The Occitainie, used to be the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France. It is located in the South of France next to its more well known sister the French Riveria. It is very convenient to fly into Barcelona and spend some time there and then drive into France. We’ve been to a number of areas in France but by far (so far anyway) this is my favorite. The weather is amazing, and so is the wine and food. The cost is more reasonable than if you were staying in Provence or Paris.
On this particular trip, it was May and we were traveling with our very good friends, Dee Dee and Jason.(You may recognize them from many of my other posts)
We stayed at a Hilton in Barcelona and because of my husband’s point status we were allowed to use their VIP lounge. Breakfast the next morning was out on the terrace over looking the city.
We took a cab over to the Las Ramblas section of the city. This is where if you are a tourist, you have to experience it at least once. You will see sidewalk entertainers, birds for sale, beautiful trees that line the path and one of the best markets anywhere in Europe. Be sure to check if is is open when you go. http://www.boqueria.barcelona The Mercado de Boqueria.
Park Guell is named after the renowned Catalan architect Gaudi. In 1984 it became a UNESCO Heritage Site. It is absolutely beautiful. After a long day of walking and site-seeing we went back to the hotel to regroup. (this means have some wine and cheese in the lounge) We also managed to play some cards, spades to be exact, and I did something that the guys will never forget. They stepped outside for a second and I stacked the deck. Dee Dee held it together for quite awhile until the end of the hand when they both said “I can’t believe what shitty cards we had”. We fessed up at that point. Good times.
The next morning we drove into France. Again we rented a villa through VRBO. http://www.vrbo.com This time it was in Belloc which is near Mirepoix where they have a wonderful market. Montplaisir is a stone country house in southwestern France located in a private forest about 15 minutes by car from the medieval village of Mirepoix. We went straight to the market because it was one of two days it was open and we wanted to stock up on fresh produce and meats. After that we went to the landlords home to pick up our keys to the villa. They gave us a basket of goodies and a bottle of Rose’. She said “Here’s a bottle of Rose’ because, well, the sun is out.” We all got back in the car and looked at each other and said…..because the sun is out? Well, it was about at that time that Rose’ was making a comeback. Now, whenever the SUN is out we open a bottle of Rose’……but I digress!
We were in the Languedoc for a week and saw many sights. We had been there before and wanted to show our friends the highlights and see it again with a new set of eyes. The first visit to the castle in Carcassone (big sigh, even as I write this) I felt as if I had lived there before. So, if not lived there I at least felt a very comfortable almost wistful feeling. It is beyond words. It would be interesting to hear if any of you have been somewhere that touched you in such a soulful way.
Of course you know by now that we like to take a cooking class whenever we travel. This one was epic. We went to the city of Trebes, which by the way is where we stayed the last time we visited this area. The cooking class is called Canal du Midi cooking. http://www.canaldumidicooking.com It is hosted by Heather and Dave. You learn to cook a regional dish or two, pair it with wine, make a decadent dessert and eat it by the canal. We became friends with Heather and Dave and follow each other on Facebook now.
One afternoon we took a drive along the coast to a village called Sete. The first time we were there we saw a lady out walking her pet goat. It is such a quaint place right on the water. There are so many fabulous restaurants to choose from and if you want fresh fish this is the place to go.
Something that is very unique to this city is it’s water jousting. Usually the contestants dress as knights and are in two opposing boats and battle it out. This is a tradition dating back to the 18th century. If it interests you here is the website. Make sure to check the dates, it is usually in July or August. http://www.en.tourisme-sete.com
The wine in this region is beyond amazing. We took an immersive wine tour and tasting. We even bought the book that our wine expert wrote and signed. https://www.amazon.com/Wines-Languedoc-Roussillon-Wendy-Gedney/dp/0992820006
The vineyard we went to was Domaine Gayda .http://www.gaydavineyards.com
There are many very interesting grottes in this area and the two that we have been to are the Grotte de Limousis and the Gouiffre Geant de Cabrespine. The second one literally translates to Giant Hole. (insert joke here) They are fascinating. http://www.grotte-de-limousis.fr
Towards the end of our trip we took a beautiful drive over to a village called Foix. Ariege is the region and a part of the Occitanie. It’s capitol is Foix. It is named after the Ariege river.
One of the last lunches out that we had was in Trebe and it sits right next to the Canal du Midi. You can watch the locks work with each passing boat. Generally all the people on the water crafts are happy so they will wave to the people eating outside on the patio. I really learned alot about how locks work.
It is interesting to note that France was never on my radar as a place that I would to go to for a vacation until I met my husband. He took French in high school was always talking about how much he wanted to see the places that he had studied. I absolutely love France, the French people, the French food and let us not forget the French wine.
