Around the Region

This section's articles

Languedoc Languor and Midi Time
Saturday 1 March 2008, by Rob
Time in the western world is a rectilinear diamond cut obstinately right angled object. Tomorrow lies 24 hours in the future, in one hour is exactly 60 minutes away.

Calendars, agendas, watches all mark the corners and junction points of human interactivity..
In the eastern world it is a more indefinite force, that can be stopped for meditation, started for action - a different way of looking at life and living. Looking at the mores of the Midi, the (...)
At last a tasty Indian
Thursday 5 October 2006, by Wendy
Le Palais des Roses 323 bd Saint Fructueux - 34400 LUNEL Tél 04.67.83.03.24 ou 06.71.95.10.03 How many of you long for a decent curry, we have discovered a rather nice Indian restaurant in (...)
Pezenas English Language Cinema Club Starts
Saturday 8 October 2005, by A correspondent
For Languedoc lovers of films and cinema, PECC -the Pezenas English Language Cinema Club, has just been formed and already has an exciting program of films lined up for the Herault winter.....
Pezenas English Language Cinema Club (PECC) First Screenings at the Cinema Moliere: My Summer of Love (VO), (BAFTA Winner) Friday 14 October at 20H45 The Interpreter (VO), starring Oscar winners (...)
Cap d’Agde
Thursday 18 August 2005, by Nigel Paige
Reading yet more less than enthusiastic comments about Cap d’Agde in a recent article on Southern Times, I was at once prompted to fire off a brief rejoinder to put the record straight and I have now been offered the chance to enlarge on the merits of ’Le Cap’.
Cap d’Agde Peaceful morning on the channel between Ile des Pecheurs and Avant Port It is not only in the Southern Times that misleading articles give a completely wrong impression of this (...)
Southern France Restaurant Guide
Thursday 14 July 2005, by A correspondent
Here is a very personal guide to eating out in the Herault.
Notes:- 1.The Languedoc pulls down the shutters and hibernates during its short winter. Check first whether the restaurant you want to go to is open. 2. French factory law heritage means that (...)
Renover Louer Herault
Friday 20 May 2005, by Rob
The Department of the Herault, the French state and ANAH, Agence Nationale pour l’Amelioration de l’Habitat, have all joined forces in a campaign to bring more properties in the Herault onto the letting market.
This is the first time in France that such an initiative has been launched on such a scale. The need is obvious:- The Herault is seeing its population grow at an unprecedented rate - more than (...)
The Changing Profile of Southern France Summer Visitors
Monday 11 April 2005, by Richard
Going back a few years, to a time when the pound in your pocket was an immutable quantity, the most common profession that our Summer visitors belonged to was that of teaching.
Teachers have long Summer holidays and would often profit by spending them in the glorious south of France. Whether the fact that the founder of Chez Nous, that well known French vacation rentals (...)
History of the Garrigue
Thursday 7 April 2005, by Peter Shield

Garrigue and Mountains

Contrary to the what most people think there is very little natural about the garrigue that covers the hills of the Aude and the Languedoc.
It is very much the product of the agricultural development of the land, the history of this ecology can be traced back over 4500 years but the last 50-60 years have been the most dramatic. The (...)
Barge Cruising on the Canal du Midi
Friday 1 April 2005, by Rob
On Sunday we had lunch with Barbara and Berend Gozens in their house on the banks of the Canal du Midi in Villeneuve les Beziers.

The canal side location is not the result of a whim or a chance.

Barbara and Berend own the Clair de Lune, which is the most luxurious hotel barge plying its trade on the Canal du Midi.
The Clair de Lune reflects their 30 years of experience in the luxury canal cruise market. Barbara and Berend designed, built and decorated the Clair de Lune. From the cherry wood interior (...)
A Special Place to Stay
Thursday 20 January 2005, by Tracie Savage
Whether swinging lazily in my hammock or lounging at the beach, whether busking at Pezenas market or decorating a renovated convent in the mountains, I often wonder how the ’other half live’. Almost two years ago, I moved to the Languedoc with no money and no real plans. Since then, I have lived well by my standards, dipping toes in both the high and low lives of the region.
One of the high points of the summer season is the slow but steady stream of visitors I have from the UK. My last visitor, Mike, brought with him a girlfriend known to all as Madam. Madam is not (...)