Further Reading:
Visit the excellent site The Roman Roads in the Mediterranean.
C. The Regordane Way
Arguably the most celebrated ancient French route, and one of the best ways of walking Languedoc, La Régordane’s history goes back to classical antiquity, but its origins are thought not to be Romanesque but Gaulist. It is the southern section of the route that links Paris to Nimes and beyond, and the part referred to as Le Chemin de Regordane is strictly speaking the part between Luc in the department of Lozere and Alès.

Its halcyon days were from the twelfth century onwards, when goods travelled along its course from the Mediterranean ports like Montpellier, Aigue-Mortes and Saint-Gilles to Parisian tables. An important pilgrimage route, linking to the Chemin de Saint Jacques (see below), its upkeep suffered with the lack of Church funds following the Albigensian Crusade. When Gaul spread eastwards, The Rhone Valley took precedence and, whilst it had something of a second wind at the time of the industrial revolution, it was short lived once railroads became the preferred means of shifting bulk resources.
Some of the old route follows the Chemin de Fer and, whilst a good deal has been paved over, the preservation of this jewel of French heritage remains a battle for the future that all enthusiasts of walking holidays in France should actively support.
Further Reading:
1. For more on The Regordane, visit the official Portal, Regordane Info
2. Hiking the Regordane Way.
3. Read our article on The Regordane.

Flooding in the Languedoc

2010-03-18T10:26:00.002+01:00

If you’re thinking of buying in the Languedoc region of France, it's essential to check that the properties aren’t built in a flood risk area.

Flooding can be a serious problem in France and in particular in the Languedoc region. It is vital that all prospective home buyers are aware of flood zones, of the legal obligations that exist for vendors, and the steps one can take to protect oneself from buying a dream property which turns into a river bed once or twice a year! This guide should help you to avoid that particular pitfall.

There has been serious flooding in the Gard and Hérault in 1988, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003 and most recently in 2005. Since the most recent floods, the realisation is dawning on many in the region that this is becoming something of an annual occurrence. Regional authorities are continuing to assess prevention measures and plan for better defences.

The French Weather Broadcast (The Météo) displays a colour graded public warning system called “La Carte de Vigilence” (The Warning Map) to help residents take protective measures against storms. The “Carte de Vigilence” can be accessed
directly on the top right hand corner of the French Météo website and is announced on the local radio. Red Alert - is defined by the expectation that 12 inches (300 mm) of rain are forecast to fall that day.

Buying

Unfortunately, when being shown around a house, not all estate agents and vendors are honest enough to tell you that the house is in a flood zone.

It pays to make your own checks at the local Mairie (Town Hall), where they'll be able to show you maps of flood zones, and will check with the Prefecture (Regional Government Office) for any other information.
The Prefect of each département (region) must produce a risks document "available for consultation". To do this, he must draw up the DDRM (Department Report of Major Risks), which describes the risks town by town and their predictable consequences, as well as the prevention protection and safeguard measures planned in the Département to reduce their effects. The Prefect is responsible for sending the Mayor the DDRM, with the maps of the existing risk as well as the flood prevention plan.

You could also check in the village itself with local neighbours and check maps of flood zones on line (the French Ministry of Ecology provides detailed, region-specific facts and figures on flood risks and maps of flooding zones). You are entitled to ask the vendor and estate agent directly whether the property has suffered from flood damage in the past. The owner and estate agent are legally obliged to tell you if the house is subject to flooding and can be sued if they fail to inform you. It is also obligatory under French Law in this region for the Acte de Vente (Contract of Sale) to include details of previous flood or storm damage. (Article R 125-23 and R 125-27 of the Code de l'Environnement (Environment Code)

People living along rivers are solely responsible for their protection against floods. They cannot demand that the State or local authorities erect protective dykes or works. However, this law has been the subject of a number of exceptions, in particular on the Loire, Rhine and Rhone rivers, where the State has assumed the responsibility for the building of protective structures. Moreover, regional authorities can undertake flood protection work when this is in the public interest or represents an emergency. Their intervention is not, however, obligatory.

Remember.When you buy a house in France, it is Law for the Vendor to have the house inspected for lead,termites,asbestos,energy performance,electrical installations and natural risks. A full report will be made available to you.

If you decide to buy your house in certain areas which are well known to metamorphose into river beds once a year, you are likely to find insurance extremely hard to come by.

Some areas of the Gard and Hérault are almost untouchable from the point of view of insurance companies, so check that you can insure your property before you commit to buy. If the property has been flooded just twice, your insurance premiums are going to rise considerably after the second occasion.

Best Languedoc Festivals

2010-03-13T09:57:00.001+01:00

Le Poulain, Pezenas

The Languedoc region has some excellent festivals that perfectly sum up the relaxed way of life in the South of France. If you are visiting the Languedoc, then follow our guide to find the best festivals across the South of France, month by month.Please check the dates on the festivals' site.

March

Pezenas: Le Poulain

This festival at the start of Lent in late February or early March features a parade led by the local totem-animal from Pezenas: Le Poulain. This is a mock horse, constructed of a cloth head draped over a wooden frame. It is pushed through the streets in a grand procession. The history dates back to 1226 when a foal was born to the favourite mare of King Louis VIII. The festival kicks off a three-day Mardi-Gras festival in the town (see Le Poulain Festival for more information).

Nimes: Feria de Primavera

Held four weeks before Easter, this is the first Feria of the season in Nimes. Nimes knows how
to do street festivals and it is definitely worth the trip to see it in action. This street festival also features music andthe obligatorytauromachie (bull fighting festival). See the Nimes Feria website for more details

April

Sommiers: Medieval festival

It is well worth the visit to Sommiers at any time of the year, it is a beautiful little town. However, on the first weekend in April, the whole town is taken up with a street festival featuring costumed merchants and performers, markets and music. See the Sommieres town website for more details.

May

Pezenas: Cavalcade

The Cavalcade is a popular local festival celebrating the golden age of Pezenas when it was the capital of Languedoc. The festival features a large handicraft market and a medieval costume procession through the streets. For more information, see our articleon Pezenas.

Nimes: Feria de Pentecost

This is the Nimes' most important festival, held on the fifth weekend after Easter. There is a heavy bullfighting emphasis (tauromachie), but there is also plenty of music, dancing and a large street market in the old town. There is also a great site with up to date information on the Ferias in Nimes (Nimes Feria).

Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer Gypsy Fair

Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is situated on the Camargue coast and holds ahuge gypsy fair every year towards the end of May. This fair has a long old history. The story starts shortly after the Crucifixion of Christ, when Mary Magdalene left Palestine for France. Some of her companions built a small church in the Camargue and they employed a local gypsy servant girl called Sara, who has since been adopted as the patron saint of all gypsies. Click here for more information on the Gypsy Fair and Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer itself.

June

Beaucaire

Beaucaire is a pretty little place, with parks situated all along the canal banks. The best time to visit Beaucaire is either during June's Fete du Drac, a traditional festival in honour of the town's dragon mascot; or during the Estivales in July, a reconstruction of the town's medieval fair (see the Beaucaire tourism website for more details).

Pavalas

Cathedrale Magulone

The Maguelone music festival situated in the famous cathedral, features medieval and baroque music concerts taking place over a two week period. There is a very good website relating to Cathedral de Maguelone that may give more up to date details on the festival.

Montpellier: Le Printemps des Comediens

This is a theatre, dance and music festival held in the gounds of the Chateau d'O, situated in the Northwest of the city. More information and dates can be obtained from Printemps des Comediens.

Narbonne: Festival National de Theatre Amateur

Held in late June and early July, free nightly performances are held on the Cours de la Madeleine at the Archbishop's Palace. For more information see the Narbonne festival website.

July

Montpellier Danse

In late June and early July, Montpellier is home to a three week festival of traditional music and danse from around the world. The festival takes place in the old Ursuline convent, the Comedie, Le Corum and other venues around the city. For information please visit the Montpellier Danse website.

Sete

Grand canal, Sete

During the first weekend in July, the local fishermen of Sete hold their Fete de la St-Pierre, a street festival and religous procession. Water jousting also takes place during the afternoon. There is an excellent local website detailing all the events of the various Sete Festivals.

Montpellier: Festival de Radio-France

This international music festival has become a real fixture in the Montpellier calendar. Featuring all music genres from classical to Jazz. Held at various venues across the city. For more information and the artists appearing see theFestival de Radio-France website.

Nimes: Les Jeudis

Every Thursday night in July there are street markets with live music through the centre of Nimes. Nimes is also a wonderful city to visit and the Pont du Gard is a must on any tour to the South of France (see our article on Nimes for more information).

