It’s time for my yearly tradition again, reflecting on the past year and sharing my 2024 favourites. On a personal level, our family composition slightly changed with Oldest moving to Toulouse to start business school. It’s so much quieter at home, but luckily, he comes back regularly to visit. The twins, being real teenagers, are busy with school and social life. That means Chéri and I often go on day trips just the two of us. Although sometimes I can still lure the whole family to join us, especially when good food is involved…
Property Finder and Food Tours
In 2024, I started working as a property finder for France Property Angels. And I sold my first few houses! Not only in Béziers, although it is easy to explain why people should move to this lovely city, but also in nearby villages and even in Nîmes and Sète. In the meantime, I continued organising my Béziers food tours. It started with a big fright, as the covered market- ‘Les Halles’- was closed for renovations and some other addresses had vanished. But just before my first tour started, I found some new tasty addresses, and my visitors still fell in love with Béziers. I even organised a few customised tours for bigger groups which were great fun. And to my delight- and I think every Biterrois with me- Les Halles has reopened its doors, and it is fab! I can’t wait to start my food tours again in the spring.
New project
And last April, Chéri and I finally got the keys to our new property! Our ideas for what to do with it are wild and will take a long time to fulfil. Therefore, we have started to work with some talented young architects, who have designed the plans and made a very cool scale model. The next step is to present the plans to the mayor and start applying for a building permit. But I have good hopes that it will become a place where everything will come together. I will hopefully share all the details with you in the course of next year…
Between all these exciting projects, I still had (some…) time left to discover new things, and you will find my favourites below. I hope you had a great year, too, and I wish you a very happy New Year full of happiness and joy!
1. Favourite activity: La Ramoneta Lunch
My absolute highlight of this year was organising a lunch for all the ‘Ramonetas of the Month‘. And a special huge thanks goes to Delphine from Domaine Allegria who offered her amazing wine estate as a location. When interviewing her for the Ramoneta of the Month article, I mentioned that it was my dream to get everyone together over a meal. Delphine offered to host it at her Domaine and asked me for a date. So, it pushed me to make my dream come true. And I’m so glad it finally happened! It was exactly what I had in mind: a bunch of cool women from all over the world with various backgrounds connecting and reconnecting, chatting and laughing. I would never have thought this would happen when I started La Ramoneta in 2017.
2. Favourite hike: Mont Caroux
When driving inland from Béziers toward Saint-Chinian or Roquebrun, chances are high that you will see the impressive Mont Caroux in the distance. Its recognisable shape is visible as far away as the Mediterranean Sea, serving as a landmark for sailors. The family and I have walked to the summit before (nothing too bad). This time, Chéri and I decided to do the hike in full summer when the slopes were covered under a purple heather blanket. You get great views from two spots: the orientation table and the slightly higher actual summit (1,090 versus 1,059 meters). The flowering heather gave it a whole different experience and added to the magic of this natural site. Gazing over the magnificent landscape, it was easy to understand how this enchanting place has inspired many mysterious legends.
3. Favourite restaurant: Asado in Narbonne
One evening to remember was a dinner at Asado, one of Château Le Capitoul’s restaurants between Narbonne and the Mediterranean Sea. The star of the kitchen is a badass wood-fired grill that knows how to highlight high-quality local produce. And the setting was spot-on as well, with a dining room in a Belle Époque style that embraced Chéri and me completely. In the meantime, Chef Jean Landes and his team stood behind the grill to prepare a most delicious meal. Most produce comes from the estate’s gardens or carefully selected local producers. And you can even order the Château’s wine from the Bonfils family. Asado is Spanish for a Southern American barbecue technique, and also means a social gathering around an open fire. A name well chosen for this gem of a restaurant!
4. Favourite family trip: Canoeing in Roquebrun
This summer, we went on several canoeing trips with friends and family. Although many canoe rentals exist in this part of France, we like going to Canoë Roquebrun (this post is not sponsored, lol). The area is gorgeous, with gorges, rolling hills covered by vineyards, and picturesque villages. From the water of the Orb River, you will have a different perspective of this varied landscape, and it’s the perfect day trip to show off our beautiful region. From Roquebrun, you can make several kayaking trips, from 5 to 21 kilometres, and even two or three-day trips. We did the 10 kilometre trip from Vieussan and the shorter 5 kilometre one leaving from Ceps. The kids especially liked the longer trip, as we found some beautiful swimming spots where they could jump from the rocks.
