Bandol wine
August 27, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Bandol is a popular harbour town on the French Riviera, with an extra attraction – the wines for which it is very well known.
After exploring Bandol itself and before venturing out to experience the rest of the of the Var, be sure to tour the vineyards. For anyone accustomed to the glitzy tasting rooms of Napa filled with expensive glassware and expansive displays of wine-related do-dads, it will be an experience to remember.
Here, in most cases, you will follow a simple rustic sign to a modest house or barn where, after ringing a bell, you will be welcomed into a simple tasting room, by the proprietor or a member of the family who will offer you generous pours of whatever wines suit your fancy.
Carcassonne Cité
August 25, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Carcassonne is situated in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France. It is one of the most interesting towns in the region, indeed in the whole of France. The history of the town dates back to the medieval Cathar Wars, in which the town played a very important role.
Located 90 km to the south-east of Toulouse, Carcassonne is in the ‘gap’ between the Pyrenees and the Massif Central, at the crossroads of two major traffic routes in use since Antiquity: the route that leads from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, and the route from the Massif Central to Spain that avoids the Pyreneean mountains.
Carcassonne is divided into two parts: the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the larger lower city, known as ‘the ville basse’. The fortress was inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997, and is also a listed National Monument of France – see Carcassonne visitor information for admission times and prices.
Mussidan
August 17, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Mussidan is a sizable town in the (less visited) north-west of the Dordogne region, north of Bergerac.
Escaping from the impact of tourism is perhaps a good thing for a town – but tourism also brings with it facilities, and money for maintenance. Perhaps the best way to describe Mussidan is that it has escaped both the benefits and the ‘perils’ of tourism.
Unfortunately these perils are what visitors are looking for, and it is true that you do need to search rather hard for the jewels in Mussidan. Keep looking though, for there are various sights and buildings to discover if you spend the time to explore a little.
The area around the church is attractive, and there are various bridges across the river where you catch glimpses of the history of the town – a pigeonnier here, a mill there…