Narbonne: Bastille Day

A huge four-day outdoor party in the cours Mirabeau. For further information see the Narbonne festival website.

Sete: Fiesta de Sete

Sete is a busy place for festivals in July & August. The Festival de Sete is a two-week long Mediterranean music festival covering folk and pop music from North Africa and Europe. The festival takes place in late July to early August. There is plenty of street theatre and parties going on, as well as nightly performance in the Theatre de la Mer. For more information visit www.fiestasete.com

Beaucaire Medieval Fair

Beaucaire is also famous for its annual fair held since medieval times on the fourth week of July. This ten day fair dates back to 1217 when the town was granted an annual trade fair by the Count of Toulouse. This was in memory of a famous victory against Simon de Montfort's forces in the town. At its height this fair would attract upwards of 300,000 people and was famous throughout the South of France (see Beaucaire Medieval Fair for more details).

St-Guilhem-les-Desert

During July, St Guilhem holds its 'Musique Sacree'. This music festival performed in the abbey-church features religious and baroque music. Visit the St Guilhem website for more details about the Musique Sacree festival and sites to see in this beautiful village.

Meze: Festival du Thau

Overlooking Meze

In mid-July Meze holds a week long alternative World Music festival. There are usually three concerts a week, along the banks of the Basin du Thau. The festival is very popular and consistently attracts some of the best music acts from across the mediterranean and North Africa. For more information visit www.festivalduthau.com.

Festival d'Avignon

For lovers of theatre, dance and contemporary art, the Festival d'Avignon remains a major yearly event. Having celebrated its 60th year in 2007 this festival is becoming a major event for this beautiful city straddling the regions of Provence and Languedoc. From 6 to 27 July. For more information on the Festival d'Avignon, please visit Festival d'Avignon.

Carcassonne

Throughout July Carcassonne throws open its doors to dance, music and theatre, with nightly performances in the castle's amphitheatre. See our article on Carcassonne for more information.

St Guilhem

From 21-23 July, St Guilhem-les-Desert holds its local fete in the town (visit the St Guilhem website for more details). The fete fetures a big traditional market throughout the town as well as plenty of music and costume processions. St Guilhem is also a great spot to take children, with canoeing available up the Gorges du Herault (Best places for Kids in South of France)

August

Aigues-Mortes: Les Nuits d'Encens

The town's 'Nights of Incense' offers a real mix of music and danse from European Chamber music to Arabic dance. Nightly performances are held in the courtyard of the Logis de Gouverneur. There is a good local website for Aigues-Mortes that carries all the details on festivals and events in this picturesque medieval town.

Water Jousting in Sete

Originating in Sete centuries ago, this sport is now a passionate fixture of Languedoc traditional culture. The season runs from late spring through the early autumn, with more frequent tournaments taking place in the summer. The most important championships are held here on 25 August, the fete de St-Louis, with accompanying fireworks at night (see our article on Water-Jousting Sete for a full description of this amazing Languedoc sport).

Saint-Gilles: Feria de la Peche et de l'abricot

Sitting on the edge of the Petite Camargue, the old town of Saint-Gilles is a pleasant place to wander around, with its narrow windy streets. The biggest festival in Saint-Gilles takes place in mid August, with the Feria de la Peche et de l'Abricot (Peach & Apricot Festival), which features street processions, dancing and the obligatory bull-fighting (see Feria de la Peche for more information).

Orb Valley: Festivale de la Vallee de l'Orb

Taking place in various town squares throughout the Orb valley, this festival features lots of wine and folk music activities.

Beziers: La Feria

Without doubt the greatest festival in Languedoc. Beziers comes alive in spectacular fashion with fireworks, street entertainment and a daily Spanish corrida. There is also an important wine festival. See Beziers Feria for more up to date information on the programme of activities.

Aigues-Mortes: fete de St-Louis

Held on the weekend closest to 25 August this medieval pageant features a reconstruction of St Louis' departure for the Crusades against the Muslims in North Africa. Read our article on Aigues-Mortes for more information. Follow this link for specific information on the Fete de St-Louis

Narbonne: Semaine Bavaroise

This is Narbonne's version of the Munich Oktoberfest. Plenty of beer and entertainment. More information can be found at the Narbonne Festivals website

September

Pavalas: Feria d'Automne

From 29 September to 1 October, Pavalas is home to a Camaguaise-style festival, featuring traditional horsemanship as well as the obligatory tauromachie.

Nimes: Feria des Vendanges

This is the last of the three great ferias in Nimes. This one celebrates the wine harvest. It includes a tauromachie, parades, open-air concerts and a grand market

Le Grau/Port Camargue

This fete is a major event on the Camargue calendar. This fete includes bull-running through the streets, camarguaises horsemanship and water-jousting, together with lots of street parties and general mayhem. The fete is held on the second week in September.

October

Montpellier: Festival du Cinema Mediterraneen

This festival feturing feature-length films and short works, culminates in a symposium and award ceremony. There is an excellent website for Festival du Cinema that features full details of the films showing and the locations.

Aigues-Mortes

The three-day annual fete in Aigues-Mortes is a great time to visit this medieval town on the edge of the Camargue. It features a tauromachie beside the walls of the town.

Beziers: Les Primeurs d'Oc

This is the premier wine festival in Languedoc. It features wine contests and awards, together with music, dance and theatre.

December

Pezenas: Occitan Christmas

This festival features plenty of traditional Christmas festivities and customs from the Languedoc region.

Carcassonne: Marche au Gras

On 17 December, Carcassonne is home to a lively Christmas market featuring lots of regional produce and handicrafts.

http://www.golanguedoc.com/

Wine revolts in the Languedoc

2010-02-24T16:56:00.001+01:00

The story began with a small yellow insect. It developed, 100 years ago this month, into the biggest civil revolt in France in the 20th century. By comparison, the events of May 1968 look like a modest squabble over the right of French youth to wear purple trousers and long hair.

The Southern Wine Revolt of 1907 generated vast demonstrations (up to 800,000 strong), three days of anti-government riots and six deaths at the hands of the military.

The rebellion seemed to threaten at one point the secession of Languedoc and Roussillon - the great wine growing area along the Mediterranean coast - into an Occitan, rather than French-speaking, breakaway state. At the height of the crisis, on 20-21 June 1907, a local regiment mutinied and joined the protesters.

The revolt led, eventually, through a complex pattern of appeasement and state treachery, to the creation of French, and eventually European, rules for the classification and protection of wine. This system - the appellation côntrolée system - survives

to this day. It is now under threat from problems in the domestic and international wine industry which uncannily recall some of the grievances which led to the rebellion 100 years ago.

The 1907 wine revolt is largely forgotten in most of France but not in Languedoc and Roussillon. A series of official, commemorative events is planned in towns across the South this month. Less official commemorations are threatened by a shadowy movement of radical wine producers, the Comité Régional d'action Viticole (Crav).

To protest against the collapse of wine prices and the huge, unsold stocks of local wine, this movement has committed acts of low-level terrorism in the past two years. As recently as last month, Crav exploded small incendiary bombs outside supermarkets and government offices in Languedoc.

A few days ago, hooded Crav members solemnly read out a call to arms before a local TV crew. "Wine producers, we appeal to you to revolt. We are at the point of no return. Show yourselves to be the worthy successors of the rebels of 1907, when people died so that future generations might earn their living from the land."

Some scattered acts of violence are likely in the coming weeks. The chances of a mass revolt like that of 1907, involving everyone from big town mayors to vineyard labourers, are nil.

A hundred years ago, wine was the life-blood of Languedoc. It provided, directly or indirectly, the wealth of the bourgeoisie, the economic raison d'être of every town and village and the bread in the mouths of the poor.

A hundred years on, wine is still important. The grievances of local wine producers are many (and some of them justified). But the wine industry has become just one source of wealth in a patchy but locally booming regional economy, dependent on everything from tourism to cereals, car parts to computers.

A celebrated local historian and wine producer, Jean Clavel, told The Independent: "A century ago, wine was Languedoc and Languedoc was wine. The 1907 revolt was a revolt for the survival of a whole region - and against the apparent indifference of the authorities in Paris.

"Much has changed today. Such a rebellion, by a whole people, is inconceivable. But there are many fascinating parallels between the 1907 rebellion and the problems we have in the wine industry today, in Languedoc and in the whole world."

Everything begins with an illegal immigrant from America: a small yellow aphid, the "grape phylloxera" or Daktulosphaira vitifoliae. From 1863, when it was first discovered in the Gard département around Nîmes, the insect progressively chomped its way through every vine in France and, then, Europe.

