April in the south of France

[Ann]

Roz, I think about Nyons, where the final "s" is pronounced.

Anne, you might also want to see the Cathar castle of Quéribus, only about a 20-minute drive from Peyrepertuse, and similarly high and isolated with terrific views. We were in that area in 1999 so my memory isn't that great, but I think it's only about a 10-minute walk (quite steep) to the castle from the parking area.

 

[Anne]

Thanks everyone, for the pronunciation help. I studied French through high school and university, but that was 30+ yrs ago so I've forgotten most of it!

Roz, I'll love to read about your trip. Thanks for the link!

And thank you Ann for the tip re Quéribus. I've bookmarked it in my map.

 

[phirhon]

We visited Peyrepertuse and Queribus in 2012 and it was an exhilarating experience , especially Peyrepertuse. This is a lovely region. The Corbieres are not well known, but if you like wine you are in for a treat. The wines are great. In 2014 we stayed near Clermont l' Herault and visited Pezenas . If you go to France trip reports here, I have my report ( Spring in country France ) on our trip. Scroll through to l'Herault to see what we did. We began this trip in Provence ( Pernes les Fontaines ) and visited the luberon from there.
Have a great trip.

 

[Anne]

phirhon, what a fabulous trip you had!! Such a wealth of historic sites, charming villages and scenic drives in this area. I agree with you about never knowing what's around the next corner when in France (and Italy too - my first love!)

 

[Ken B.]

I'm sure this is TMI, but my 1980-vintage Prononciation Française dictionary says the final X of Niaux is not pronounced.

But it also says that the final S of Nyons is not pronounced. That is outdated. In the 1990s, the people of Nyons evidently decided that the final S of the town's name needed to be pronounced. Friends of mine who spent some time there told me the whole story. There is a town in Switzerland, not that distant, called Nyon. To distinguish Nyons from Nyon, the pronunciation of the name of the French town was changed.

Learning and using another language, you have to get over your fear of making mistakes.

 

[Anne]

Roz - I'm reading your trip report and laughing at your descriptions of "Les Abbatoirs" museum - too bizarre! Sounds like something out of a sitcom.

 

[Roz]

Yes, that was maybe the most bizarre museum experience I've ever had. I think it was a special exhibit though, so I wouldn't expect to find it there now, and I can't remember who the artist was. For anyone who's curious, this was my description: "The most fun exhibit was dubbed "Jurassic Pork" - a room whose walls were covered with cartoons about over-sized cats hunting pigs. In the center of the room were three huge sculptures including a flying pig. But you couldn't see the art when you first walked in, because the room was completely dark. Visitors were given flashlights as they entered, so you had to focus on one small section of the art at a time. Meanwhile the moving spotlights as other people came and went around you made the whole experience uniquely weird."

 

[veronicafrance]

I think it's pronounced "new"

Nope -- Nee-o It's well worth the visit.

 

[veronicafrance]

Thanks Roz - great shot! Glad to know about the steep climb - my daughter and I will be fine with it, but I'm sure my mother will opt to stay back and admire the view from below.

Yes, Peyrepertuse is the most spectacular. Quéribus is good too, and not far away.

 

[veronicafrance]

Side note - does anyone know how to properly pronounce Niaux?

I was browsing old ST threads for ideas and read that, in the south of France, the "x" at the end of place names is sometimes pronounced (Moux is pronounced Mooks apparently) but not always (Limoux is pronounced Limoo). In the same thread, I also found out that the "s" at the end of Pézenas is pronounced...which is good to know since we're hanging out there for 4 nights!

Yes, when in doubt pronounce all the letters around here, but as you say Limoux is an exception. As is Niaux.

 

[Anne]

Nope -- Nee-o It's well worth the visit.

Thanks Veronica, I'm really looking forward to it! I have Peyrepertuse and Quéribus marked on my map too (along with several other castles and points of interest - although we're definitely not trying to see everything in one week!)

 

[veronicafrance]

Thanks Veronica, I'm really looking forward to it! I have Peyrepertuse and Quéribus marked on my map too (along with several other castles and points of interest - although we're definitely not trying to see everything in one week!)

Let me know if you want more info, because I live here

 

[Parigi]

Bonnieux and Pèzenas are two places I keep going back to, and am headed there soon.

