Fruit garden of France

Have just spent a lovely morning in the Garden, well mostly the morning and some of the afternoon, as it was a little difficult getting up this morning after the Beaujolais Nouveau evening last night at the tennis club.
Anyway I am now going to spend the rest of the day figuring out what to do with these beauties.

Thought I might try a mandarin marmalade from my grandmothers recipe (Best marmalade recipe in the world). The Roussillon is the garden of France, producing massive amounts of Fruit and wine each year.

we start with the Cherries in May, then come the peaches, pears, apricots......There is of course the grape harvest and then we go onto Kiwis and the citrus fruits. Wonderful

New Property

I am delighted to introduce this new property for rental, near Perpignan

Villa Olivier
The villa is comfortably furnished and sleeps 4 adults and up to 8 children and is situated on the outskirts of a small town. The large garden provides hours of fun for the children with a swing area and a beautiful non-chlorinated swimming pool.


The villa stands in its own garden of 2000m2. It is comfortably furnished and sleeps 4 adults and up to 8 children. There is also a playroom with toys and books and children. The large garden provides hours of fun for the children with a variety of trees to climb, a swing area, a table tennis table and a beautiful non-chlorinated swimming pool. There are 2 barbecues and also plenty of room to park cars.
Ground Floor: Large living area with 2 sets of French windows opening onto a terrace and looking out onto the garden. It is furnished with sofa, armchairs, has a TV and DVD player and a fireplace.
Kitchen: well supplied with fitted units, electric oven, conduction cooker, dishwasher, fridge, doors open onto terrace.
Breakfast room/Eating area: Adjoined to the kitchen, table and chairs, fridge-freezer
Playroom: sofa, small table and chairs for children, plenty of books, toys and puzzles, CD player
Garage area (not for car): washing machine
Bedrooms: 2 double bedrooms one with ensuite shower/bathroom
Main bathroom and separate lavatory
First floor:
Small landing with armchairs leading onto:
1 bedroom with 4 bunkbeds with built-in cupboards
1 bedroom with 4 bunkbeds and a baby cot if required
Fully equiped bathroom
The villa is situated on the outskirts of Banyuls-dels-Aspres, a small town with a supermarket, bakers, newsagents and bar. From the garden you can see the peak of Mount Canigou and the area is well-known for its vineyards. The town is near Perpignan, a pretty historic town, and also Ceret.

Further details............... Make an Enquiry Further properties in the area

wifi in the Roussillon

Should you bring your laptop with you when you come here on hols?

Bringing your laptop to France? Unless you plan ahead, it might be a worthless piece of equipment you end up lugging around. Be sure you have everything you need to travel with your laptop.

There are a few aspects you need to consider: the electrical current, having the right plug, wi-fi versus ethernet cable, and getting online. Here is a key to being sure you have all those elements in place before you leave.

Laptop Travel and Electrical Current

If you don't address this issue, your laptop could be destroyed by a power surge. Hopefully, you won't need to do a thing. Although the U.S. and Canada's current is 110, Europe (and indeed most of the world) use 220-240 volts. To find out if your laptop can convert to the new current, look at the box on your power cord. If it has small print stating, "110-240v" or something similar showing a range, you are OK.

If it doesn't, you will need to buy a electrical current converter (this is NOT the same as the plug adaptor discussed below). I suggest visiting Magellans, which has a guide to choosing the right converters and plugs by country. They also carry an extensive selection of adapters, converters and other supplies needed for using your laptop abroad.

Plugging it in

France's plugs look nothing like the prongs you see on your power cord's plugs, so you will need to buy a plug adaptor. Don't waste your money on those international adaptors meant for use around the globe (unless you really need them), as they are large and more expensive. One that converts to French plugs alone is fine, and France's plugs are the same as most of Europe.

Laptop-free Travel Options

There are cyber-cafes and Internet access points throughout France, which usually charge a small fee. If you will be in a hurry, however, allow some extra time. The French keyboard's letters are arranged in a different order than American keyboards.

Many hotels have a computer in the lobby available for use. Some also feature in-room Internet access (for a fee, of course), with TV-based Web access. My experience has been that this sounds very cool in theory, but is less useful in practice. Many Web pages have trouble loading on the TV version of the Web.

Self catering rentals with wifi?