The vines were eventually replaced by varieties from America, which had a native resistance, and then by European grape varieties grafted on to American roots. By the time that the Languedoc wine industry had recovered in 1900, the mass market for cheap drink for the industrial working classes had been invaded by wine from French colonies in north Africa and by absinthe. Above all it had been inundated by "sugared" wine from other French regions, using a new process for artificially boosting yield and strength discovered by a French scientist, Nicolas Chaptal.

Languedoc and Roussillon - broadly the area from the River Rhône to the Spanish border - had always been dependent on the mass market for coarse red wine. Other wine regions, such as Bordeaux and Burgundy, recovered their market for finer wines relatively easily. Languedoc - which was also guilty of blindly boosting its own post-Phylloxera production too far - found itself in a spiral of unsold stocks and rock-bottom prices.

In 1903, the government reduced the tax on sugar, encouraging a further explosion of sugaring or "chaptalisation" of wine. The Languedoc growers became convinced that unscrupulous wine traders were buying barrels of their rough, honest "rouge" and multiplying them with water and sugar to make huge profits. "Jews and freemasons" were accused of leading the conspiracy (with no justification.)

All sorts of political factions and forces attempted to channel the revolt which began, relatively peacefully, in March 1907. The Royalist ultra-Catholics thought that they might use the grievances to bring down the secular republic.

The radical republicans saw the beginnings of a peasant-worker revolt against bourgeois power. The militant defenders of the language of the South, the Langue d'Oc, still widely spoken in 1907, saw an opportunity to wrest regional autonomy or even independence from Paris.

One of the strengths of the 1907 revolt - but finally its limiting factor - was that it resisted all these factional influences and remained a broad-based, regional howl of economic pain and anger. This was largely the work of the main leader of the rebellion, Marcelin Albert, 56, a cafe-owner and small wine producer.

M. Albert came to be regarded as a kind of Languedocian Robin Hood or William Tell, a saintly defender of local rights against brutal and unthinking central power. The "apostle of the wine producers" successfully eluded attempts to arrest him and then turned up in Paris at the height of the crisis and demanded to see the prime minister, Georges Clemenceau.

The wily Clemenceau, later a national hero as wartime prime minister, ran rings around M. Albert. He persuaded him to call an end to the revolt and lent him 100 francs for his train journey home. When this emerged - especially the detail about the 100 francs - M. Albert's reputation never recovered.

The protests began with a demonstration by 300 people on 24 March. By 9 June, 600,000 people - by some estimates 800,000 - had blocked the streets of Montpellier (10 times the town's population). M. Albert's organising committee persuaded more than 300 local mayors and town councils - including those of most large towns - to resign en bloc. Local government was closed down. Town hall doors were bricked up.

This, even more than the demonstrations, was seen by Paris as a direct threat to the rule of law, the constitution and the Republic. Clemenceau, known as "the Tiger", opted for confrontation. He ordered the arrest of M. Albert and his committee, and the recalcitrant mayors, even though the protests had been peaceful up to that point. Several regiments of troops, including cavalry, were ordered into the region.

On 19 June, huge crowds turned out in several towns to stop soldiers taking arrested committee members and mayors away. The cavalry were forced to draw their sabres. Scuffles broke out. Officers were pulled from their horses and beaten.

In Narbonne, the sous-préfecture, or national government office, was set alight. Barricades appeared on the street. The cavalry charged. Shots were fired by soldiers at a cafe terrace, killing one person and wounding six, including a 14-year-old boy.

The next day a policeman who had arrested the mayor of Narbonne was stripped naked by a mob and thrown into a canal. As the crowd surged towards the town hall, soldiers of the 139th regiment of infantry panicked. Their officers had strolled away to eat their lunch in a restaurant. Fearful for their own lives, the soldiers fired in the air and then directly at the mostly unarmed protesters.

Five people were killed, including a young woman, Cécile Bourel, 20, who had been shopping at the Narbonne market and followed the crowd out of curiosity. The préfecture at Perpignan - the main regional seat of national power - was burned to the ground that night.

The 17th Infantry Regiment, mostly local recruits, heard of the deaths while stationed on the coast at Agde. Their officers were, again, absent, eating and drinking in local cafés in civilian clothes. About 500 soldiers mutinied and marched on Béziers.

Outright civil war, even a southern secession, seemed briefly to threaten. The action of the 17th has since entered into France's rich folklore of resistance and rebellion. In truth, the soldiers appear to have been unsure what to do next. Within 24 hours, without firing a shot, they accepted an amnesty and a promise of no punishment. Most were rapidly thrown out of the army or sent to miserable postings abroad.

It was at this point that Marcelin Albert abruptly appeared in Paris and demanded to meet Clemenceau in person. The prime minister agreed and then mendaciously told the press that the "wine apostle" of the South had broken down in tears and begged for a way out of the protests. M. Albert furiously denied this but his reputation as a saintly "redeemer" was ruined.

The revolt petered out. By the end of the following month the parliament passed a series of laws increasing the tax on sugar, limiting the sugaring of wine and imposing rules for the first time on the declaration of wine harvests and sales.

None of this began to match the demands of the protesters. The wine market improved but only slowly. There was a similar revolt by producers in Champagne in 1911.

War intervened. Then in 1919, France introduced its first "appellation" or naming rules for the production of wine - imposing strict local and regional boundaries, methods and grape varieties - which survive in amended form to this day.

All in all, the Great Revolt of 1907 was a very French affair: a mixture of moderation and extremism; a contest between local pride and suffering and central government arrogance and neglect. The solution, initially part-muddle, part-confidence trick, led eventually to an elaborate system of classification of wines which did much to make the international reputation and success of French wine.

That system is now under some threat. The 463 different appellations are the joy of wine buffs but - often - the despair of non-experts looking for the same reasonable bottle that they found in Tesco or Oddbins a month ago. Simply-labelled New World, Italian and Spanish wines have taken a large share of the middle-of-the-range wine market.

Languedoc and Roussillon have made enormous efforts in recent decades - more than any other French region - to move with the world market. Large areas of vineyards which produced unsaleable, red rotgut have been grubbed up. From 400,000 hectares of vines in 1970, Languedoc-Roussillon has dropped to only 280,000 hectares.

Much of what remains has been converted to better appellation côntrolée wines or to reliable, "grape variety" wines on the Australian model: chardonnays and cabernet sauvignons and merlots. The reward for all this effort and sacrifice has been another wine crisis, which is largely not of Languedoc's doing.

Production in other countries has boomed. So has production of poorer and medium quality wines in other French regions, especially Bordeaux. This boom in production is based partly on - irony of ironies - the chaptalisation, or sugaring, of poorer wines: something that Brussels now wants to ban but Paris is determined to cling on to.

"The parallels are obvious," said the Languedoc wine historian and producer, Jean Clavel. "Chaptalisation is a menace for us. Centralised decision-making on the wine trade is bad for us. But the interests of Languedoc are ignored because of the more powerful lobbies elsewhere. Just like in 1907."

Understanding Olive Oil in the Languedoc

2010-02-17T17:50:00.002+01:00

The craft of turning olives into oil has been honed in the Mediterranean region over thousands of years, and techniques have been passed down from generation to generation. The process is truly a regional art. The method used in Greece is different from the one used in Spain, and each individual grower might have a unique way of tending the trees and producing the tasty liquid gold.

Mediterranean olive trees must mature for several years before they produce olives. Careful pruning optimizes the number of olives a single tree will bear. A meticulous hand is necessary because it takes at least ten pounds of olives to produce one liter (about four cups) of olive oil.

Hundreds of olive varieties exist, but only several dozen are grown commercially around the world. Some varieties are bursting with health-promoting polyphenols, while others contain few. The type of olive used to make any particular bottle of oil is rarely listed on the label. However, for those
labels that do have the information, the following table, which shows which olives are richest in beneficial polyphenols, will be helpful.

The time at which olives are harvested also plays a major role in flavor and polyphenol content. The peak time is a short period right as the olives ripen. Olives are at their prime for only about two or three weeks. Healthy compounds then rapidly diminish over the next two to five weeks.

Picking Particulars

It takes quite a bit of work to coax oil out of olives. Traditionally, trees were shaken or beaten with sticks to make the olives drop to the ground. Such tough treatment is not good for olives, however. Tumbling out of a tree and plopping onto the ground causes bruising.

What Color Says

About Olive Oil

Olive oils made from unripe, green olives have a light- to deep-green color. Oils made from ripe olives tend to be a golden- or light-yellow color. The color of olive oil is not an indicator of quality in relationship to culinary uses; however, if you're looking to get the most polyphenols from your olive oil, choose one with golden or yellow tints because they come from ripe olives and may contain more healing compounds.