Is Ardèche out in the latest plan? The ferme-auberge Mas de la Madeleine has beautiful houses and great food, and now has several gîtes. It overlooks the medievall town of Largentière and is near a whole bunch of listed Plus Beaux Villages.

Near Pèzenas we always go to have lunch at the "French Venice", the town of Sète, and have a seafood specialty there called the Tielle, a kind of calzone with a pizza-y outside and runny, slightly spicy squid inside. Yum.
Again near Pèzenas, the lakeside fishing village Bouzigues is charming and has good seafood galore. If you like archeology, the Villa Loupian, an ancient Roman villa, has an astounding humongous mosaic.

Have a grand time.

 

[veronicafrance]

Agree on Sète, it's a lovely place to stroll, and a real working port. Although rather than the tielle I'd go for spanking fresh grilled fish eaten on the quayside

 

[Parigi]

I can't get good tielle in Paris ! Lots of supermarkets sell supermarket tielles, but htey arenot like the tielle Sétoise from Paradiso, 11 Quai de la Résistance .

 

[Anne]

a seafood specialty there called the Tielle, a kind of calzone with a pizza-y outside and runny, slightly spicy squid inside. Yum.

Oh my that sounds delicious, thanks Parigi!

I'm bookmarking the Villa Loupian as well. My mother especially will want to see it. She's keenly interested in Roman history and ruins. Yes, the Ardèche got squeezed out by Bonnieux. I'll save it for a trip with my husband, so we can do some hiking and canoeing.

I'd go for spanking fresh grilled fish eaten on the quayside

Fresh grilled fish is also yummy! Sète is definitely going on my 'want to visit' list!

Do you know if my daughter will have any difficulty finding vegetable options in restaurants in this part of France? She's not vegetarian or vegan - eggs, cheese, meat based broths and sauces, etc are all fine, it's just that eating the meat itself upsets her stomach. There will surely be lots of veggie side dishes, if nothing else?

 

[veronicafrance]

Do you know if my daughter will have any difficulty finding vegetable options in restaurants in this part of France? She's not vegetarian or vegan - eggs, cheese, meat based broths and sauces, etc are all fine, it's just that eating the meat itself upsets her stomach. There will surely be lots of veggie side dishes, if nothing else?

It's a bit tricky if you're completely vegetarian, but should be doable otherwise. Also most restaurants don't do separate "side dishes" as such -- although you can make a meal of two starters. Pizzerias are always a good option if you want to avoid salads and omelettes all the time. And more upmarket restaurants do sometimes offer vegetarian options or are amenable to tweaking things. There's also an increasing number of "tapas" restaurants (in quotes because they're not really tapas in the Spanish style). In those you can choose a variety of small plates, so it's quite easy to make a veggie or near-veggie meal.

I think you said you're going to Lagrasse; in that case I can recommend O Mazette in Fabrezan for tapas that are more Spanish. And there's also a great pizzeria in Fabrezan (serves other dishes too). In Lagrasse I like La Cocotte Fêlée, which does a kind of Thai-French fusion (other than that I have to say I'm not massively keen on the eating options in Lagrasse, but there is a nice Saturday morning market for self-catering).

 

[Anne]

Thanks so much, that's just what I was hoping to hear - "near-veggie" will be quite fine. I had just remembered hearing someone say they had difficulty eating out in France, but perhaps they are strictly vegetarian. Sara can eat a little meat, it's just that any quantity of it will make her feel nauseated. I just wanted to reassure her that she won't have to live on desserts at every meal (which is her backup plan! haha)

 

[veronicafrance]

Thanks so much, that's just what I was hoping to hear - "near-veggie" will be quite fine. I had just remembered hearing someone say they had difficulty eating out in France, but perhaps they are strictly vegetarian. Sara can eat a little meat, it's just that any quantity of it will make her feel nauseated. I just wanted to reassure her that she won't have to live on desserts at every meal (which is her backup plan! haha)

Does she eat fish, then? Because if so, no problem at all. There'll almost always be a fishy option on menus.

 

[Anne]

Does she eat fish, then? Because if so, no problem at all. There'll almost always be a fishy option on menus.

Oh perfect, she'll have lot of options then! Thanks so much!