News from Caussi.com

Languedoc Beach Lovers Visit Caussi - September 2011

Just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed your Caussi house during our trip to Languedoc in Sept 2011. The house had everything we needed and we really enjoyed the view from the roof-top Terrace; we spent most of our afternoons up there after returning from our daily excursions!

As far as tips for future visitors, I will summarize our adventures categorically and hopefully there will be some nuggets there!

Beaches/Plages (we are beach lovers so that was foremost on our list of places to visit)

L'Espiguette - beautiful beach outside of Montpellier near Le Grau du Roi - one of our favorites - 1.5 hrs from Caussi - very remote - bring chairs umbrellas & cooler as there are no services - 5.5 euros to enter & park - long drive but well worth it!

Leucate - great beach between Narbonne & Perpignan - 1 hour from Caussi - bring chairs umbrellas - there are restaurants nearby for lunch - parking is plentiful and inexpensive (there was no charge for parking this Sept - last July there were meters and for a few euros you could park all day) - NOTE: nearby is the African Preserve near Sigean - opens at 9AM - great for a couple of hours before the beach - a little pricey @ 27 euros per person but lots of animals - rated as one of the best preserves in the world - 1 hour in car driving thru and up to 3 hours on foot if you so desire (We drove first and then walked for only 45 mins - time for the beach!!)

Portiranges - the closest beach at 30 mins from Caussi and the one we spent the most time at (3 visits) - You can bring your chairs etc. but you can also rent chairs + umbrella from the Maui Plage station (rents pedaloes, boards & other water sports) at west end of beach - ample free parking - very busy in season - it was nice and empty in Sept.

Argeles (North) - beach outside of Perpignan - 1.75 hrs from Caussi - go to north end of beach as the middle & south are a bit tacky with dozens of beach shops & numerous restaurants - lots of free parking at north end - only a few minutes from here to Colliure (very crowded around lunchtime - go early if you want to park and eat) & Banyul sur Mer (where we had lunch at a nice small sidewalk cafe)

Touring (we picked the cloudy days to tour - there weren't too many!!)

Avignon - went there to visit a few shops Diane had in mind - interesting city - lots of traffic (cars & people). Took the opportunity while there to visit Tavel (15 km away) and pick up some great Rose Wine to bring back to Caussi (we consider Tavel roses to be among the tastiest in all of France - at least the France we've experienced so far - Provence & Languedoc) to sip on the terrace in late afternoon.

Roquebrun - we visited twice; once via D908/D14 route and another times via opposite direction of backroads from Caussi - loved the river and had a great lunch at the Auberge St. Hubert (the Cafe Nice was too crowded for our taste)

Great scenic drive - From Olargues D14 up the mountain to D53 towards Cambron (?) and then back towards Belarieux - beautiful dark pine forests, herds of horses and great mountain views. 2-2.5 hours leisurely drive.

Restaurants ( I don't think we spent over 75 euros for any meal [2 persons] - including tip & wine - most were around 35-50 euros)

Karting Course Restaurant (in Caussi) - has a great lunch there on our first day - meant to get back for dinner but did not make it

La Forge in Bedarieux - beautiful place - good food - ate outside - next time will eat inside for the interior views

La Cave Gourmande in Montagnac (between Pezenas & Meze) - we found this place last July and was glad to see that it is still there and still as good - Italian fare - great lasagne - Open Sun & Mon so thats a plus (most restaurants closed those days) - 45 minute ride from Caussi but worth it (D13 most of the way from faugeres to Pezenas) - center of town at 2nd traffic light - left-side of road going to Meze

Hana Sushi in Pezenas - good sushi but a limited selection - great energetic staff

O Bontemps in Magalas - made a reservation - on arrival found closed until mid-Sept - confused as to why they took rez?!?!? - anyway we found a little Mom & Pop just down the hill from O Bontemps and had a delightful meal & lots of fun with owners - went back for a second meal on our last night - can't remember name but have pictures of resaturant with name - great pizzas among other things!

La Bella Vista in Faugeres - closed the first weekend we were there - finally ate there on a Sunday - good simple food & wine - nice people

Meze - can't remember name but ate at same place twice last year - busiest place in the harbor - good crowd = good food - had oysters, mussels, shrimp etc. etc. - it was nice to be back there - approx 1 hr from Caussi

Le Baroulet in Roujan - beautiful setting in hotel courtyard - food was OK but not great - atmosphere made up for it!

Chez Caussi - we grilled a nice steak on the Weber grill one evening when we did not feel like going out!!! Priceless

All in all it was a great trip. We had beautiful weather. The village of Caussi was charming. It was so quiet, that, if not for the occassional bird chirping or insect buzzing, you might think you'd gone deaf! Talk about great sleeping! I was able to use the cable for the DSL line to call home via Skype so that was very helpful. Made great use of your juicer - fresh OJ every morning! Thanks so much for your hospitality.

By the way, you are now the owner of 2 new beach chairs, a new beach umbrella & a new cooler which we found convenient to buy while we were there - hope new visitors use them well!

Tim and Diane

The Canal du Midi - Pride of Beziers

One of the region’s two remarkable UNESCO ‘World Heritage Sites’ the Canal du Midi drifts lazily through Languedoc on its spectacular route from the city of Toulouse to the bustling coastal port of Sete. Uniquely beautiful, with tow-paths famously lined and shaded by 300-year-old plane trees it meanders gently between the pretty, terracotta-topped, canal-side villages.