Soft fruits, such as peaches and plums, wouldn't take kindly to this type of treatment; they would bruise, too, and we would never think of harvesting them this way. Olives are also soft fruits that should be treated delicately because once they bruise, the beneficial oils within start to degrade.

Some olive oil labels declare that their bottles' contents are made from handpicked olives. This typically denotes a better-quality oil. Some growers separate their olives into "ground" olives (those collected from the ground) and "tree" olives (those picked from the tree) and use them for different grades of oil. Many large-scale growers use a tree-shaking device and set up nets beneath the trees that catch the olives before they hit the ground.

Growers must be careful when transporting olives from the trees to the processing plant. Olives are best carried in shallow containers so they don't pile up too deeply and crush one another. Any damage to the olives can trigger oxidation and fermentation, which create an "off" flavor. Olives should be processed soon after harvest because storing them also diminishes their quality.

Press Time

After olives are picked, any leaves, twigs, and stems are removed, and the olives are washed. Then it's time for pressing. Back in the old days, processors used stone or granite wheels to crush the olives.

Today, stainless steel rollers crush the olives and pits and grind them into paste. The paste then undergoes malaxation, a process in which water is slowly stirred into the paste. Malaxation allows the tiny oil molecules to clump together and concentrate.

The mixture is stirred for 20 to 40 minutes. Longer mixing times increase oil production and give the oil a chance to pick up additional flavors from the olive paste. However, the mixing also exposes the oil to air, producing free radicals that poorly affect its quality.

Modern systems use closed mixing chambers filled with a harmless gas to prevent oxidation. This method increases yield and flavor and preserves quality. The mixture may be heated to about 82 degrees Fahrenheit, which further increases yield but does allow some oxidation. This temperature is low enough to be considered "cold pressed."

Next, the paste is put on mats and further pressed or sent through a centrifuge (a compartment that is rotated on a central axis at extreme speed to separate materials). When the centrifuge spins, the olive paste remnants are pushed to the sides of the compartment cylinder while water and oil are extracted from the center of the centrifuge. The oil and water are later separated.

The solid material that remains after the extraction of the oil is called pomace, and it contains residual oil. Some manufacturers will use steam, hexane, or other solvents to squeeze more oil out of the pomace. This low-quality oil must be labeled as pomace oil.

Oil may then be refined, bleached, and/or deodorized. Refining reduces acidity and any bitter taste. Bleaching removes chlorophyll and carotenoids (naturally occurring pigments that give plants their colors) and possibly pesticides, resulting in a light-colored oil with fewer nutrients. Deodorizing removes the fragrant aroma of the olive oil.

In the manufacturing plant, oil is stored in stainless steel containers at about 65 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent breakdown before it is bottled and shipped.

Lots of different types of olive oil come out of the presses. On the next page you'll learn what all the label terms mean and what's inside each of the bottles.

Making the Grades

There are three basic grades of edible olive oil, and several types within each grade. Extra virgin includes "premium extra virgin" and "extra virgin"; virgin comprises "fine virgin," "virgin," and "semifine virgin"; and olive oil includes what used to be called "pure olive oil" and "refined oil."

All types of extra-virgin and virgin oils are made from the first pressing of the olives, which removes about 90 percent of the olives' juice. Chemicals and high heat are not allowed in the production of extra-virgin or virgin oils -- no further processing or refining occurs after the pressing process. Neither extra-virgin nor virgin oils are allowed to contain any refined olive oil.

Virgin olive oils At the head of the olive oil class sit the extra-virgins, followed closely by the virgins. The difference between two oils and where they rank in the following hierarchy may be just half a percentage point of acidity. However, that is all it takes to distinguish between a very good oil and a great oil.

"Premium extra-virgin olive oil" is nature's finest, thanks to its extremely low acidity (possibly as low as 0.225 percent). It is best suited for using uncooked in dishes where you can appreciate its exquisite aroma and flavor. Try it in salads, as a dip for bread, or as a condiment.

"Extra-virgin olive oil" has a fruity taste and may be pale yellow to bright green in color. In general, the deeper the color, the more flavor it yields. IOOC regulations say extra-virgin olive oil must have a superior flavor and contain no more than 0.8 percent acidity, but other regulators set the acidity cut-off point at 1 percent. As with the premium version, it is best to use extra-virgin olive oil uncooked in order to appreciate its flavor.

"Fine virgin olive oil" must have a "good" taste (as judged by IOOC standards) and an acidity level of no more than 1.5 percent. Fine virgin olive oil is less expensive than extra-virgin oil but is close in quality and is good uncooked.

"Virgin olive oil" must have a "good" taste, and its acidity must be 2 percent or less. Like other virgin oils, it cannot contain any refined oil. Virgin olive oil is good for cooking, but it also has enough flavor to be enjoyed uncooked.

"Semifine virgin olive oil" must have an acidity no higher than 3.3 percent. It is good for cooking but doesn't have enough flavor to be enjoyed uncooked.

Gastronomy and History of Food in the Languedoc

2010-02-17T17:40:00.001+01:00

Languedoc was a dominion of the Counts of Toulouse — independent principalities in southwestern France — until the thirteenth century when it became a possession of the French Crown. There were two medieval French dialects spoken, oc, spoken in the south, and oïl, spoken in the north, derived from their respective words for "yes." The language of the south, Occitan, known as langue d'oc , was a Romance language that flowered from the eleventh to thirteenth centuries when troubadours composed lyric courtly love poems called canso and traveled to the seigneurial courts reciting their works.
The land of Oc circles from Roussillon, near the Spanish border, to the Rhône River. In the past many French people considered the Languedoc a desert of French gastronomy. But the rich tradition of cooking in Languedoc was evident long ago if we consider Racine's comment, who first remarked, while staying
in Uzès in 1661, that twenty caterers could make a living there but a bookseller would starve to death, and that Languedoc had the best olive in the world.

Many people think of Languedoc as mountainous, while others see it as a poor man's Côte d'Azur. A culinary confusion has arisen as well. Is the food ducks and beans or is it fish stews and salt cod? The geography of Languedoc is responsible for some of this confusion. The cuisine of Languedoc is divided into three areas and each feels a culinary influence from its neighboring region. The hills and mountains of Haut Languedoc are home to cities such as Toulouse, Carcassonne, Albi, and Cordes and feels its greatest influence from three sources, the Quercy, the Auvergne, and coastal Languedoc. The cuisine of the Haut Languedoc is characterized by the use of pork and bird fat, especially duck, and by local products. Besides cassoulet and poularde à la Toulouse, daube languedocienne is famous, as is pâté de fois grasmade with truffles, a speciality of Toulouse, Cazères, and Albi.

The second area is the Bas Languedoc, the plains and sloping hills that run to the coast. The Bas Languedoc, like neighboring Provence, is characterized by a more interesting cuisine and elaborate fish preparations that are found all along the coast. From the Bas Languedoc come preparations such as la brandade de Nîmes.

The third area is the Côte Languedoc, almost a part of Provence on one end and Catalonia on the other. Here one finds les petits pâtés de Pézenas, pastry of lamb sweetmeat and the bourride de Sète, a fish stew made with saffron and a vegetable-enchanced garlic mayonnaise. Along the côte, bordering Spain, is Roussillon or French Catalonia, mostly influenced by Catalan cooking. This Catalonian influence goes all the way to the mouth of the Rhône, and one sees this today in the appearance of paella (admittedly not very good) as far east as Nîmes.

The dishes of the Roussillon and Languedoc range from the Catalan snail, pork sausage, and lamb chop grilled repast known as cargolade to the Camarguais gardiane, a bull, red wine, and black olive stew. Other dishes are smoked tuna; fricassee of wild girolles (chanterelle mushrooms) with garlic and herbs; crème catalane, a lemon, vanilla, and fennel seed custard; moules de Bouzigues, the cultivated mussels of the lagoon; boules de picolat, seasoned meatballs with white beans; salade Catalane or Collioure, greens with anchovies, peppers and tomatoes; cigalle de mer, sea cricket, a tiny crayfish-like creature, served grilled; and l'ollada, a rich stew.