Cyber cafes in Roussillon

Apartment with wifi

Bon appetit

Since we are nearly in winter, 21st December according to my Banque Populaire calander, I thought it would be nice to share some recipes with a traditional Catalan stance. Here are two dishes for today that I think resonate Catalan cuisine more than any others. No doubt you will have other ideas......

 

Boles de Picolat

Cooking this to a traditional recipes and not  taking it out of a packet makes all the difference.

As always with these types of stews, there are many versions, which means you can play and be as flexible as you want. You can make it with ground beef and pork, or pork and veal, or any combinations of the three. You can even add sausage meat to the mix, depending on how lusty you want your dish to be. Cinnamon is an important seasoning according to Eliane Comelade, the foremost expert on French Catalan cooking — it adds great depth and complexity to the sauce. Just as important are dried hot peppers; they play nicely against the sweetness of the cinnamon and cut through the richness of the sauce. Dried cèpes or chanterelles are often added toward the end of cooking lending an extra layer of flavors. But some cooks prefer to add few pieces of dry-cured ham instead. Last, traditionally, and everybody agrees on this, Boles de Picolat is served with warm fresh shell beans tossed with olive oil and a hefty amount of minced garlic. I didn’t have any and used chickpeas as a subsistute. They worked perfectly.

Boles de Picolat
Adapted from La cuisine Secrète du Languedoc-Roussillon by André Soulier (Les Presses du Languedoc, 1997)

Serves six

• ¾ cup dried cèpes
• 1 ½ to 2 inches day-old piece of baguette
• 3/4 cup milk
• 11/2 pounds ground veal and pork mixture
• 2 small onions, finely minced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• ¼ cup minced parsley
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 small dried chili peppers, or to taste, minced. You can also use hot pepper flakes, about ¼ teaspoon, more or less according to taste
• 2/3 cup crushed plum tomatoes
• ¾ cup pitted green olives

Soak the cèpes in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain.

In a bowl soak the bread in the milk for 10 minutes. Remove from the milk and squeeze out excess liquid.

In a mixing bowl, combine the meat mixture, 1 onion, 1 garlic clove, bread, parsley, egg and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon. Season with salt and pepper and blend until well combined. Form mixture into medium-sized balls and set aside on a baking sheet.

Place the flour on a flat plate. Lightly coat the meatballs with the flour, shaking off the excess. Reserve any lefover flour. In a large heavy skillet, heat ½ cup of oil over high heat until hot but not smoking. Fry the meatballs in batches without crowding, until deeply brown on all sides. Transfer the meatballs as they brown to paper towels to drain. Continue until all the meatballs are browned.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining minced onion and garlic, and cook, stirring until lightly golden. Stir in the reserved flour from the dredging and cook for 1 minute, or until golden. Add the tomatoes, hot peppers and remaining cinnamon and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the meatballs and cover with about 3 cups of water. Season lightly with salt and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the olives; bring back to a strong boil and drain.

Add the olives and cèpes to the pot. If the sauce seems too thick, stir in a little water. Cover and continue simmering for another 30 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve with warm white beans or chickpeas tossed with garlic and olive oil on the side.

Cassoulet

I make no excuses for using the recipe by my favorite chef  "Rick Stein" This comes from his series, French Odyssey, when he took the time to find out how traditional Cassoulet is made.

Rick Stein indulged his passion for hearty fare in this programme with a visit to Toulouse market in search of the famous Toulouse sausage. He was seriously impressed with the abundance of fresh, whole fish on sale at the market and sampled some of the region's most quaffable wine.

But it was his quest to discover the definitive cassoulet that caused him to loosen his belt a notch or two. Mr. Stein admitted he sampled up to two servings of cassoulet a day, in different restaurants, to try and solve the mystery of what should and shouldn't go into making this notoriously substantial dish.

Cooking cassoulet

"It's essential to drink lots of red wine with cassoulet because it's so fatty it glues your mouth together!" advised Rick.

Cassoulet is not a dish for the faint-hearted and a good appetite is an essential ingredient for the enjoyment of this dish. The debate rages as to what traditionally makes up cassoulet, whose name comes from the earthenware bowl in which it is cooked.

Rick Stein indulged his passion for hearty fare in this programme with a visit to Toulouse market in search of the famous Toulouse sausage. He was seriously impressed with the abundance of fresh, whole fish on sale at the market and sampled some of the region's most quaffable wine.