Inspirational in both concept and construction, the 240 kilometre-long canal connects with the River Garonne to link the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean: thereby avoiding the lengthy and one-time perilous, pirate-plagued sea journey around the hostile Spanish coastline.

Although the advantages of such a route had been contemplated for at least 150 years before its inception (even Leonardo Da Vinci had pondered the possibilities), it was in the mid-seventeenth century that the multitude of technical challenges and obstacles were finally overcome. In 1666 Pierre-Paul Riquet of Beziers persuaded King Louis XIV to commission the project: and so, work commenced. The costs were projected at 3,360 livres.

The construction of the canal was unquestionably an epic and ingenious achievement, incorporating remarkable feats of civil engineering - including 103 locks - and utilising over 12000 labourers. The canal officially opened in 1681: sadly the event was preceded by the unfortunate demise of Monsieur Riquet, who died in 1680. The entrepreneur was massively in debt to the tune of 2m livres, most of which he had invested in the completion of his wondrous waterway. The final cost now totalled some 15m livres! His family inherited his interests in the project: they must have been delighted - investments were never recovered and debts remained for a further 100 years before they were finally paid off.

Narbonne - beautiful market, canals, old city

Found this wonderful description of Narbonne:  France on Your Own - Narbonne  It's a  city of great charm, based around the canals, a real Les Halles market, wonderful walking.

Don't miss Pezenas

Pezenas was the seat of local Government during the 16th-17th Centuries, and is today one of the prettiest towns to visit near Caussi. The medieval architecture is so distinctive that many French films are set in Pezenas. We go to the Saturday market, the antique shops (much of the furniture in our house came from forays to the antiquaires of Pezenas), the restaurants, and to have ice cream in the cafes on the square.  The best way to get to Pezenas from Caussi is from Faugeres via the beautiful scenic back road that takes you past some must-visit vineyards and old castles and fortifications.

Nestled between the Mediterranean sea and the Haut Languedoc (the hills on which Caussinioujouls is perched), Pezenas is a town rich with the sort of ambience that Languedoc is famous for. its wines and specialty foods are numerous, such as "Les Petits Pates" (a sort of warm mince pie) and "Berlingots" (a unique type of boiled sweet that everyone should try).

Not to mention the almost inexhaustible range of olives, honey and of course wines. Reds, Roses and whites from the slopes of the the new wineries of the region can be found at wine shops throughout the town.

The old town is rich with Artisans all still practicing their individual crafts, with skills such as leatherwork, jewelery making, glass blowing, metal work, painting and sculpture that have been passed down from generation to generation. They set up shop in small workshops during the summer months, offering visitors the chance to take home a truly unique gift or memento of the area. During the winter months all the 'E' Shops in the old town close so the artisans can busy themselves painting, sculpting and building ready for the summer months ahead.

The arts and crafts theme continues away from the old town, with family runs shops such as "2en1" in Rue Conti. Specialising in high quality material for patchwork (a favoured local pastime) along with candles, candle holders and other table decorations and gifts, "2en1" is a friendly place to visit and an ideal stop in the search for a little something to remind you of your visit to Pezenas.

Pezenas is also well known for it's antique shops, with over thirty shops lining  the main route through the town.

Pezenas is a town that has always been popular with actors, singers and all manner of performing artists. It was this love of the arts that attracted the famous French playwright, Moliere to Pezenas back in the mid 1600's. Moliere felt a real bond with the town and regularly performed in the "Hotel d'Alfonce" (17th century) in Rue Conti, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful buildings in Pezenas and one of the most sought after by history loving visitors. The Hotel is open to visitors from June to September.

As well as arts and crafts and antiques, don't miss the weekly market, in the centre of town on Saturday mornings. A wonderful selection of locally produced food and wine, as well as a huge selection of flowers and clothing.

 

What's the weather like in Caussi?

Languedoc is the region of France with the most sun!  It's warm and dry and beautiful from April through November with glorious blue skies.  Montpellier gets over 300 days of sun per year! July and August can be quite hot, although it's always dry and cool in the shade.

Here's a weather chart so you can judge for yourself how much sun there is and how little rain.

For more details on the average high and low temperatures by month see:

http://www.languedoc-france.info/1101_temperatures.htm

About Languedoc

The Languedoc region and the Herault within it are unique in France for their undiscovered and unpretentious beauty.  Here are two quotes that capture our sentiments exactly~

From the Cadogan Guide to France: “For devotees of rural France, the seemingly innocuous Herault may be the ultimate find, the perfect alternative to overcrowded and overpraised Provence—just as beautiful, more real and relaxed, full of things to see—and considerably less expensive.  There are just enough tourists for there to be plenty of country inns, although in most villages foreigners are still a novelty.  And there’s a enough wine to make any one happy in this the most prolific wine making region of France. “

From Conde Nast Traveller:
"If you crave glitz and glamour, then the Languedoc is not your kind of destination.  But if you can appreciate a vast expanse of southern France with a long and thrilling history, amazing architecture, wine that has gone from ordinaire to extraordinaire in the last decade, and great local food, then this is the place for you."