The gastronomy of Languedoc grew as a result of the influence of Spain. A Spanish tide flowed over the Pyrenees to towns like Toulouse, Béziers, Narbonne, and Montpellier. The wave it rode upon was the great body of Arabic learning that emanated out of the intellectual center of Toledo. By the fourteenth century, we find traces of the new Arab astronomy, astrology, philosophy, medicine, and dietetics in the Languedoc with the University of Montpellier playing an important role in their dissemination. The Jews played a great role, too, in this intellectual movement, for the largest share of translators was Jewish, often translating these Arabic works from the Hebrew or the original Arabic.

http://www.cliffordawright.com

Famous people from the Languedoc

2010-01-29T16:40:00.001+01:00

Some famous celebrities and personalities of Languedoc-Roussillon

• Tautavel Man : About 455 000 years ago, before man had even mastered fire, a man aged about 20 years old, and about 1m65 tall, lived close to the village of Tautavel in the Pyrénées-Orientales region. He had all the characteristics of the first European inhabitants, ancestors of Neanderthal man and of modern mankind.

• Cneus Domitius Ahenobarbus : This Roman proconsul built the Roman Road from the Alps to the Pyrenees in 118BC and gave it his name, the Via Domitia.

• Simon de Montfort (probably 1150-1218) : Often described as the « legendary knight », Simon de Montfort lead the 1209 crusade against the Albigensians. His unshakeable conviction gave him the nick-name of the «Lion Crusader ».

• Urbain V (1310-1370) : Pope from 1362 until his death, he was born in the château of Grisac in the Lozère region. The capital of Lozère, Mende, benefitted greatly from this connection, Urbain building for the town one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the Languedoc.

• Jacques Cœur (1395-1456) : Born in Bourges, and Treasurer to King Charles VII, he made Montpellier in the Hérault into one of the main poles of economic activity in France and lived there in the town-house (or “hotel particulier”) known today as the “Hôtel des Trésoriers de France”.

• François Rabelais (1494-1553) : Between 1530 et 1536, François Rabelais visited Montpellier (Hérault) on many occasions during his medical studies. Certain aspects of daily life there, including references to parties and banquets, can be found in Pantagruel that he published in 1532.

• Pierre Paul Riquet (1604-1680) : Engineer, and born in Béziers (Hérault), he undertook the construction of the Canal du Midi.

• Molière (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin) (1622-1673) : Dramatic author, amongst the most important within French literature. He adopted Pézenas (Hérault) and its region as his home, and as somewhere to put on his plays.

• Jean Racine (1639-1699) : Jean Racine was sent to Uzès (Gard) in 1662 to live with his uncle, a monk, who was meant to convince him of his religious vocation. The beauty of the countryside and the passionate Mediterranean temperament are well described in his Letters from Uzès that were sent to his Parisien friends.

•Auguste Comte (1798-1857) : This philosopher, and founder of Positivism, was born in Montpellier (Hérault).

•Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) : Whilst not from the region, this famous biologist discovered a remedy for an affliction of the silk-worm in 1867 that was to be of great benefit to the local silk industry.

•Alphonse Daudet (1840-1897) : Poet, writer, story-teller and dramatic author, he was from Nîmes (Gard), where one can still visit his birth-place at 20, Boulevard Gambetta.

•Frédéric Bazille (1841-1870) : This painter, originally from Montpellier (Hérault), is recognised today as having been one of the pioneers of Impressionism.

•Aristide Maillol (1861-1944) : Famous sculptor, born in Banyuls-sur-Mer (Pyrénées-Orientales) where he is buried. There is a museum there that retraces his life and work.

•Paul Valéry (1871-1945) : Writer and poet from Sète (Hérault). Amongst other works he sung the praises of the sailor’s cemetery in Sète.

•Jean Moulin (1899-1943) : Born in Béziers (Hérault), and hero of the Résistance, he was the founder and the first President of the Conseil National de la Résistance.

•Edgar Faure (1908-1988) : Born in Béziers (Hérault), he was one of the most influential political figures of the 4th and 5th Republics.

•Gaston Defferre (1910-1986) : Mayor of Marseille for a long period, and Minister of the Interior from 1981 to 1984, he was born in Marsillargues (Hérault).

• Philippe Lamour (1903-1992) : Creator of the Lower Rhone Company (Bas Rhône Languedoc), Philippe Lamour was a lawyer, journalist, writer, and an international expert alongside Jean Monnet ; he contributed significantly to the modernisation of French agriculture and the improvement in the quality of the wine industry.

•Charles Trénet (1913) : The famous « Crazy singer », author, composer, singer and comedian ; born in Narbonne (Aude).

•George Brassens (1921-1981) : Poet and singer inspired by the traditions of the troubadours, he was the author of « Bury me on the beach at Sète », his birth-place, where he now rests.

•Juliette Gréco (1927) : Famous singer and actor, originally from Montpellier (Hérault).
Many other celebrities and personalities have marked the Languedoc-Roussillon with their presence, including actors such as Michel Galabru (Hérault), Bernadette Lafont (Gard), Louis Velle (Gard), Jean-Louis Trintignant (Gard)...

PAINTERS

Famous 20th-century painters and periods have left their mark on Roussillon: Cubism in Céret, Fauvism in Collioure, Surrealism in Perpignan, and so on. Picasso, Miró, Matisse, Derain and Chagall have captured the unique light of the Côte Vermeille.

On the seaside in Herault, Palavas will forever remain the homeland of Albert Dubout, Sète lives to the rhythm of Combas and Di Rosa, and Montpellier remembers Frédéric Bazille, an Impressionist painter famous beyond France’s borders. At Banyuls-sur-mer, you can visit the small farm where the sculptor Maillol lived and worked. Museums, sites and exhibitions throughout Languedoc Roussillon — the Carré d’Art in Nîmes, Fabre Museum in Montpellier, Fleury Museum in Lodève, Fine Arts Museum in Carcassonne and Modern Art Museum in Céret, to mention just a few — recall the lives and legacies of these great artists...

More details HERE

HISTORICAL FIGURES

Look here for more detail

Writers

Many writers have left their mark on the region ; from Antiquity onwards, the Greek historians Strabon and Polybe, followed by Languedocien and Catalan writers, each has affirmed their originality ; Rabelais and Molière, too, exercised their talents here. In 1662, Jean Racine, sent to his uncle’s in Uzès, discovered the Mediterranean skies that prompted him to write the famous verse "And our nights are more beautiful than you days".

Paul Valéry, born in Sète in 1871, began writing literature in the symbolism period, as a disciple of Mallarmé and a friend of Gide. The famous Spanish poet Antonio Machado lived in Collioure and is buried in the town cemetery. More recently, André Chamson and Jean-Pierre Chabrol were able to write eloquently of the atmosphere and the life of the Cevenol valleys. Claude Simon was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1985, and Jean Rouaud the Goncourt Prize in 1990. Other contemporary writers were born in the region, such as Frédérique Hébrard (Hérault), Marie Rouanet (Hérault), Malika Mokeddem (Hérault), Jean Carrière (Gard)...

Health and well-being in the Languedoc

2010-01-29T15:56:00.001+01:00

Thalassotherapy & Balneotherapy

Many thalassotherapy centres - or sea water health spas - have sprung up on the sunny Languedoc-Roussillon coast.

Seawater and tapwater therapy

The healing properties of sea water, seaweed and mud baths, together with medical know-how, provide a real answer to the stresses and allergies caused by modern living. The region’s spas offer courses of treatment and personalised programmes using top notch facilities, from sea water bathing pools and hot baths to high pressure showers... While thalassotherapy and hydrotherapy are based on specific types of water, balneotherapy offers similar types of treatments using tap water (‘eau de ville’).

Thalassotherapy centres

Thalasso Mediterranee - La Grande-Motte
Acres of green open space and a mild climate have made la Grande Motte the ‘hot spot’ for sun treatments. In the autumn and winter, the combination of cooler air and the ever-present sun help to recharge your batteries and get you back on top form. The spa’s philosophy is based on promoting relaxation of mind and body, so a stay here is the perfect antidote to overwork.
Tél : + 33 (0)4 67 29 13 13
Site web

Thalassa Mercure - Port Camargue
In Port Camargue. In the heart of the Petite Camargue, in Port Camargue, everything in this spa is designed for the client’s well-being, comfort and health.There’s a specially designed relaxation area, outside solarium and heated outdoor pool.
Tél : + 33 (0)4 66 73 60 60
Site web

Thalacap Catalogne - Banyuls-sur-Mer
Year-round sunshine, tempered by the cooling influence of the Pyrenees mountains, gives Banyuls sur Mer an ideal climate. The spa’s ultra modern equipment and suite of sea water treatments make it the perfect place to re-build your vitality. Whether you have circulation or respiratory problems, or want to lose weight, Thalacap Banyuls can help.
Tél : + 33 (0)4 68 98 36 66
Site web (in French)

Thalassol - Le Barcares
Even in Roman times, people were drawn to the mild climate of Le Barcarès, which shelters at the mountains’ feet where they plunge into the sea. It’s an ideal spot for rest and relaxation. The spa offers a variety of treatments, including an anti-stress course, with aqua gym sessions and tissue oxygenation; a balanced nutrition package which helps you to reach your ideal weight; and treatments for circulation problems, which is one of the centre’s specialities.
Tél : + 33 (0)4 68 86 30 90
Site web (in French)

Thalasso - Canet Sud
Tél : + 33 (0)4 68 51 60 60
Site web (in French)

Hydrotherapy

With 12 spa resorts and a rich variety of mineral-water springs, Languedoc-Roussillon is the third most important hydrotherapy region in France.