But it was his quest to discover the definitive cassoulet that caused him to loosen his belt a notch or two. Mr. Stein admitted he sampled up to two servings of cassoulet a day, in different restaurants, to try and solve the mystery of what should and shouldn't go into making this notoriously substantial dish.

Broadly speaking the dish should consist of haricot beans, goose or duck fat, plenty of garlic and a selection of meat such as confit duck and goose, Toulouse sausage, pork and even mutton. Once cooked the cassoulet is often sealed in jars and preserved.

Rick discovered that trying to understand cassoulet is 'impossible' and says: "For me it's like trying to understand the Common Fisheries Policy. You might as well just decide what you like about cassoulet and put those ingredients in. But duck or goose fat is essential for the flavour."

"It changes from town to town and village to village. I've been told that families have been known to fall out over what makes the perfect cassoulet."

Ingerdients

• 500g/1lb 2oz home-salted belly pork
• 65g/2½oz duck or goose fat
• 1 head garlic, broken into cloves, peeled and sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1kg/2¼lbs dried haricots, blancs beans, soaked overnight
• large bouquet garni made from leek, celery, thyme sprigs, bay leaves and parsley stalks
• 6 good quality Toulouse sausages
• 4 legs duck confit, cut into two at the joint

Method

• Cut the piece of belly pork lengthways into three thick slices, then cut each piece across into two.
• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
• Heat 50g/1¾oz of the duck fat in a six-litre flameproof casserole dish.
• Add the garlic and onion and fry gently until soft but not browned.
• Add the beans and the pieces of salted belly pork, cover with 1¾ litres/3 pints water and push in the bouquet garni.
• Bring to the boil, skimming off any scum as it rises to the surface, then cover, transfer to the oven and bake for one hour or until the beans are just tender (this will depend on the age of your beans).
• Heat the remaining duck fat in a frying pan and brown the sausages all over.
• Lift them onto a board and slice each one sharply on the diagonal into three pieces.
• Remove the cassoulet from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
• Add the sausages and the pieces of duck confit to the casserole and push them down well into the beans.
• Return the casserole to the oven and bake uncovered for a further 45 minutes or until the liquid has reduced and the cassoulet is covered in a dark golden crust.
• Serve straight from the pot at the table.

These boots were made for walking

Hiking in the Aude

France is rarely thought of as a destination for hiking, walking and outdoor adventures, but the amazing Aude Department in the Roussillon is proof that's a mistake. Find out about some of Europe's best hiking and walking in the Roussillon's Aude

Hiking the Aude's Trail of Stones and Vines

This scenic walk might be a bit long (15 miles, or 24 kilometers, each way) and a little steep in some spots, but the Trail of Stones and Vines, or Péiras e Vihnas trail, yields views of wildlife and beautiful flowers as it passes through several charming, tiny villages.

Find and remain on the trail by looking for the markers with a yellow line, an arrow pointing to Le Cité or the Abbey of St. Hilaire, and the "Péiras e vihnas" logo. Follow the trail from Carcassonne’s Le Cité to Palaja, Cazhilac, Cavanac, Leuc, Verzeille, and ending in St. Hilaire.

There you can visit a Benedictine Abbey dating back to the 6th century. If 15 miles sounds a bit too long, just do one leg of the journey (from one village to the next) and then return. The easiest sections are from Leuc to Verzeille and from Verzeille to St. Hillaire. You can also follow the route on horseback or bicycle. In July, the Romanesque festival is held at the abbey in St. Hilaire.

Walking in La Bouichere Garden in Limoux

For a more leisurely stroll, visit La Bouichere Garden in Limoux or with 150 varieties of native plants which are organized by various themes, such as color or aroma.

Quillan as Hiking Trip Base Town

The village of Quillan is centrally located, charming in its own right, and makes a great base for hiking adventures around the Aude Department.

A path connects the villages of Belvianes, Cavirac and Saint Martin Lily across the Défilé de la Pierre Lys in Quillan, a stunning river gorge. Visitors can go rock-climbing, or participate in various water sports. Travel to Quillan’s visitor’s center for information on hiking or on guided tours.

