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The Languedoc-Roussilon Area
Carcassonne
The medieval city of Carcassonne, La Cité, lies approximately 30 minutes to the West by car from Hortensia Cottage. Carcassonne is a fortified town in the Aude département of France. It is separated into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. The fortress, which was thoroughly restored in 1853 by the theorist and architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997.In 1067 Carcassonne became the property of Raimond Bernard Trencavel, viscount of Albi and Nîmes, through his marriage with Ermengard, sister of the last count of Carcassonne. They built the Château Comtal and the Basilica of Saint-Nazaire. In 1096 Pope Urban II blessed the foundation stones of the new cathedral, a Catholic bastion against the Cathar heretics. Carcassonne became famous in its role in the Albigensian Crusades, when the city was a stronghold of occitan cathars. In August 1209 the crusading army of Simon de Montfort forced its citizens to surrender. After capturing Raymond-Roger de Trencavel and imprisoning and allowing him to die, Montfort made himself the new viscount. He added to the fortifications. In 1240 Trencavel's son tried to reconquer his old domain but in vain. The city submitted to the rule of kingdom of France in 1247, and King Louis IX founded the new part of the town across the river.
 Minerve
Minerve is a medieval fortified village situated on top of the gorge of the River Cesse in a naturally strong defensive position. Near the village the river disappears underground in a large, naturally-carved tunnel. In 1210 a group of Cathars sought refuge in the village after the massacre of Béziers during the Albigensian Crusade. The village was besieged by Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester. The attacking army besieged the village for six weeks & they set up four catapults around the fortification, three to attack the village, and the largest to attack the town's water supply. Eventually the commander of the 200 strong garrison, Viscount Guilhem of Minerve, gave in and negotiated a surrender which saved the villagers and himself after the destruction of the town's main well. However, 140 Cathars refused to give up their faith and were burned to death at the stake.
Canal du Midi
The Canal du Midi or Canal des Deux Mers is a 240 km long canal. The canal connects the Garonne River on the French west coast to the Étang de Thau on the French Mediterranean. The canal runs from the city of Toulouse down past Carcassonne to the Mediterranean port of Sète. The Canal passes within a couple of miles of the village of Hortensia Cottage & you can enjoy canal side bars & restaurants at the nearby towns of Trebes & Homps.
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