Hydrotherapy

In Aubrac, Margeride and the Cévennes, in Haut Languedoc, by the Mediterranean, in Cathar Country and the Pyrenees, 12 exceptional spa resorts offer hydrotherapy treatments and health breaks at well equipped health spas. The dry and sunny Mediterranean climate makes the Pyrenees mountains an ideal location for climatotherapy.

Bagnols-les-Bains

At the foot of Mont Lozère, 15 miles from Mende, this resort sits in a beautiful setting at an altitude of 900 metres. Its therapeutic waters gush from the mountainside at a temperature of 41.5°C. Sulphurous, rich in fluorine, mineral salts and rare gasses, the waters are used to treat respiratory and rheumatic symptoms. The spa also has an outdoor cold spring which has diuretic properties and aids the digestive system.

INFORMATION

AMELIE LES BAINS-PALALDA - Tél : + 33 (0)4 68 87 99 00
ALLEGRE LES FUMADES - Tél : + 33 (0)4 66 54 08 08
AVENE-LES-BAINS - Tél : + 33 (0)4.67.23.43.38
BAGNOLS-LES-BAINS - Tél : + 33 (0)4 66 47 60 02
BALARUC-LES-BAINS - Tél : + 33 (0)4 67 51 76 01
LA CHALDETTE - Tél : + 33 (0)4 66 31 68 00
LAMALOU-LES-BAINS - Tél : + 33 (0)4 67 95 70 91
LA PRESTE-LES-BAINS - Tél : + 33 (0)4 68 87 55 00
LE BOULOU - Tél : + 33 (0)4 68 87 50 95
MOLITG-LES-BAINS - Tél : + 33 (0)4 68 05 03 28
RENNES-LES-BAINS - Tél : + 33 (0)4 68 69 82 94
VERNET-LES-BAINS - Tél : + 33 (0)4 68 05 55 35

Natural hot springs

You can bathe in the steamy, sulphurous waters of open-air hot springs (whose average temperature is 35°C) at Dorres (Roman granite baths), Llo or Saint Thomas-les-Bains.

In the summer or in the winter...

BAINS DE SAINT-THOMAS

Located close to Font-Romeu, the six hot springs which emerge at Saint Tomas are among the hottest sulphurous waters of the Têt Valley. Three outside basins; water at 36°C in summer and 38°C in winter.
Tel: + 33 (0)4 68 97 03 13
Website (in French)

BAINS DE LLO

About 15 miles from Font-Romeu; hot sulphurous water; one open air basin with water at 31°C (Jacuzzi and swimming against the current) and one covered basin at 30°C.
Tel : + 33 (0)4 68 04 74 55
Website (in French)

BAINS DE DORRES

Located near the village, about 8 miles from Font-Romeu, the famous ‘Bains de Dorres’ allow you to bathe in sulphurous water at a temperature of 42°C; open-air Roman baths.
Tel: + 33 (0)4 68 04 66 87
Website (in French)

Historic Languedoc

2010-01-23T11:18:00.003+01:00

The Château de Quéribus stands out against the mountainous landscape of southern Languedoc, a striking monument that appears to cling to the shrub-covered slope like a barnacle on a rock. At first, only the keep is visible, a solid structure whose walls are five metres thick. Then, behind it, a more extensive complex emerges: a hall with impressive vaulting, a courtyard, the remains of a barracks.

There are views of the Mediterranean and the Pyrenees from here and, to the west, another castle, Peyrepertuse, whose ruins are draped across the ridge. The two are part of a chain of fortifications that once protected Languedoc’s southern frontier. They also provided shelter, during the 12th and 13th centuries, for Cathars, religious dissidents who broke away from the established church.

The route south from Peyrepertuse to the Aragonese frontier would once have involved negotiating the canyon at the foot of the Gorges of Galamus; now a road has been built, which clings precariously to the rock face, edging carefully around sharp indentations and sudden bends. A nerve-racking drive for

any motorist, a trip through the Gorges is nevertheless one of the most breath-taking experiences that Languedoc has to offer. The view – at least if you are driving – is best admired from the southern end, from where a path leads down through the woodland as far as the Hermitage, once a refuge for prayer and now a place of pilgrimage at Easter and Whitsun.

West of the Gorges of Galamus, the road through the valley of the river Aude is more gentle. Along the river are some attractive villages, such as Alet-les-Bains, beautifully preserved with its medieval houses and quiet squares. A spa town since the Romans came to the region, it is dominated by the ruins of a Benedictine abbey, founded in the 9th century and upgraded to cathedral status in the 14th. The building is in ruins now, but the walls and arches that remain show how vast the original structure was. To the north, the village of Limoux straddles the river, which can be crossed by a medieval bridge. Arcades line the main square, and the skyline is dominated by a large Gothic church.

At Carcassonne the river Aude almost collides with one of the great marvels of French engineering, the Canal du Midi. Opened in 1681 to link the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, it is 240km in length and took 15 years the build. The statistics are impressive: it has 64 locks and 54 aqueducts, and 45,000 cypresses and plane trees were planted beside the canal to secure its banks. These days, most of the boats on the Canal are used by tourists, who rent comfortable barges as a relaxing base for exploring the countryside.

On an autumn day on the outskirts of Beziers, I found several small groups of people standing around in the sunshine beside the Canal. Behind them was a series of locks, the Écluses de Fonserane. On the Canal itself, three barges from the Crown Blue Line were waiting patiently as the water gushed through the lock gates, lowering them down, so they could continue their progress towards the Mediterranean. A few miles earlier the boats had travelled through a tunnel designed back in the 17th century in response to a challenge. Just outside Colombiers was a hill and, unable to find a way around it, Pierre-Paul Riquet, the engineer from Beziers who designed the canal, decided to build through it. On the top is the Oppidum d’Ensérune, a fortified village built by the Gauls in the sixth century BC.

The diversity of its natural surroundings is one of the pleasures of Languedoc, and parts of the region, including the Cévennes with its dramatic scenery, have been given Park status to protect the flora and fauna. One of the first to be created was the Natural Regional Park of Haut-Languedoc, a mountainous area slightly north of the Canal du Midi, two-thirds of which is covered by forest. The river Orb cuts through it, and along its banks are some delightfully picturesque villages: Roquebrun, with its Mediterranean gardens, Olargues, with its medieval bell-tower, and peaceful Villemagne-l’Argentière, with its attractive churches.

There was a wealthy Benedictine abbey here which made much of its money from pilgrims travelling along the Route of St James. During the 17th century it expanded, and a women’s community was created three kilometres away in the village of Herepian. The nuns remained in the convent until the Second World War, when the building became a school; it has now been given a new lease of life as a luxurious, but still atmospheric, hotel.

Like the convent at Herepian, the Abbey at Fontfroide, a former Cistercian monastery, is now also in private hands. It, too, was on one of the pilgrims’ routes to Santiago de Compostela; a pilgrims’ chapel is part of the monastery complex, and an ornate cross on the hilltop above the Abbey points out its location.

From the grounds of Fontfroide waymarked paths lead uphill, through the bushes and tall cypress trees, and out of sight. The Abbey disappears, seeming to sink back into a dip in the landscape. But here, as in the mountains and valleys all over rural Languedoc, there are plenty more hidden delights to discover.

Article published in The Independant

Looking to set up a Gite in the Languedoc?

2010-01-17T09:23:00.003+01:00

Since 2004, there has been a huge increase in the amount of Gites available for rent in France. This is partly to do with the increase in property purchases in France, and especially in the Languedoc. The thinking behind this was to create an income flow to pay for the property for the year.The market is pretty full today, however, there still is a good income to be made if the property as well as the pricing is correct.

Firstly, what is a Gite? It is a self catering short term rental property that is fully equipped.This can be an apartment, a village house, a villa, a home in the country.