Be sure to purchase the “Topo Guide” at the tourism office. This book is filled with 27 routes to follow to discover the flora, fauna and history of the area.

Hiking the Pine Route

Walk along the Route du Sapin (Pine Route) to see bold sequoias as you hike through the woods of Callong, Picaussel, Puivert, Fanges and Comefroide. Some of the trees here are more than 150 feet tall. The route is in the southwestern corner of the Aude, and Quillan is the nearest major town.

Walking Tour of Aguzou's Cave

Aguzou’s Cave in Mijanes features guided tours to see the amazing rock formations inside. Reservations must be made in advance year-round (phone number 033-04-68-20-45-38, e-mail grotte.aguzou@wanadoo.fr). Bring lunch, walking shoes, a warm jacket and a camera with a flash. The tour provides helmet, lighting and overalls.

Walking holiday accommodation

Self catering accommodation

How to visit Carcassonne

I saw this on "Visit France" and thought it was worth passing on. As we all know Carcassonne is an amazing place to visit but not if you get it wrong.......

Carcassonne has an entire city that is a castle, in La Cite, the fortified upper city. These massive ramparts atop a hill provide broad views of the lower city below. In Carcassonne, visitors stroll along the cobblestone streets, browsing shops selling Medieval wares, or nibbling on the classic peasant stew cassoullet at various cafes.


Although this city is one of France's top tourist destinations, drawing an average of three million visitors yearly, it mostly attracts Europeans, so it can feel especially exotic. Some describe it as a tourist-trap, and there are a bit too many shops hawking tacky souvenirs, but it is still and enchanting and interesting place to visit.

Getting Around

You can fly into Carcassonne's airport, although if you are departing from the U.S., count on a layover somewhere in Europe. Once you arrive, there is a free shuttle into the city. There are also free shuttles from May through November (an electric car during the early spring and late fall, then a shuttle bus during the summer) running from La Cite to the lower city. The city's bus can be used during the winter. A key warning, though. The bus system doesn't run on Sundays.

You can also book a French Rail Pass (Book it Now!) if you plan to fly into Paris and/or visit other French destinations. If you are arriving by train and staying in La Cite, you will need to navigate the city's bus system or catch a taxi.

When To Go

There isn't really a bad time to visit, since the weather here is quite temperate year-round, but select a season based on your own tastes. In winter, many of the city's attractions are closed or run on limited hours. Spring and fall can be ideal. The most will be happening during summer, but Carcassonne will also be the most packed with tourists that time of year.

Top Attractions

La Cite may be small, but there are many things to see here. Take a tour of the ramparts, visit some of the museums, and be sure not to miss visiting the Basilica of Saint Nazaire. For more information on tours, visit the tourism office's Tours of Carcassone page.

• Castle and ramparts tour, which is available in various languages, is well worth your time. There is also a museum of Carcassonne's history, and a gift shop.
• The Basilica of Saint-Nazaire is filled with wonderful stained glass, and has detailed carvings both inside and out. It is located at Place de l'Eglise.
• Les Aigles de La Cite (the Eagles of La Cite) is a great exhibit featuring the largest collection of birds of prey in the world. They are trained in the Medieval methods of flying freely, then coming to the falconers when called. It is at Pech Mary and demonstrations are held from March through November, although groups can schedule appointments year-round.

Outside The City

There are many wonderful spots that are a short drive outside of Carcassonne, and are certainly worth spending a day with a rental car the explore. Carcassonne is the heart of Cathar Country, and there are many Cathar attractions nearby. This is also the heart of the Languedoc wine country, and there are many wonderful vineyards to visit.

• Don't miss Limoux, a village just south of the city. This is the home to the annual Carnivale from January through March, and is also a thriving wine-making community. They even claim to have been the true inventors of sparkling wine, and that Dom Perignon stole the idea.
• Rennes le Chateau is a very creepy little village where the Baron Sauniere, at the turn of the 20th century, erected a church and other religious structures. There are many rumors about the baron's work, including allegations that Mary Magedelene stayed there after the crucixion and that the Holy Grail is hidden there.
• Montsegur is the site of the biggest stand the Cathars made against the Crusaders during the Middle Ages. Make the grueling climb to the ruins of their castle stronghold, where they held off 10,000 Crusaders for months. When they were finally conquered, many of the Cathars chose to march into the flames rather than convert.

