Languedoc Region of Southern France

Visiting the medieval fortified town of Carcassonne - "la Cité" in local parlance - is like taking a great stride back in time. Built on an outcrop of rock on the east bank of the Aude River, the Cité sits perched splendidly overlooking the modern part of Carcassonne and has been completely restored during the 19th century to its former glory as the once impenetrable stronghold of the Middle Ages. The careful and meticulous restoration job has generated for Carcassonne the status of most frequently-visited site in all of the southern Languedoc region, serving the dual function of preserving and educating us about the rich history of the department. This important role was duly recognized in 1997 when the site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list.

As a very popular tourist attraction, the Cité is not simply a "medieval Disneyland". Inside the ramparts, it still houses a resident population, and alongside the many bistros and gift shops, all the usual facilities you would expect for a small hamlet - a post office, a school, a hotel, etc. - are still running. The site also contains the Basilique Saint-Nazaire, an open-air theatre and the fortified Chateau Comtal, protected and preserved thanks to the system of double ramparts. In all, these ramparts connect 14 towers on the outside wall and 24 around the inner circle.

Here are a few shots from a recent trip:

For those of you starting to probe a bit more seriously into upcoming European travel, you've probably noticed that here at Discover France/Pure Adventures we're extremely high on the Languedoc-Roussillon region, which offers so much spectacular and diverse landscape, an ideal climate, the opportunity to visit memorable sites like Carcassonne, plus the savors of the local gastronomy scene and a winemaking quality that is winning accolades far and wide… In addition to our classic self-guided hiking tours here, we've cooked up a culinary tour sure to whet your appetite for this region! (http://www.discoverfrance.com/regions/languedoc_walk3_tour.html) We also offer a cycling tour called the Carcassonne Countryside which ventures out into the wine region of Corbieres.

L

Tour de France 2007

The 2007 route is announced as of yesterday. I haven't bothered to surf around the net to see what other impressions of the program are, but of course I have my own opinions.

Once again we were thrown off from Mont Ventoux. I don't get it, but whatever; we are going to ride there anyway. The Tour has been away from Ventoux since 2002 and it remains ever popular for cyclists. We thought our "radar" told us the route was coming to Ventoux because no hotel space was to be found; helas many others too thought the same thing!

Alpes - well, sort of. I'm not surprised to see Alpe d'Huez missing but no Bourg d'Oisans, no Croix de Fer, no Izoard, no Madeleine, and so on. We do have the Galibier however, but the Tour in my view essentially blows through the Alpes and down to Marseille. Yes, Marseille! Our groups will MISS that finish. I had my hearing permanently impaired from a firecracker in Marseille during the Centenaire and there are too many other charming, smaller places.

Pyrenees - look pretty good, except no Tourmalet again; no Luz Ardiden, not La Mongie. There is Plateau de Beille - good luck getting to that one! The Etape du Tour stage is the best looking stage, with climbs on the Peyresourde and at Loudenvieille. THe finish at the Aubisque will also be a great stage and the last chance to knock down some time before the time trial.

Time trials - no team TT again this year. Hmmm; that is really too bad from a spectator point of view. The TTT is a fun stage and something to watch; it can change the course of the race too. Oh well, we do have 2 full on individual TT with the last one from Cognac to Angouleme. We actually have a cycling tour over this stage and the terrain is not flat and depending on the "ligne d'arrivee" in Angouleme it could be uphill.

Predictions? Forget it! Is there an American in the running? In the running - perhaps, but by July I don't see it. Some could call this a fairly hum-drum Tour de France with a likely unknown cast of podium finishers. I like the unknown aspect - it adds drama. (remember Thomas Voeckler?) The scenery - its still France and I am partial, but one could do worse - much worse!

L

Family Hiking Solution - Get a Donkey

An ideal family solution:

Planning a trip to France for the whole family? Eager to enjoy the pristine countryside and hike the scenic trails through forestland, pastureland, vineyards and small historic villages, but what about the little guy? He or she won't last more than an hour walking and then it's back to the inn, or having to split up, and then there's the daypack, weighed down with all the snacks and drinks…

Throughout France, over 50 rural tourism partners have structured half-day or daylong excursions accompanied with those cute, lovable and ever so loyal… donkeys. These eager companions do it all, from carrying your packs to carrying your children, allowing the grown-ups to make the most out of their outings, without worrying about little Johnny or Susie tiring halfway through!

But the adventure means more than making use of animal traction for the kids and a caddy for Dad's supplies; it provides an up close and intimate contact with one of the animal kingdom's most cheerful, easygoing and kid-friendly subjects. You'll finish the excursion thrilled by what you saw and by the new friend who guided you along the way.

