Carcassonne Penthouse
in the Languedoc, South of France
The Languedoc
   The
Languedoc-Roussillon is one of the most fascinating areas of Europe,
bordering the Mediterranean
Sea to theeast and the Pyrenees
Mountains to the south .It
benefits from a typical Mediterranean climate
and has an unusually rich wildlife,
a spectacular coast,
and surprising history.Things
to see include mountains,
rivers
and lakes, ancient
cities, towns,
villages,
thermal
springs, abbeys,
and cathedrals,
châteaux
and castles,
notably the famous mountain fortresses popularly known as Cathar
Castles.
   In
recent yearsit has become a popular French holiday
destination, with long sunny
days, Mediterranean
beaches, tourist
facilities, thousands of miles of walks,
and rides,
National
Parks and wildlife reserves (such as the Camargue
and the Cevennes),
thermal
springs and spas,
grottoes and caves, and vestiges of the Languedoc's long history,
including dinosaur
bones and eggs, prehistoric human
remains, dolmens
and megaliths, geology,
archaeology and palaeontology, Greek
and Roman
architecture, and everywhere reminders of the the Cathars,
the papal Crusade
against them, and the Papal
Inquisition that followed the crusade.
   Things
to do in the Languedoc-Roussillon include a range of holidays,
including naturist
holidays and activity
holidays. Sports include a wide range of land
sports, water
sports, air
sports, mountain
sports, winter
sports, golf,
hunting,
shooting, hawking, and fishing.
There are also numerous cultural
activities, along with French regional food
specialties, and Languedoc wines.
Local festivals range from bull-running
to the
Fecos in Limoux
and from sea-jousting
in the north to celebrating la jour de St-Jean in the south by
fire-jumping.
   The
Languedoc has a rich prehistory
and history,
including Celts,
Hannibal
with his elephants, Greeks,
Romans,
Visigoths,
Moors,
and Franks.
Find out about the Medieval
period, before the area was annexed by France, when its language,
the
Langue d'Oc, was the premier literary language of Europe,
and its rulers, the Counts
of Toulouse, were the most tolerant and enlightened rulers
in the Western World.
|
