What a week! We had some real highs (see blog photo of Saint-Michel-de-Mourcairol--a little 12th century chapel overlooking the ruins of a 10th century chateau, altitude 468 meters) and some lows (getting stuck in an underground parking garage), but it was another super week here in Languedoc. To clarify the parking garage "low": we went to our favorite shopping center in Beziers Wed. night to see the new Woody Allen movie (To Rome with Love) and have dinner. Le...

Bastille Day Weekend was great. Here are some highlights: Friday, July 13: We returned to Villeneuvette, where we attended a "Soiree Tagine", complete with a French rock band singing Rolling Stones hits. Our little buvette, "A L'Ombre du Platane", can feed about 100 people in its lovely outdoor setting, by cooking feasts in a huge round gas frypan. This time the menu was tagine, a Maroccan dish made of chick peas, lamb, carrots, and potatoes, followed by a "tart...

A few highlights of this beautiful Languedoc weekend: Friday Highlight: Bizarre Bodega: Les and I love variety, so Friday night, en route to an "oldies" concert, we stopped at "La Bodega de Casique" for dinner. As usual, we were the first people there (at 8:30 pm!), and although we'd been there once last summer, were struck anew by the bizarre ambiance. Where else would you use a "mad strawberry" motif for a combination biker bar, discotheque, sports bar? Check...

While our American family and friends were celebrating Independence Day, we decided to take July 4 as a holiday too! So off we went on a little adventure to "Le Cirque de Moureze", an extraordinary mass of dolomitic rocks which form a sort of circle. A number of these rocks, eroded by nature, have names to describe them: i.e."a Sphinx, a Camel, A Damsel, and a Sleeping Lion". It was a lovely walk on a lovely day, followed by a lunch in a "buvette" in the village ...

Hi Everybody! Les and I arrived safe and sound on Tuesday, June 26 here in Campagnan. The house looked great (if a but dusty after 10 months!), and we were able to enjoy our first meal on the terrace, looking out over our beautiful village and the vineyards beyond. After a few computer frustrations (hooking up new laptops to the wireless and the printer), we were settled in and ready to enjoy "la vie francaise". It's the little things that make such a differenc...