Lots of these donkey-led excursion organizations are located in areas of more scenic and rugged terrain, in the Alpine country from the drier Alpes de Haute Provence into the higher Savoy areas and around the Cevennes and Massif Central ranges in the middle of the country. For a glimpse of what's in store:

in the Cevennes
in the Southern Alps

Direct Flights NY-Bucharest Coming

Apparently the increase in travel interest to Romania from the US has reached critical mass. Direct flights are now going to be available. This is great news for people interested in our hiking tour in Romania!

Direct flights connecting Bucharest and New York, starting 2007

Delta Airlines will launch a direct flight on route Bucharest – New York, starting with June 2007. The American transporter is estimating a degree of occupancy of 80 – 90 % on the flights connecting Romania and USA. Delta is coming back on Romanian market after eight years of absence.

The first direct flight from Bucharest to New York will take place on 6th of June, 2007. The trip’s length will be of 10 hours, 4 hours shorter than the fastest flight with a stop in another European city. The flight will be run with Boeing 767-300 aircrafts, having a capacity of 214 places, of which 35 business class, and will have a frequency of four flights a week.

Viaduc de Millau

Once you're sated with the world's best wine and gastronomy…

Say the name of the town "Millau" (pronounced "Mee-oh") to any Frenchman and invariably you'll get in response a boastful: "Viaduc de Millau", as a call championing one of the latest of the nation's latest civil engineering feats. The "Millau Viaduct", is a cable-stayed road bridge spanning the Tarn River Valley near the town of Millau in southern France (upper Languedoc). Designed by a French bridge engineer in collaboration with a British architect, it is the tallest vehicular bridge in the world, with one pier's summit standing at 1,125 feet, slightly higher than the Eiffel Tower and only 125 feet shorter than the Empire State Building. To showcase this architectural wonder, the initial design incorporated a visitor's center with multimedia exhibits, and last year some 500,000 visits to the site were recorded. Have a look:
http://www.viaducdemillaueiffage.com/index.php4?lang=EN

Proud not only of their agricultural produce, restaurant fare and unrivaled selection of wines, the French can also claim a collection of world-class technical accomplishments, beginning 25 years ago with the TGV high-speed train and extending through the 1990's with the great Mitterrand buildings in Paris. Many foreign visitors to France actually program into their itineraries a pause from the daily delights of sightseeing, wine-tasting and restaurant-hopping to enjoy such visits of technical prowess, now formally organized under the heading "industrial tourism".

If you want to ride your bike across the bridge, you can't! Its an autoroute, like the other autoroutes of France, it is a toll road and traffic moves along at 130 km/hr or better. (80+ mph) !!

Best Place in France to Live

Best places to live in France

The popular weekly L'Express has recently conducted a quality-of-life survey throughout France, department by department, focusing on a myriad of nearly 50 criteria, from climate to cultural amenity, crime statistics, access to universities, leisure, etc. See how your favorite areas of France stack up:

http://www.lexpress.fr/info/france/dossier/departement/dossier.asp?ida=438170The geographical preference is quite pronounced, with the West and South boasting the highest rankings: up and down the Atlantic Coast, Brittany, the Pyrenees, Languedoc, and the Riviera all command the top spots. On the other hand, it's pretty hard to find much enthusiasm on the part of the French for any area not connected to the sea or mountains. The country's heartland and industrial belt, especially concentrated in the northern and eastern sectors, fared very poorly in the survey. And ironically, some of the country's regions that have been attracting lots of newcomers from elsewhere in Europe over the past several decades and so well-renowned for their scenic landscapes, gastronomy and historical treasures (here I'm thinking of Provence, Périgord, Burgundy, Limousin/Auvergne) aren't able to wow much interest from the increasingly-mobile French population.

If you're tempted by an off-season trip to France and eager to discover the French region currently enjoying the highest quality-of-life ratings (Languedoc-Roussillon), remember Discover France has set up a culinary tour sure to whet your appetite:

Plan Your 2007 Tour Early for Rewards

Planning early is not a luxury many people have, but it is the smart thing to do. Now that it is fall, summer vacations are only a memory and people are cranking away at their jobs for year end production numbers. Next summer's travel plans are only a remote thought. However, if savings are important to you, its worth your while to set aside a few minutes.

First, the best airfares are advance purchases except last maybe a last minute fire sale for a few seats. However, when it comes to transatlantic fares, forget about last minute. Capacity is too high, and so only early purchases will get the best rates. Frequent flyers - plan now or forget it!!

Most tour companies offer incentives to book early; we are no exception. For tour operations that specialize in Europe as we do, we are seasonal and we are only too happy to spend some time now on bookings. When things go crazy after the first of the year in January, tour companies have many more clients to take care of. Now is the time to get more assistance, and to get you on the books now most companies will give you a reduction of the tour price. Only a deposit is required in most cases for your part, so you don't give up much.

