Exploring Languedoc-Roussillon

Languedoc-Roussillon is a department in France in the southwest that has coastline not only on the Med but also on the Atlantic. It also is the part of France that borders Spain and shares those beautiful Pyrenees Mountains. Considering Spain is only a few hours drive, it is a pretty cool part of France to spend some time. We decided to drive down to Perpignan today to see this old city which carries much influence from Spain. As you can see, the signs down here are in both French and Catalan.

We arrived and parked the car by this neat waterfountain. It looks like the kids are in the middle of it but there is a dry path between two sections giving the illusion that people are actually in the fountain getting wet.

The city was old and historic but mostly old. It wasn't in as good condition as I had hoped and felt a bit touristy to us.

At home you usually see little girls dressed up as a disney princess. Here so close to Spain they are Flamenco dancers. Or so it seemed.

Buddy acutally soaking wet from jumping into the second water fountain we found. It was one of those with water shooting up from the ground in unexpected places. Luckily it was hot enough that he dried out quickly.

After Perpignan we drove further south to check out a few beaches and while the mountains rising up in the near distance were beautiful, this was not an area of France that appealed too much to us. The beaches had a dirty dusty kind of sand that blew up and into your eyes and the area was full of the kind of dirty campers and shit boxes I referred to in my last post. It just felt a bit creepy to us so we didn't stay too long.

On the way home we found this beautiful looking castle near a town called Fitou. We drove up to see what it was all about. The views were gorgeous. But it turned out to be a museum of medieval torture instruments. SJ took the leaping children through the museum while I took in the scenery.

On the way down the hill we decided to drive up the other side of Fitou to see if we could find some winemakers. Fitou is probably the oldest AOC appelation in the LR department. Fitou, Minervois, and Corbieres are the best known AOC wines from this area. Most of the wines from this area are relatvely new. From what we heard, back in the 1970's the winemakers in this area were irate at the influx of wines from neighboring countries but the reality was that their wine sucked. The government subsidized the funding of new vines for this region and they started all new vineyards not too long ago. Fitou, while it received its AOC status in the mid 1900's when the rest of the region received theirs in the 1980's, has vines dating back to roman times and only makes AOC red. As with most French wines they are a blend and in this region Carignan, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah grapes are used. Many regard this region, which is apparently the largest grape producing region in France, as an up and comer in the wine world. Low and behold not only did we find some winemakers but we found the start to their annual wine festival!

We were told that every year there is a 2-day festival to celebrate the previous year's wines and get ready for the current year's harvest. The festival always starts with a more locals-only party where the heads of all the winemaking estates parade through town and the town awards honors to the best wines from last year. This was a very small town and while we were directed up the street to find the center of town we discovered that the center of town was about 3 feed wide.

So after wandering around for a bit waiting for the parade to start we found a seat in the 3ft section known as the center of town and waited. The kids were SOOO bored. But you can't pass up an an opportunity to celebrate wine with local winemakers. I mean really!?!

While we were waiting we were entertained by this couple. Now I am not sure if they trained at Disney's Epcot's France or if the people at DW Epcot trained in France. Either way I thought these kinds of performers were always so cheesy. The French locals thought they were great though and jumped right in. My kids were terrified the performers were going to pluck them from the crowd to join in. I don't really blame them.

Here are some kids who did join in though....

So here is this year's class of winners in the appelation of Fitou. They were congratulated by the mayor and photographed for the paper.

Then it was time to Party! Most of the producers set up booths for a tasting. 3 euros bought you a glass and an unlimited number of servings. Woo hoo fun! I gave the honors to my husband since we still had to drive home. His job was to go to each booth at least once and then when all was sipped and done he was to tell me which was the best and I would have a glass of that. Then I drove the little Mercedes home. Fitou is good stuff and very inexpensive....well at least here. I am sure the importers in blue-law heaven of MA will levy a hefty import fee!

These were the winners in our opinion. The Domaine above and below were our favorites.

En Vacance

After having apparently slept through violent thunderstorms which disrupted the sleep of my entire family except for me I woke up at 7:30 refreshed and excited about the impending day in the southern sunshine. I tossed on my running shoes and amidst the flack I was receiving from my very sleepy husband who was needling me about my long standing claim that ever since having children I am unable to sleep through anything – but some how slept through the heavens opening up last night- I smiled sweetly and put on my iPod and took off for a jog. I don’t jog by the way. I have bitchy knees that complain bitterly when asked to perform as shock absorbers so I really don’t do much in the way of cardio that isn’t low or no impact. But alas I am in France for 3 months and I have to do something about all the damn bread I am eating! So, after a brisk walk to warm up I eased into a slow jog and proceed to get lost in the jungle of ancient streets with buttoned up shops. Jogging on old European cobbled streets is tricky. Especially for one with bitchy knees. Add to that the lunging and dodging required to avoid the dog shit littered everywhere and my knees were giving me hell. But this Sunday morning brought back yet another memory from college. All those closed quiet morning streets are not only littered with dog poop but on Sunday mornings they are also littered with vomit from the rowdy night prior. I had a little chuckle to myself as I recalled all my college days spent in Europe and kept on running. After doing two circuits around the entire town in 15 minutes, noticing 2 guys doing the walk of shame and 3 other young men apparently leaving for the beach, I decided it was time to head back and get my clan moving.

