Prades is a good spot to use as base camp for exploring the south east part of the Languedoc/Rousillon area. It is situated halfway Perpignan and And…

Yet again a book showed me the way. Some weeks before I was going to drive to the south of France to begin this trip, I saw this book at the ram…

Perched on a rocky Pyrenee outcrop, a beautiful but steep walk up a footpath for more than half an hour from the hamlet Casteil,  3 km south of …

Kate and Nick Wilcock left their home in England, bought this old Florentine style villa in Prades and restored it as a bed and breakfast. They well …

Walking round the ramparts of this strongly fortified medieval town, you can easily feel transported back in time. Many buildings within the thick wa…

Another important abbey in this region is the Prieuré de Serrabone. A twisting sideway of the road from Ille-sur-Têt to Amélie-les-Bains…

Collioure is the gem of the Roussillon coast (Côte Vermeille). A charming little port, it has been a magnet for artists since Matisse settled there …

The small village of Montségur, with its craft studios and souvenir shops (indeed, a chance to meet tourist busses in summer!), nestles at the …

I would never have visited Montaillou, if I hadn't read the book of René Weis, called "The yellow cross: the story of the last Cathar's rebellion". …

The châteaux de Peyrepertuse and de Quéribus are definitely the most dramatic of the ruins in Cathar country. Seen at its best from the village of …

Rennes-le-Chateau would have been yet another poor hard to reach hamlet, if not parish priest Béranger Saunière spent much money among others on a …

A FAIRY-TALE!!! The first view of the upper town of Carcassonne is the best. You'll get surprised by the look, does this still exist? YES IT DOES!!!…

Only a few km south of Najac is Cordes-sur-Ciel (sur ciel, because of its situation high on a hill). It has not really a single sight, but it is the …

According to the legend, Hautpoul was founded in 413 A.D. by a visigoth king. The fortress, hanging on a mountain top, guards the entrance to th…

Two months before the village was going to have its most glorious day in history I passed Mazamet. That time Mazamet hosted …

Prominent in Albi is the Cathédrale Sainte Cécile, constructed with red bricks. Hence, the nickname "Albi La Rouge". The city lent its name to the …

Next goal was Najac, a village hanging on a hill above the river Aveyron and strategicly situated on a meander. In fact Najac is almost a river …

A well maintained 800 km tollway took me from Barendrecht, Holland  to Limoges in the middle of France. From there it was only 20 km west to Ora…

If you want to visit the impressive memorial site of Oradou-sur-Glane and you wish to stay in a nearby hotel, the actual choice is very small. I made…

It was love at first sight. J'adore la France, I love the country! After my parents took me to Najac, Aveyron in 1980, I have been back to France doz…