How to choose the right property. This is tough, as there are demands for every kind of property.However, consider:

Max 1 hour from airport/s.The majority of renters fly and hire a car.

Low noise levels are a plus - especially in Villages.Renters are on holiday and need sleep!!

If a large property with land, that sleeps probably 6 or more, consider a swimming pool.

Always have an outside space. We are in the sunshine State in the Languedoc- people love sitting outside.

Light and airy are good- let the sun stream in and brighten up the holidays.

How to set up a Gite. This is the tricky bit. You have just bought your home and now have to furnish it. The prime choice is furnish it for you, but keep an eye on quality of fabric for wear and tear, choose colours that are less likely to show stains, and whatever you do, don't buy the cheapest furniture that looks like circa 1970 tired!!! The Gites that have been in operation for 6/7 plus years, that have been cheaply furnished and not renovated, are suffering today with very few bookings!

Considerations for your new Gite.

Furnishing. All depends on budgets, but try and create a wow factor- that will look great on photos advertising your Gite, and even more wow when clients are- try to stand out from the large crowd. In my Gites, the most costly items of furniture are the beds.This is vital and is often commented on.

Kitchens should be homely,functional and well equipped. Good quality towels and sheets are worth considering ( state in your Terms that renters provide their beach towels).

Niche markets. Either you can provide or do good research within your immediate 30 ish kilometers for others offering painting classes, cooking lessons, wine tours, golf ( and other sports), French immersion classes, any outdoor activities( canooing,fishing,surfing,walking,etc).These can can incorporated into your marketing of the Gite.

How many weeks can I expect? Tough one this. Realistically, 6 weeks covers the UK summer holidays.Then you have the retired clients who like to come out of season- give them incentives to do so.Then, there are events in your area that could attract others- over Easter ( like the Limoux Carnival for example) and other interesting events, Christmas markets and so on.

Bottom line!!! Be marketing led and offer your Gite for 12 months of the year ( or less if you are going to stay yourself)

Maintenance. There should be on going maintenance as well as a once in 5 year plan to renovate.You will need a friendly neighbour or nearby professional who can be called out at short notice to fix any problems that may occur.

The biggest headache is the garden and cleaning of the Gite. If you have a garden, you will need a contract to keep it well maintained,and more importantly, a contract for pool maintenance.This is vital and will dig into your profits, but you have no choice.

Then, the nightmare of changeover!!! Clients usually book Sat-Sat- out by 10 am and new lot in earliest 4 pm. The place has to be spotless and a meet and greet person needs to be there to hand over the key, show how the Gite works, and give info about the village/area. Research needs to be done early for all of the above.

Marketing. Through my own experience, I used portals such as French Connections for the first 3 years followed by using solely my own Gite website.

Pricing is very sensitive in the current Gite market. My marketing plan was to check out all the competition first via Gite portals - comparing like with like. Using an average price, I undercut this by 10% for the first 2 years- so I was at the cheap end .This worked well- averaging 17 weeks in year 1 and 2. Year 3 I took advantage of £ € exchange rate and increased my prices by 20%, showing a very keen £ price compared to $ and €.Since then, I have increased slightly each year, and last year had 18 weeks of bookings.

The BEST marketing tool- happy renters!

Still keen to set up your own Gite?

Sporting activities in the Languedoc

2010-01-09T10:19:00.004+01:00

Canoeing and Kayaking

Popular areas for canoeing and kayaking are the river Aude and the Gorges du Tarn. Most of Languedoc's rivers are shallow and the canoeing is not very difficult here. Given the large number of rivers in the Languedoc area there are many canoeing and kayaking centres.
Navigable rivers for canoeing and kayaking are classified into six grades, Classes I to VI. Class I being for easily navigable rivers, Class V for extremely difficult, and Class VI for rivers that are only navigable depending on the water level and presenting many risks.

Further information can be found HERE

Caving and Potholing

For those who want to practice caving, the caverns of the Lozère Plateaux are among the most famous in France. It is advisable to join a club or hire a guide and special equipment and training is required.

There are notable caves in each of the departments of the region. In the south of the region are the Grotte de Limousis and the Gouffre Géant de Cabrespine in the Aude, very near each other and just 20 minutes from Carcassonne and the Grotte des Grandes Canalettes and the Grotte de Fontrabiouse about an hour away from Perpignan in the Pyrenees-Orientales.

In the north you will find the Aven Armand and the Grotte de Dargilan about 50 minutes from the Lozere capital Mende, and further east is the Abime de Bramabiau. The Grotte de Clamouse is about 40 minutes from Montpellier in the Herault; north-west of Montpellier near Lodeve is the Grotte de Labeil; and even further west is the Grotte de la Deveze in the Orb Valley near St-Pons-de-Thomieres; and about an hour north of Montpellier is the incomparable Grotte des Demoiselles.

To the east in the Gard you will find the Grotte de Trabuc close to the city of Ales and north of Ales is the Grotte de la Cocalière. Finally, though technically not in the Languedoc-Roussillon, just across the border near Barjac into the Ardeche is the Aven d’Orgnac.

Canal du Midi

For a history of the Canal du Midi, look HERE at a previous Blog entry.

There is nothing more pleasant than to have the freedom of the Canal and hire a Barge for a week or 2.

Here is a list of the main Hire companies:

http://www.franceafloat.com/
http://www.leboat.com/
http://www.locaboat.com/
http://www.nicols.com/
http://www.rive-de-france.com/
http://www.minervoiscruisers.com/english/main/index.asp

Cycling & Mountain Biking

Languedoc-Roussillon has many hundreds of kilometres of off road cycling tracks, and for the more serious cyclist, the Pyrénées is an ideal place for cycling. The Cévennes National Park in southern Lozère has hundreds of kilometres of cycling tracks, as does the Languedoc

For French cycling holidays have a look HERE

A note on the Tour de France.

The race was created in 1903 as a publicity stunt. In 2009, the race was made up of:
Tour de France will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,500 kilometres. These 21 stages ( 21 days) have the following profiles:

10 flat stages,
7 mountain stages,
1 medium mountain stage,
2 individual time-trial stages,
1 team time-trial stage.

Jerseys

Different coloured cycling jerseys are awarded at the end of each race day to the riders with the best overall time (yellow jersey), the most sprint points (green jersey) and to the fastest young rider under the age of 25 (white jersey). Once the Tour enters the mountains, a separate tally is kept of points earned by being among the first riders over designated mountain summits (polka dot jersey).

The yellow jersey

The rider with the fastest accrued time in the race is awarded the yellow jersey (le maillot jaune). The yellow jersey helps to identify him amongst the multi-coloured team jerseys in the field (and will likely make him a target for other riders to beat). The first three riders on a standard stage (not a time trial) are awarded a time credit, meaning the number of seconds they are awarded are taken off their overall race time. Time credits are also awarded to the first three riders to reach certain locations along some stages, making it a kind of "race within a race" for these time credits. The rider with the best time at the end of a day gets to wear the prestigious yellow jersey the next day.

The green jersey

A green jersey (le maillot vert) is worn by the sprint leader. A certain number of points are awarded to the first finishers each day- the number of finishers awarded points varies depending on the stage (on a standard stage, the first 25 finishers are awarded points on a descending scale). The rider with the most points at the end of a day get to wear the green sprinters jersey the next day.

The polka dot jersey

The polka dot jersey (le maillot à pois rouges) is worn by the best mountain finisher, also known as the "King of the Mountains". Points are awarded to the first riders to reach the summit of certain climbs on a stage, the number of riders awarded points varies depending on the difficulty of the climb. Climbs are classified into five categories: Category 1-4 (with Cat 4 climbs being less steep and long than Cat 1 climbs) and Hors Catégories (climbs that are so difficult they are beyond categorisation). The rider with the most mountain points gets to wear the polka dot jersey the next day.

The white jersey

The white jersey (le maillot blanc) is awarded to the best-placed young rider (under 25 years old as of 1 January of that year) of the day.

2010 outlook for Property for Sale in the Languedoc

2010-01-06T15:42:00.003+01:00

Firstly, Happy New Year. It has come and thankfully gone those festive weeks, and now we start predicting what could lie ahead for Property for Sale in France.

The French property market is bracing itself for a tough year ahead in 2010 but property experts do not expect a sudden recovery despite prices showing signs of stabilising.
Although the global economic downturn has made the last 18 months hard for the estate agents, France has benefitted from not having an overpriced market and a system that is more cautious and less gung-ho in terms of lending.

