Lou Recantou & L 'Ancien Pressoir
Lou Recantou: the cottage
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August 2010 newsletter
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Place your cursor over the photos to see the titles.
Maps of France and
the Languedoc-Roussillon:
Languedoc-Roussillon:
- a large area of southern France
- offers most of the advantages of the better-known region of Provence
- less crowded, less traffic
- climate of southern Languedoc-Roussillon is Mediterranean
- Mediterranean vegetation
- proximity to sea and mountains (Pyrénées and Montagne Noire)
This area, particularly the two southern departments of the Roussillon, is as influenced by Spanish language and customs as eastern Provence is by Italian culture.
The Minervois:
- small but geographically diverse area within the much larger region of the Languedoc-Roussillon
- shared between the Hérault and the Aude
- extends from southern slopes of Montagne Noire (at southern extremity of Massif Central) to Canal du Midi.
- named for the historic village of Minerve
- commercial centre is Olonzac (pronounced "oh-lohn-ZACK")
- excels year-round in:
- on-road cycling
- off-road cycling
- walking
- bird-watching
- owners can suggest best places for these activities
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THE VILLAGE
Oupia is:- pronounced "oop-YAH"
- 3 km. (2 mi.) east of Olonzac (just below "Z" on map above)
- 25 km. (15 mi.) nw of Narbonne
- 40 km. (25 mi.) e of Carcassonne
- a quiet, friendly village of about 250 people
- surrounded by vineyards
- a small but well-supplied grocery store
- a post office
- a restaurant
- the 12th century Château d'Oupia:
- run by the Iché family
- has won many gold medals in Paris over the years
- known particularly for its red Minervois, Les Barons
- offers a full range of wines, including white, rosé, several reds and a very special late harvest white.
OLONZAC
- less than five minutes away by car (or 10 minutes by bicycle!)
- a larger village with full services:
- four cafés
- two banks
- three bakeries
- three butchers
- a traiteur (somewhat along the lines of a deli)
- two general grocery stores and a supermarket
- a weekly market
- a florist
- hardware and building stores
- a news agent
- a small book store
- several hairdressers and a very good barber/coiffeur
- four restaurants and a café/snack bar at the nearby Lac de Jouarres
- many more good restaurants within a few minutes' drive
- a co-operative producing and selling local wine
TWO HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AREA
The village of Minerve and the Canal du Midi are both ten minutes away by car (and easily accessible by bicycle).
The Montagne Noire is 20 minutes away by car and Mediterranean beaches 35-40 minutes. Excellent day excursions include the Pyrénées, Cathar castles, the National Park of the Upper Languedoc and north-eastern Spain.
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MAPS OF THE AREA
Detailed maps: Michelin map website- Click on Maps
- Type Oupia in the line entitled 'Address, station'
- Type in '34210' under 'Postcode, region'
- Scroll up to France in the list of countries
- Click on OK on this screen
- Click OK on the next one as well
- For a close-up, click on the + at the left of the map screen
Thanks to guest Rick Steele and his GPS monitor, we have the co-ordinates for Lou
Recantou:
- Latitude: North 43° 17' 32.1''
- Longitude: East 002° 46' 02.5''
- Elevation: 101 metres (accurate to within 5 metres)
(By the way, Rick was told several years ago that he couldn't take his monitor in the cabin with him on the return flight. As his baggage had already been checked through, he ended up giving it away to an airport employee. If you're planning to bring slightly unusual equipment, be sure to pack it in the bags to be checked.)
Rick owns Gold Country Cyclery, a bike store in Sacramento, California, specializing
in tandem and recumbent bicycles. You can visit his website at:
http://www.tandems-recumbents.com
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