Loving Languedoc

Jack & Yvonne Prevo; McKinney, Texas

At the end of our review of a tour to the Normandy/Loire Valley area of France (March ’11, pg. 6) that we took with George Nevin of Intimate France (Oakland, CA; 800/676-1247, www.intimatefrance.com), we stated, “We will definitely travel with Intimate France again!” We are here to report that we have, indeed, traveled with George again, and we were just as delighted with his tour of the Languedoc region of France.

The sights

Languedoc, located in the far southwest corner of France by the Pyrénées Mountains and the Spanish border, is filled with beautiful Mediterranean coastal towns, medieval walled cities, forts, castles and villages perched like aeries atop the hills. During perfect weather in September 2013, we visited several villages on Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (The Most Beautiful Villages of France) list, as well as a UNESCO-recognized abbey, a partially restored castle dating back to the 13th century and awe-inspiring cathedrals.

This 12-night tour included breakfast daily and eight other meals (lunches and dinners), was comprised of eight travelers and used 3-star hotels. We had multinight stays in Collioure, Narbonne, Carcassonne and Albi, spending the final night in Toulouse. The cost of $3,895 per person, double, did not include airfare.

Carcassonne’s medieval double walls were beautifully lit at night, and they were spectacular. 

In Albi we visited the world’s largest brick cathedral, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as is the finely restored castle that now houses a museum dedicated to Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, whose hometown is Albi. 

In Collioure, a coastal resort town, we shopped for picnic supplies at their weekly market where, in addition to food, produce, cheese, bread and wine, vendors sold clothing, ceramics, fabrics, flowers and handcrafted jewelry. We also took a small open train on a rather bumpy but thoroughly enjoyable ride through the vineyard-covered hills up to a medieval watchtower overlooking the coast. 

It was our good fortune to be in Mirepoix on a Sunday, when there was a flea market being held with interesting household items, antiques and junque. 

A short cruise on the Tarn River, with good views of the Albi cathedral, was relaxing and fun. 

The Canal du Midi, which we encountered several times, is a prominent feature of the area, and one day we had a lovely lunch nearby. As we traveled through the countryside in George’s comfortable 9-passenger van, we passed numerous fields of sunflowers and, of course, vineyards. 

The food

We dined at two Michelin-starred restaurants — one of which was included in the tour cost and the other, optional — as well as two others which are cited in the Michelin Guide. 

One of our more notable included meals was at Auberge du Pont Vieux in Albi, where a husband-and-wife team prepared a glorious meal. Eric, the chef, without an assistant, prepared everything from appetizers, soup and salads to entrées and desserts. His wife, Emilie, demonstrated her knowledge of food and wine as she and George discussed the menu. 

It was amazing how nine diners could receive their individual choices for each course all at the same time and all perfectly prepared and garnished.

George speaks fluent French, and it was enjoyable to watch and hear him translate the menus and confer with the waiters on the food and wine selections for the group. One of the nicest benefits of this tour is being able to order from the menu rather than having a set group meal. 

George is also flexible on the itinerary, and there are no forced marches through museums and churches. When visiting a site, he always announces a time and place to reconvene, enabling travelers to pursue their own interests.

George not only arranges and books his tours, he is a food-and-wine connoisseur, an excellent driver and a teacher. Before each of our excursions, he gave us a brief but informative history lesson, which helped put Languedoc’s long and complicated history in perspective and added to our understanding and enjoyment.

Accommodations

George chooses hotels that are well located. The Mercure in Carcassonne was especially comfortable, and Hôtel La Résidence in Narbonne was ooh-la-la! Tres chic! 

It was amusing at our hotel in Albi to awaken to the view of a handsome man’s nude backside on tapestry. No one else in our group had such “art” in their room (and some were disappointed about that).

Although we didn’t see her, Helen Mirren was in the village of Saint- Antonin-Noble-Val filming a movie based on the book “The Hundred-Foot Journey.” The day we were there, the square was being set up for a market scene. It was interesting to see storefronts being painted, vines trimmed and the vast amount of movie-making equipment. 

A few details

The structure of George’s tours is very much to our liking, and we welcome having free time after each day’s planned activities and excursions have been completed. At that point, we find having options appealing. Should we seek out additional points of interest, get a snack, do some shopping or have a nap? The nap often wins. 

George runs four tours a year. You can check his website for destinations, dates and prices.

In our group of eight, six people had previously traveled with him. Will we travel with George again? Positively!