Booking options and comparing rates

• I have stayed at Hotel Le Donjon before and believe this is a wonderful stay for the price. Technically a Best Western hotel, this clearly was once a family-owned hotel and has far more character than any typical chain hotel. The staff is quite friendly. When you enter, you already feel you are in a Medieval castle by the dark lighting and the deep red decor. It also has a wonderful location inside La Cite. Find the best rate!
• If you have the money, stay at the four-star, luxurious Hotel de la Cite, with its own gardens and well-situated in La Cite next to the Basilica. Find the best rate!
• Search for other hotels and compare hotel room booking rates
• Self catering 
• Compare airfare
• Compare car rental rates

Buying/Renting in the Roussillon

Here are some thoughts on Buying and renting in the Roussillon.
Property sales have dried up, due to a few minor factors. The pound has reduced against the euro by about 20% and yes the banks have stopped giving mortgages.
At the same time though, property prices have reduced in the Roussillon by between 15 and 20 percent, so there is a rough net balance for your money.
Also, if you can get a mortgage (yes it is possible) then interest rates have never been lower. We even know of a bank that is actively trying to increase its property portfolio and is therefore offering some very competitive rates. So maybe now is the time to make the most of the property market !!!!!!!!!!

The long term rental market has definitely seen an increase over the last couple of years, there seem to be three main reasons for this.

1. More and more people, who can, are escaping the damp grey winters of the UK, so the winter market has been strong. 
2. More people seem to be happy to move to this area of France and take out a long term rental of 3 years + 
3. and then there is the fastest growing market, these are the people who are looking to buy, have made their decision to move to France but want to test drive the region whilst they  look for their dream home in the sun.

So what to do.... In my humble opinion If you have made the decision to move to France, then there is no better time to move than now!

• You can rent whilst you look and maybe wait for the £ to improve. Be warned though, as the £ improves, the price of houses will soon go up as well. There are some great mortgage deals (if you can get them) and property price reductions have negated the reduction of the pound.
• Find an Estate agent in the area you want to move to that can also act as a search agent. They can then introduce you to any properties in the area, even if it is not on their own books. You will receive a more personal service and have far more chance of finding the right property, whilst being helped through the french legal system.
• This market situation does also give an opportunity for property owners, to maximise rentals throughout the year by opening up the property to winter lets.
• It may also be an opportunity if you are trying to sell your house and it just isn't shifting. Place it on a long term rental site, if you get a good long term rental, take it off the market and wait until things get better but with your overheads being covered......

Here are some contacts to help with your property needs

Property Rentals - Ceret Property

Property Owners - Advertise

Property Sales - Rivirera Home Finders

Mortgages - Contact Us

Let's compare the weather

. 

Last weekend the family got together in the UK to celebrate the 18th and 21st birthdays of my nieces. We flew out of Girona on Friday night, as you can see the sun was shining and the temperature was about 20 degs. We landed in Bournemouth some 1 1/2 hours later, after a delightful flight on Ryanair........... We had heard that the weather might be a little on the wild side in the Uk but had a moment at about 200 foot above the ground when we thought we might not live to enjoy the rain, as the cross winds caused the planes wings to dip alarmingly. Surfice to say, the pilot was up to the challenge and we arrived safely.

We had a wonderful time with the family, the girls were particularly made up, as they got to see a good selection of their cousins.

I digress, I was talking about the weather as we brits tend to do, anyway we knew we were back in Blighty as the winds whipped up, the clouds covered the grey land and the heavens opened. Ahh to be home again. Just another great reason to be settled back here in The Roussillon, in my T Shirt.

Looking for something to do today in The Roussillon?

ANTIQUES & VIDE GRENIERS (Beziers)

Brocante & Vide Grenier

Every Wed

Brocante and vide grenier, every Wednesday at the Parking de la Cave Co-opérative from 06:00-17:00.

MUSIC: ROCK, POP & COUNTRY (Beziers)

Roch Voisine: Americana

On: Wednesday, November 18, 2009

French singer Roch Voisine gives a concert of country & western hits from his latest album Americana, at Zinga Zanga at 20:30. Tickets €45. Tel: 04 67 48 13 36.

