Ouzo, Schnapps, Rosé & Prosecco

[Gem56]

 

[Gem56]

The Millau Viaduct - a couple of hours drive out of Montpellier. They starting discussing the viaduct in 1988 and it was opened in 2004.

Wikipedia: The Millau Viaduct (French: le Viaduc de Millau, is a cable-stayed bridge that spans the gorge valley of the Tarn near Millau in southern France. In a Franco-British partnership, it was designed by the French structural engineer Michel Virlogeux and English architect Lord Norman Foster. As of November 2018, it is the tallest bridge in the world, having a structural height of 336.4 metres (1,104 ft).

The Millau Viaduct is part of the A75–A71 autoroute axis from Paris to Béziers and Montpellier. The cost of construction was approximately € 394 million. It was built over three years, formally inaugurated on 14 December 2004, and opened to traffic two days later on 16 December. The bridge has been consistently ranked as one of the great engineering achievements of all time, and received the 2006 Outstanding Structure Award from the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering.









Millau

 

[Gem56]

The poppies are still in flower

 

[Gem56]

Aven Amand Cave
(Another one for your bucket list @RooFlyer)

Wikipedia:
It was first scientifically explored by the French explorers Louis Armand and Édouard-Alfred Martel in 1897. The cave begins as a narrow pit, descending 75 metres (246 ft) before opening up into an enormous vaulted chamber known as the Grand Salle, or "Great Hall".

The Grand Salle is close to 100 metres (330 ft) long and 55 metres (180 ft) wide. The floor is covered with a proliferation of fragile limestone speleothems in a variety of shapes and sizes, created by the slow dripping of water through the stone over thousands of years. Some have reached heights of close to 30 metres (98 ft).

It has been open to the public since 1927, after a man-made tunnel and walkway paths were created to permit easier viewing of the Grand Salle.

In June 2017, French singer Nolwenn Leroy used the Aven Armand cave as a setting for the music video of her single "Gemme" .

Cost was €12.50 each.

Simply stunning!





A funiculaire takes you down 60m into the cave. From this point there are numerous steps and footpaths that take you through the forest






The story of Louis Amand dropping down into the cave and what he saw.

 

[Gem56]

 

[Gem56]

Anyone for a picnic? They have shelters!


The entrance - this is what Louis Amand came across

 

[Gem56]

Amazing scenery on our drive back to Montpellier

 

[RooFlyer]

(Another one for your bucket list @RooFlyer)

You get to such interesting places! But as usual, I won't have time for that level of detail. I've already expanded my time in France from 4 days to about 10 (now including Strasbourg for instance ) and it won't be enough

 

[Gem56]

At this spot, there were a number of cars parked; obviously their occupants were looking at the view. Not wanting to be left out, we parked like a European and joined the crowd. There were a few cameras with large zoom lenses set up and they had obviously found something. As I zoomed in with my little camera, there was great excitement that I had found it. Then came the fun of trying to tell us what it was. One lady said "wife"! Hahaha - whose wife? No... she meant a nanny (a nanny goat that is).

 

[Jacques Vert]

You get to such interesting places! But as usual, I won't have time for that level of detail. I've already expanded my time in France from 4 days to about 10 (now including Strasbourg for instance ) and it won't be enough

I trust you have allowed time for the wine route

 

[Gem56]

Marseillan Plage - A quick sticky beak and a stop for an icecream on our drive through from Montpellier to Perpignan.

 

[Gem56]

Agde - another point enroute to Perpignan

 

[Gem56]

in 2016 we motored on the Canal du Midi through Beziers, and this time it was on land along the canal. It was great to see it from a different viewpoint.

 

[Gem56]

"The Steps" at Beziers - boats coming away from Beziers. This is a series of 6 or7 locks one directly after the other to allow you to transverse up and down the mountain. Our trip 3 years ago on these very locks was fantastic and seeing them again brought back many fabulous memories.

The one very sad thing we saw was the removal of the beautiful Plane trees due to disease. New trees are being planted however it will be some time before the ambiance of the canal is restored to what it was previously.



To access this point, follow the sign to écluses de Fonserannes, there is a car park at the bottom costing €4 and then a gentle incline along the boardwalk to the top of the steps.

 

[Gem56]

Perpignan

Accommodation was at La Villa du Flot. A little out of town however it was about the only hotel within our price range. Nice and comfortable, except for the omission of a lift.

 

[Gem56]

It was late in the day by the time we arrived and checked-in, we decided to eat in their restaurant. Displaying a Michelin winner sticker on the door, nice setting and the menu looked appetising.









Appetiser compliments of the chef - delish!

 

[Gem56]

The old city in Perpignan





Construction of this cathedral began in 1324 and completed in the 15th century and is dedicated to St John the Baptist

 

[Gem56]

 

[Gem56]

Wikipedia:

"Pierre Bardou (1826–92) and his father Jean Bardou founded the JOB cigarette papercompany, whose name is taken from Jean Bardou's initials. Pierre Bardou bought several houses in Perpignan on the Rue Émile Zola between 1852 and 1872, where he built workshops lit by a magnificent skylight adjacent to his home, which was enlarged to become a mansion. In practice the factory and the private space were not clearly separated. Pierre's wife, Léonie Amiel, died in 1871 leaving three children. His sister-in-law, Henriette Amiel, moved into the mansion on 18 rue Saint-Sauveur in Perpignan to care for them. In 1888 the politician Jules Pams married Jeanne Bardou. Jeanne was Pierre Bardou's youngest child, and would inherit the property. The Pams' lived in the house. While Pierre Bardou was an enthusiastic collector of "curiosities", Jules Pams was an enlightened amateur and patron of contemporary art, and in effect became Bardou's artistic adviser.

After Pierre Bardou-Job died in 1892 Pams commissioned the architect and designer Léopold Carlier to remodel the mansion to his taste. The renovation in 1894–97 added gold, marble and onyx throughout, with marquetry furniture. The paintings were by Paul Gervais, a fashionable artist at the time. Gervais decorated the casinos in Monaco and Nice and the Capitole in Toulouse. His paintings celebrate seductive women, love, and the virtues of civilization. "

 

[Gem56]

A short drive (by Australian standards) down to Collioure (approx 45min) for lunch and a stroll.