On Friday we packed up at Whitby,collected the car ,and drive to Liverpool .
It took us approximately 4 hours which is less than we had estimated .We found our drop off point and deposited the car and booked into the Hampton Hilton.This hotel is located at the airport and was very satisfactory as you literally left your room,went down in the lift and crossed the pedestrian crossing to the John Lennon Airport.
We left,flying Ryanair,at 9.30 give or take a few minutes,and headed for Carcassonne .The weather was overcast and when we arrived it was very windy and misty rain.
We collected our car,and headed for Olonzac ,the GPS would not talk to us and we had to drive on the right hand side of the road,talk about risk taking!
What a visual feast,the wonderful countryside scattered with vineyards ,olive groves,fig trees,flowers and vegetables.
We arrived in Olonzac mid afternoon and endeavoured to follow the instructions set down by our host.
I can tell you we both had to practice our French as we could not find our little house.
The people in the village were very helpful!
We parked the car and walked to see if we could find something that resembled anything in our instructions,admiring the beautiful old buildings,shutters and magnificent doorways .
Voila! We turn a corner near the town square and there is our abode.We will be here for two weeks,what bliss!
The cottage is called Le Petit Castel and it is three stories.
The wonderful staircase will keep both of us very fit!
Olonzac ,with a population of 1600,is the meeting place of the Minervois Valley.This is where the people from the surrounding villages come to socialise and shop.
With four restaurants,four cafés/bars,three patisseries,two supermarkets and many other little shops selling everything from flowers to newspapers,there appears to be everything here to meet our needs.Professional services include a range of doctors,dentists and banks.
Evidently there is a wonderful Tuesday Market in Olonzac,one of the biggest and best in the area.The market fills the main boulevard and winds up the very narrow streets to fill the iron roofed square in the heart of the ancient village.According to our host this is a marvellous market displaying local cheeses,fruit,wine charcuterie ,breads ,meat,flowers,vegetables,spices,herbs et,al .
Olonzac has a large Municipal Park of many varieties of mature trees,rose arbours,ponds with ducks and swans,tennis courts,boules courts and extensive lawns and gardens.The main boulevard is lined with huge plane trees,cafés and buildings of architectural interest.There is an archeological museum,tourism office and wine co- operative.
The main economic activity here is wine and the town is surrounded by vineyards and olive groves.
The residents here are from a mix of cultures,French,of course,but also Spanish,Italian and newcomers from all over Europe.
The region itself ,Languedoc Roussillon,is the "south" of the south of France.The region gets an average of over 300 days of sunshine each year and has more coastline than the French Riviera to the North East.
This area is everything we wanted,it is off the tourist track and is a well kept secret,with its unspoilt countryside,attractive local markets and untouched medieval villages .
We are going to love our stay here.
The church bell chimes on the half hour and it is done manually,starting at 5 in the morning .
We met a very nice couple yesterday ,at the Cafe,they are regulars here from Somerset UK,we will be seeking advice from them,and asking questions.
We went to the flea market this morning and that was a sight for sore eyes also.
On the way back we popped into the Boulangerie for some baguettes,it is just on the corner from Le Petite Castel.
We need French SIM cards for our IPads and phones so we will travel to Narbonne tomorrow.