Blogs from Mirepoix, Midi-Pyrénées, France, Europe
May 10th 2009
First thing in the morning I went for a run around the castle walls - hard work but good fun. I hate running. We all had breakfast at the hotel and then Mum, Sar and Stevie headed into the castle and Eli and I stayed at the hotel as Elwood didn’t feel 100%. Later they came and got us. All Elwood had to hear was that there were shops inside and immediately he perked up. We spent 1-2hrs in the castle looking at the shops and then headed off, mainly because Stevie was getting cranky. We drove into Narbonne and had some lunch, we got there at 3pm and couldn’t find anywhere to eat. So we all munched on a trusty (crusty) baguette. After lunch we began our 2hr 40 min journey home. I am happy ... read more
Austin Girl Sips French Espresso Shots in Castelnaudary, France: Damn These Are Strong!
Published: February 17th 2008Europe » France » Midi-Pyrénées » Mirepoix
February 17th 2008
by Austin Girl http://www.austingirlblog.blogspot.com In the quaint village of Castelnaudary, France there are polite, charming people who don't speak English. This is an important travel tip for those visiting who haven't mastered the French-At-A-Glance Phrase Book and Dictionary for Travelers on the long-ass flight over there. Our hapless adventure begins with Austin Girl, the non-speaking-French blonde Baptist traveler who visited the south of France for a few weeks while writing her screenplay. Armed with only the knowledge of two words: 'Bonjour' and 'Merci' -- she quickly surmised that she may be mired in deep doggie doo doo shit. Each morning, Austin Girl visited "The Caffe' Bar" located in the town square. And each morning, using a drunken form of sign language, she described her coffee drink of choice to the French-speaking Waiter Boy who had a ... read more
Austin Girl Drinks Pastis in Castelnaudary, France: Is this Licorice?
Published: February 17th 2008Europe » France » Midi-Pyrénées » MirepoixFebruary 17th 2008
by Austin Girl http://www.austingirlblog.blogspot.com In Castelnaudary, France, there are no Starbucks - only bars. I visited one such bar appropriately named: ‘The Caffe’ Bar.” It serves beer, whiskey and wine. Locals drink the “stop-your-heart” espresso shots in the morning and either beer or Pastis, at night. Pastis is a favorite among the French. The French must have a warped fetish for licorice. Watered down, I could not stomach Pastis. Drunk, I could not stomach Pastis. The preferred way to drink this liqueur is watered down -- my preferred way is NOT. Eschew. Avoid. Just say no. Stay far, far away unless you want to have licorice nightmares. The aromatic, sharply pungent chewy smell of licorice conjures up haunting memories, ugly, nasty haunting memories… the kind of memories that rise to the surface and pop like a ... read more
April 29th 2007
Mire poix is only 45 minutes from Toulouse, where I live. Sunday April 29th was a sunny day, quite warm for the month of April, so we decided to have an afternoon out. After a lovely drive through the valley of northern Ariège, we finally arrived at Mirepoix, just in time for lunch :-). Mirepoix is a medieval Market Town, founded in around the 13th C. Although some of the buildings have obviously been restored and painted in modern paint, the wooden beams of the arcades still exist. One can esaily imagine the medieval folk going about their daily business in the square. Of particular interest to any curious traveller or historian would be the Cathedral of St. Maurice (14th - 16th C). The cathedral has the widest nave in France, and is the second ... read more