Luckily the run was invigorating because we had no coffee in house this morning. Grrr. A quick shower, kids wolfing down Cheerios Miel and every one sun-screened and in suits and we were off. We headed down to Cap D’Agde to a place we were told was good for kids. SJ and I settled into a pair of lounge chairs rented from one of the beachside café’s and we watched our kids play in the soft fine sand and frolic in the warm waters of the Med. The day turned out to be hot and beautiful with an occasional breeze and a stray cloud giving a respite from the blazing sun.

About 2:30 we decided to leave our comfy chairs and head to the car to have a looksee around the area. We drove down to Beziers and then back to Pezenas where we had a quick change and then did a late afternoon stroll around the town. This was much like the passagiatta you find in Italy. Everyone is out before dinner having a leisurly stroll. The shops opened up and the cafes were bustling. Eventually we found a beautiful square with a few cafes and a band just starting up. We found a suitable place and grabbed a table for the four of us for some wine and cheese while we enjoyed our surroundings. The lovely waitress gave the children crayons and paper and I decided that not all French waitstaff would continue to fall into the same category.

A quick skype session with my brother while I made quiche for dinner and the day was done with a happy smile and droopy eyelids.

Don't drink? Don't smoke? What do you do?

If given half a chance I'll take off my clothes on a beach.
(okay and I do drink, but aside from those two things...)

Lemmings

You know how when you go on vacation you bust your ass for the week or two prior to make sure that everything is in order before you leave? After all, you are leaving work or school or your dog or whatever for about a week and arrangements have to be made for someone to pick up your workload, care for your dog, water your plants etc? Especially if you work in a client service industry- you've got to tell all your clients you will be away and then make sure to forward your calls to voicemail and remember to set up a bounce-back email letting everyone know that you are away? Well you don't have to do that here in France because when you're away- everyone's away. And frankly no one is looking for you. July 31st is like the 3rd of July or the day before Thanksgiving. People only go to work to make sure they haven't left their computer on and take off at noon. Except on July 31st the French leave at noon for the better part of an entire MONTH! They are like roaches in a kitchen when the lights get turned on. Voooom- August 1st they are GONE. They flee the cities for the warm shores of the Med where they congregate en mass in campers, holiday shit boxes on the beach, and high-rise hotels near an amusement park. So we decided to join them. Well not in a shit box thankfully.

Today, August 1st, we joined the lemmings and fled the city for the baking heat of the south to enjoy its beaches, wine, and relaxation. We grabbed the 8:00 am TGV from Paris to Montpellier - a 3 hour - easy as pie train ride. However, riding the rails was not only relaxing but nostalgic. Nostalgic for the time when I was accustomed to traveling on a eurail pass and would remember NOT to write in the date until someone in your group spied the ticket checker. You remember those train passes you got in college? A certain number of days in a given month and don't freaking waste one if a conductor isn't going to come by and check it right? Well, rule follower me immediately wrote in the date on our passes and no one came by to check the tickets during the entire 3 hour trip. Arrrgggg!

Once in Montpellier we strolled over through the opressive heat to the Sixt car rental place where they proceeded to give us a Mercedes for what was the cheapest rate for the smallest car in all of Europe. Hey, this gig is turning out pretty well!

After walking around the gorgeous (and you should spend a day there if you can) town of Montpellier we got in our petite Mercedes and sped down the A9 to Pezenas, a tiny walled city with lovely people and kick-ass shopping.


Here is Sweet Pea on the train with Muffin. Muffin is the same- but new bought off Ebay by nana when Sweet Pea was born- doll I carried around as a child. I actually wore through 2 or three of these dolls as a kid.

Buddy reaching for another bite of his pain au chocolate breafast on the train. Doesn't it look yummy?

Ah, and our little voiture.

Wincing in the heat. Much hotter than Paris.

So the whole Greek sandal thing is huge here.

A pretty building in Montpellier....

Montpellier.....

One of the things I love about Europe is the mix of the ancient and the modern. This is a cafe tucked behind an old stone archway in an ancient stone building but is completely modern in decor. So cool!

The family wishing I would put down the camera!

These are artisan workshops but they were closed at the time we arrived.

On the A9 and headed south.

Here are pictures of the apartment we rented for the week.