EVENTS & FESTIVALS (montpellier)

Cirque Medrano International Festival

From: Friday, November 13, 2009 To: Sunday, November 22, 2009

International circus acts at the Parc des Expositions. The festival is on the 13th, 17th & 20th at 18:00 & 20:30, the 14th, 18th & 21st at 14:30, 17:30 & 20:30, Sundays 15th & 22nd at 10:30, 14:30 & 17:30 and the 16th & 19th at 19:30. See the web-site for further information.

MUSIC: JAZZ, BLUES & SOUL (montpellier)

Larry Carlton

On: Wednesday, November 18, 2009

American jazz and blues guitarist Larry Carlton is in concert at JAM at 21:00. Tel: 04 67 58 30 30.

ART & EXHIBITIONS (perpignan)

Exhibition of Restored Renaissance Paintings

From: Tuesday, September 15, 2009 To: Friday, January 15, 2010

After a two year period of restauration the CCRP present an exhibition of Roussillon paintings from the Renaissance period. The exhibition is held at Chapelle Notre-Dame des Anges, 32 rue Foch, and is open from 09:00-17:00. Tel: 04 68 85 89 40.

MUSIC: WORLD & FOLK (carcassonne)

Dominique A

On: Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Singer-composer Dominique A is in concert at the Théâtre Jean-Alary at 20:30. Tickets from 10-€25. Tel: 04 68 25 33 13.

CHILDREN'S EVENTS (serignan)

English Storytime

Every Wed From: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 To: Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Lisa Le Mentec reads stories in English for children aged five and over, at the Médiatheque every third Wednesday of the month from November to May, between 10:30-11:30. Tel: 04 67 32 42 21.

Cities of the Roussillon

In my slightly bias view of the Roussillon, it is by far one of the most beautiful and interesting areas to visit in La Belle France. I have mentioned specific pretty or historical areas in the past but thought I would go for something a little larger today, so here is a little information about the major cities of the region.

Béziers

Beziers, in the heart of the Languedoc wine country, is marked by its cathedral that stands proudly between L’Orbs and the Canal du Midi. Beziers’s proximity toSpain is also evident here: the bullfights in August set the town on fire.
www.beziers-tourisme.fr

Carcassonne

The medieval walled town lies on the right bank of the river Aude and is featured on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. It has 52 towers and 2 rings of town walls making a total of 3 km of battlements. It boasts a large number of shops and craftsmen

www.carcassonne.org

Montpellier

Montpellier is a cultural, scientific and artistic crossroads with an incomparable heritage. L’Ecusson, with its Place de la Comedie, dominated by the opera house, stretches all the way to the new Antigone quarter designed by Ricardo Bofill. The narrow streets, lined by many 17^th and 18^th century mansions, lead to St Peter’s cathedral, the western world’s oldest medical school, the Place Royale du Peyrou and the botanical gardens created during the reign of Henry IV.
www.ot-montpellier.fr

Narbonne

Narbonne, the Visigoth kings’ former residence and capital of the Roman Septimania, is devoted to the Mediterranean art of living and marks the dividing line between Languedoc and Roussillon. The Archbishops’ Palace in the historic town and its 40-meter high fortified tower stand on the ruins of the Gallo-Roman ramparts and the via Domitia, overlooking the town.
www.mairie-narbonne.fr

Nimes

Nimes, a beautiful, laid-back bourgeois city, displays its ancient roots and, during the Whitsun and Grape Harvest festivals, becomes an outpost of Spain, with bodegas vibrating all night to the beat of “penas”.
www.ot-nimes.fr

Perpignan

Perpignan, at the foot of the Pyrenees, is graced with the heritage of the kings of Majorca. In the 20^thcentury, Salvador Dali called it “the center of the world” because Picasso, Miro, Matisse, Derain and Chagall worked there creating new styles of painting.
www.perpignantourisme.com www.ceretproperty.com

Pézenas

Its magnificent stately homes and 17^th century mansions lining narrow streets plunge you into a delightfully refined atmosphere. Nearby Pezenas is the birthplace of Molière.
www.ot-pezenas-valdherault.com

Sète

Between the Mediterranean Sea and the Etang de Thau, Sète offers an authentic fishing port in the centre of town, the spectacle of its typical neighbourhoods with their colored facades, crossed by canals, and the daily return of the fishing boats.
www.ot-sete.fr

My thanks to france guide for some of the above infomation