It does get cold in the South of France!

We knew it was late November, but we didn't want to go to Carcassonne with the hourdes of tourists during the summer. What we hadn't anticipated was the snow on the surrounding hills that fell the day before we arrived, which made the weather very chilly for a couple of days!

But we managed to keep warm with plenty of Cassoulet, Foie gras and vin rouge. It was nice to be there though and it certainly is a very medieval city...

...but the drawer bridge was not designed for concrete lorries. There were many hands to make sure that none of this part of the Heritage site was touched!!

We hired a car and visited several of the villages in the Langedoc/Rousillon area...

...and got lost amongst the vineyards. Some areas look neglected and obviously struggle to perform, while other areas are really steeping up to the mark and their wines are fabulous.

We also discovered that hilltop villages are not necessarily modern conceptions. Some of these old chateaus are truly impregnable, even by today's standards!!

The sun did manage to come out eventually and we visited Sete, whose claim to fame is France's largest fishing village/port on the Meditteraean. Of course, we had to have a delightful lunch of Oysters and Bouillabaisse.