We are offering 2006 rates for 2007 tours until year end on many tours, or until we post 2007 pricing. We also offer a reduction for bookings before December 31.

On a final note, I can say from experience that those persons who plan ahead are almost always likely to have a better vacation. Why? - they are prepared. They have thought about it, cycled/hiked in preparation, studied travel books, asked the questions, read our materials, and depart with things under control at home and work. Last minute bookings can and do certainly work out, but departing frazzled without proper preparation costs more and makes it that much harder to enjoy the experience when you arrive.

L

France to ban public smoking!

Good news for travelers: France’s Parliament nears adoption of a full smoking ban in public places

As of 2007, but hélas more likely following the tourist season than prior, French hotels, restaurants, cafés and bars will be forced to comply with an ordinance first passed in 1992 calling for a smoking ban in all public places. Fourteen years ago however, the ban merely consisted of a vigorous poster campaign and it was a secret to no one that the measure lacked enforcement, with fines seldom, if ever, being distributed. By the end of the 1990’s, hotel lobbies, train stations, the metro and restaurants were still engulfed in a lingering nicotine-laden cloud. Over the past few years however, the anti-tobacco lobby started flexing more muscle, the health industry took a bolder and more visible stance against the ill effects of second-hand smoke and, most importantly, France’s neighbors Italy and Spain, where the population is just as hooked on lighting up, passed some pretty stringent anti-smoking laws. As the rest of Europe follows suit, the doomsayer’s arguments of anti-smoking foes, chiefly the hotel and restaurant trade unions and cigarette manufacturers / sellers, of a hefty drop in revenue and massive layoffs of personnel have resoundingly been proven erroneous…

So what will the typical Paris restaurant look like come 2007? Well for one thing, you won’t have to listen to the maître d’, either sheepishly or aggressively, make some lame excuse why allowing smoking is an expression of the French culture towards tolerance. No more need to scan the establishment trying to determine who it is fouling your air and by the same occasion spoiling your pleasure. Smokers who feel the need while dining will be required to sit in a designated enclosed area surrounded by a hermetic, ventilator-equipped booth. But why not discover for yourself this upcoming revolution in the French dining experience…

For an overview of European progress to freeing public places of cigarette smoke country by country: http://www.lexpress.fr/info/infojour/zoom.asp?id=28611

Paris in the fall: another take on the city

Paris in the fall: another take on the city

Just itching to take advantage of those attractive airfares to Paris this time of year, but more than a bit wary of the likelihood of gray, drizzly, chilly days, and of course nightfall by 5:30 pm… why not take advantage of the occasion to jump back into the Paris museum scene. Recognized as the world's best museum destination, Paris offers the culturally-minded visitor a huge and constantly-renewed choice of exhibitions and sites. The talk of the town this year is the Musée du Quai Branly, whose bold design has excited the Paris architectural scene to a level not experienced since I.M. Pei's Louvre Pyramid, now a fixture in the cityscape. Set up on the Left Bank in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, this museum houses the nation's collection of primitive arts (many of the 300,000 objects were formerly on display at a variety of venues, including the Museum of Man across the Seine and the Museum of African and Oceanic Art across town). For a few photos of this latest addition to Paris's dynamic cultural scene:

Musee du Quai Branly

This museum is covered by the Paris Museum Pass, available from Gotoparis.net

Harvest time in Burgundy's vineyards

Harvest time in Burgundy's vineyards - by Robert Sachs

Excitement reigns these days in and around the town of Beaune as the "vendange" season kicks into full swing with nearly 10,000 harvesters from all walks of life making their way through prized Burgundy vineyard surgically snipping away at the ripened grapes. The capital of Burgundy's wine trade, Beaune offers so much more than a stopover between the Côtes de Beaune growing areas to the south (Meursault, Pommard, Puligny-Montrachet and the like) and Côtes de Nuits to the north (Gevrey-Chambertin and the legendary Vosne-Romanée), this town lives and breathes wine. Many of the smaller producers set up in the local villages make use of the state-of-the-art facilities located closer in to town. How many places present a list that reads like the who's who of the world's great Pinot / Chardonnay producers when walking into a corner bistro and asking for a glass of wine? And how many towns with a 20,000 population can boast a good dozen thriving wine cellars and shops, each displaying a prestigious space tastefully decorated around several hundred year-old stones and timbers in the central historical district…

The fall season in Beaune crescendoes through the third Sunday in November, when the area's most famous wine sale (and according to some, the world's biggest charity auction) is held at the handsomely-restored medieval Hospice. The auction event is now open to non-professionals and this 146th edition, hosted by Christie's, like in years past will provide a benchmark for upcoming trends in Burgundy wine prices…

For a bit more background on the institution and event: http://www.hospices-de-beaune.com/gb/hospices/historique.php