It hasn’t seen the kind of boom and bust that has affected its neighbours in Spain and Britain.
The economic crisis has dented confidence and recent research from the FNAIM, the professional organisation for estate agents which has 12,000 members,

shows that in France people think it is not a good time to buy or sell despite average price declines of 5% in 2009 compared with the previous year making it very much a buyer’s market.

Many buyers over stretched themselves and have been experiencing financial difficulties and the predictions are that things will pick up in the middle of the year.

Languedoc Roussillon have ridden out the recession well with house prices down just 0.3% and 0.2% respectively. We have not seen too many British buyers and the new buyers are first time French buyers. Also, we are seeing a lot of people looking to retire down south.

The future looks good for buyers and here is hoping a great 2010.

Black truffles in the Languedoc

2009-12-21T07:10:00.007+01:00

Truffles are among the most highly regarded products in cuisine, especially French-Italian cookery. They are strongly flavoured, and a small amount goes a long way in adding an exotic taste to your culinary efforts.
Although they are preserved for use all year, it is during the winter harvesting months around January that the truffles can be bought and used fresh and is the best time to appreciate their flavours.

Where are black truffles found?

The fungi known as the Black Truffle (Tuber melanosporum) is found in Spain, southern France and Italy. The best known regions for finding the truffles in France are in the south-east and south-west and both of these regions hold 'truffle markets' during the season.
They are found in open woodlands and forests
and grow in association with the roots of the oak tree - hence slightly below the surface of the earth.
The fungi is harvested in late autumn and winter, often using dogs or pigs that are specially trained to detect the smell of the truffles in the woods.
Specialist 'truffle harvesters' (usually locals who are very familiar with the terrain and have experience of locating them) can also identify the spore pattern - a darkened area on the ground which looks burned - in the vicinity of truffles when the ground has not been disturbed.
In total approximately 30 tonnes of black truffles are harvested each year, a dramatic decline from the 1000 tonnes found 100 years ago.

Growing conditions

Although associated with oak trees, truffles also need sunshine, otherwise they become rotten with the dampness in the ground. So very open woodland is the most likely conditions.

Truffle appearance

The black truffle is dark-brown-black and has a rough uneven surface. The larger truffles can weigh up to 100 grammes and reach seven centimetres in diameter.

Prices and buying black truffles

The amount you can expect to pay for black truffles varies considerably with the size of the crop for the year. £300 per kilogramme in the local French truffle markets, £800 in the shops of Paris, and £1200 in the shops of New York is a very broad guideline.
The truffle you buy should be in good condition - inspect carefully for rotten parts. A small scrape will sometimes be made on the surface so that the interior can be seen - ideally it will be dark with clearly visible white veins. Final check - smell the truffle. They have a very distinctive odour and old or slightly rotten examples will not smell the same!

Truffle markets in France

There are several important truffle markets held during the winter months in the south of France - some are for professionals only, but many provide an opportunity to buy freshest produce first hand. Note that truffle sellers will sometimes first sell their finest produce 'behind closed doors' to professional purchasers, so what you see in the public markets might not include the very finest specimens.
In Provence these include markets at Richerenches, Apt, Aups, Valréas, Montségur, Carpentras and others. In the Drome visit Saint Paul Trois Chateaux (Tricastin) market. Near Cahors (Lot department) is the famous Lalbenque truffle market (Tuesdays, December to mid-March), and in the Dordogne are Sorges, Sarlat, Brantome, Sainte-Alvere and Thiviers. Uzés in Languedoc also holds an important market.

Truffle recipes

One common and simple use for the truffles is in scrambled egg, where a small amount is added to enrich the flavour. See also truffle omelette for one of the simplest ways to cook and enjoy black truffles yourself.

Thanks to France this Way

Unusual historic restored sites in the Languedoc

2009-12-18T16:01:00.002+01:00

Gard - Barjac

Located at the crossroads of the Cevennes National Park between the gorges of Ardeche and Ceze, the town of Barjac is a Renaissance city known for its flea markets and festival songs lyrics. Owner of Chateau des Comtes de Grimoard de Beauvoir du Roure (included in the Inventory of Historical Monuments in 1993); the town has invested heavily in fresco fireplaces. A museum will house the sculptures that the artist Daniel Souriou gave to the town. This will create an artistic centre that should be completed by the workshop of Anselm Kiefer, who lives nearby in the old silk mill in La Ribaute.

During the restoration of the castle, frescoes depicting allegorical scenes from the 17th century have been discovered over the fireplace. The objective of the town, which has embarked on a major cultural activity, is to restore the paintings in order to discover the wider public.

Hérault - Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert

The treasure of the lapidary cloister of the Abbey Gellone

Historic Monument in 1987 and listed as World Heritage by UNESCO in
1998 under Chemins de Saint Jacques de Compostela in France, the Abbey Gellone is a jewel of Romanesque art. title. After the wars and the Revolution, the final blow to the Abbey in 1817, but part of the base of the lapidary was rescued by the abbot Vinas, who gathered the stones found in or nearby the village.

Today, half of the 11th century cloister is missing: the southern and eastern parts of the 12th century are in the Cloisters museum in New York and Montpellier. The Sacramentary of the 8th century is to be found in the BNF. The collection of Father Vinas' has been completed in the 60s during the excavation of the old church, and by the discovery in 1972 of documents from the cloister. The collection now has 820 pieces, of which some are classified.

The best displayed are in the former refectory of the monks, which was guarded by the Carmelite sisters. You can admire capitals, columns, statues and the sarcophagus of Guilhem would have housed the bones of the Saint. until its destruction in 1568 by the Protestants, and that of the Sisters Albane and Bertrane. Most statues have lost their noses during the religious wars ... Also look at »Christ in Majesty, a small diamond limestone of the 12th century, and the altar of Guilhem made of marble inlaid with coloured glass, inspired by Byzantine period from the 12th C.

Gard - Gailhan

An ancient church

For over 1500 years, the church of St. Privat, ensures its function as a place of worship in the small village near Gailhan Sommières. Proof of human presence was found in the form of a Roman "Plan de la Tour" dating back 2600 years.

Built from the 9th to the 11th century on foundations dating from the 5th century, this small church is a fine example of pre-Romanesque architecture with some rearrangements of the 15th century. One can admire tower wall, the gabled arch, other arches of the 15th century, the apse and the west portal of the 18th and 19th century. This legacy deserves to be protected and enhanced, especially as it is at the heart of the lives of the local people: religious services are held, and church of Gailhan (S. de Murcia) concerts are organized during the summer. The municipality intends to share the vitality of the region that offers many seasonal activities to tourists.

Aude - Narbonne

The House of Three nannies, and historical treasure in Narbonne

If Narbonne enjoys an environment and a privileged climate for summer tourism, it possesses nonetheless a diverse history of French heritage. Capital of Gaul, Narbonne, first Roman colony, the residence of Visigoth kings, archiepiscopal city, and now sub-prefecture of the Aude, the city labelled "City of Art and History" has many classified sites.

One monument, representative of the Renaissance in Narbonne, is the home of the Three nannies, declared an historic monument in 1913. It dates back to four different periods; a ground-floor from medieval times; various floors dating from the second half of the 16th century; and renovations and interior design from the 18th and 19th centuries. Upstairs, statues of women with generous curves adorn the windows on the south facade. It is these strange caryatids that the house owes its name.

Pyrenees-Orientales - Passa

The Priory of Monastir del Camp
from Charlemagne to Prosper Mérimée

In 1962, Jacques Marceille, wine grower in the Apres, at the foot of the Canigou, inherits the Cistercian priory which has been in his family since 1786. It continues the tradition of his ancestors and his priory opens widely to the public, contributing to regional history.

The "Monastery Camp" was founded by Charlemagne to thank Our Lady for having brought forth the "Riu del Miracle" which had refreshed his army after a long battle won against the Saracens. From 1160 to 1786, the monastery housed a community of Augustinian canons, and then was sold to Lord Francis Jaubert, who transformed it into a farm. Prosper Mérimée declared it a national monument in 1862.

It is a large fortified building in the middle of vineyards, austere facade and crenulated corner tower, a chapel with a single nave and a Gothic cloister of white marble with an arcaded lobe, dating back to 1307.

Pyrénées-Orientales - between Rivesaltes and Axat

Tourist Train

In 1993, a few enthusiasts founded "The Association of Train Cathar Country and Fenouillèdes". Their goal was to renovate an old railway line to provide a tourist train to discover parts of the Cathar countryside.

Today, 60 kilometres is in place. The train travels through the Cathar castles and other relics of the Middle Ages, through the famous vineyards, deep forests and small villages nestled in the hills. They also organise theme trips (like "medieval France" or "The Cathar castles and myths")