We spent our days in the Languedoc randomly seeking out nearby places that seemed interesting or lovely. The village of Minerve is one example. Minerve's "big event" was in 1210 when the Cathar's holed up and Simon de Montfort laid seige to the village. The geography provides for a great defense, but after six weeks without food and water, the village was taken and 140 Cathars burned at the stake. Today, Minerve has a special designation. Like the AOC designations for wine and cheese (and blue-footed chickens from Bresse) France has a special designation for its most picturesque villages called "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France". I don't know what the critera are exactly, but "tourstiness" doesn't hurt you.... About 144 villages are honored with this designation, and to a one they are a joy to experience. Minerve gives its name to the wine of the area "Minervois" which we highly recommend. It was harvest time so we could hear the harvesters in the vineyard across the gorge calling out to one another and laughing. In the old streets of the town a tractor was parked with a load of grapes dripping purple juice on the cobblestones beneath it.
That afternoon (after another fabulous lunch of cassoulet!) we moved on to Saissac 
with Cathy and Romuald. After helping Cathy gather chestnuts for roasting later at home, we visited the ruined castle that was nearby and Romuald snapped a photo of Cathy and I in the ruined château.The next day we chose another picturesque village for a morning visit -- Lagrasse. 
Yes ladies and gentlemen, another winner in the "plus beaux village" classification.
Lagrasse is in the Corbieres winegrowing district and sits across the Orbieu river from a beautiful benedictine abbey that was remarkably well preserved. After a short walking tour of the town we dashed into the abbey dodging raindrops. Fortunately the rain fell while we were in the abbey and it was dry and the sun came out for us to complete our walking tour of the town. We stopped on our way out for a last view across the old bridge to the abbey beyond.
Yes ladies and gentlemen, another winner in the "plus beaux village" classification.Lagrasse is in the Corbieres winegrowing district and sits across the Orbieu river from a beautiful benedictine abbey that was remarkably well preserved. After a short walking tour of the town we dashed into the abbey dodging raindrops. Fortunately the rain fell while we were in the abbey and it was dry and the sun came out for us to complete our walking tour of the town. We stopped on our way out for a last view across the old bridge to the abbey beyond.
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