5. Favourite village: Caux
Working as a property finder made me realise that a few places attract people more than others. Béziers and Pézenas are two of them. Although, most house hunters prefer living near those towns instead of in them. And that’s how I discovered Caux: a small, rural circular village ten minutes drive from Pézenas. Its medieval centre is beautifully preserved and well-maintained. Roaming around the picturesque little streets reveals its beautiful patrimonial heritage like the old bell tower. The village has all the amenities you need, including two bakeries and a lovely restaurant with funky decorations. Neighbouring Pézenas and Roujan are a ten-minute drive away and have more and bigger shops. And within half an hour, you can spread your towel at one of the Mediterranean beaches. I was sold immediately!
6. Favourite market: Sunday market in Saint-Chinian
In August, we stayed for a week in our little holiday home in the hamlet of Le Priou. This happens to be close to Saint-Chinian, and therefore, it was an excellent reason to go to Saint-Chinian’s Sunday market. Saint-Chinian is, most days, a charming, quiet little village tucked away between rolling vineyards and garrigue. Except for Sunday mornings, when the main square transforms into a lively local market. We filled up our straw basket with colourful fruits and vegetables, smelly cheeses, a selection of tapenades and olives, and more. After our strolling and shopping, we, of course, had a drink on the terrace of Café du Balcon’ Chez Polak’ to catch up with some friends. And back home, we prepared a beautiful lunch with all the fresh produce bought at the market.
7. Favourite tasting: Antonini & Co
When doing a tasting in the South of France, you probably immediately think about a wine tasting. To my surprise, I discovered a mozzarella farm in the middle of the wine region of Corbières. Here, the farm Antonini & Co keeps a herd of buffaloes to produce fresh mozzarella and other farm products. The family and I went on one of the open house days they organise yearly. We met some of the animals, such as piglets, Angora goats, and buffaloes of course. At the end of the morning, we saw Eduardo in action making mozzarella, a quite complicated process. Of course, I had to buy some fresh mozzarella to try at home. And I can now confirm that the best French mozzarella comes from Antonini & Co!
8. Favourite town: La Grande-Motte
After eight years of blogging, I wanted to update a couple of my older blog posts. La Grande-Motte was one of them as I had last visited it in 2020. This famous beach resort along the Languedoc coastline is known for its unique architecture. Expect pyramid-shaped buildings inspired by the historical pre-Colombian site of Teotihuacan in Mexico. I decided to walk around and let the sea breeze guide me. I started at the Quartier du Levant, which is the centre of La Grande-Motte, the so-called ‘masculine side’. Via the Promenade des Vents park, I walked to the beach, from where you can see the surreal skyline. Via the marina, I walked further to explore the Quartier du Couchant, with its more curved shapes the ‘feminine side’. I enjoyed looking further afield and making an effort to get to know this seaside resort. It surprised me with its beauty and hidden messages.
9. Favourite festival: Joutes in Sète
In the middle of summer, there are many festivals, or ‘fêtes’ in French. An important and well-known event in the region is the ‘joutes‘ event in the lovely seaside town of Sète at the end of August. The family and I decided to revisit it; the kids were under 10 years old the last time we went! Water jousting is more than just tradition, folklore and sport, as it really reflects the soul of the inhabitants of Sète. In short: the goal of the battle is to push the opponent off the ‘tintaine’ (a small platform on each boat where the jouster stands, about 2 meters above the water level) with a ‘lance’ (a 2.8-meter long wooden spear). It was great fun to watch from one of the stands and be part of this local celebration.
10. Favourite winter trip: Les Angles
Every year, I try to take one of the kids on a little ski trip in the Pyrenees. This year, it was Middlest’s turn, and he was very eager to go. And so was I! So, on a February weekend, Middlest and I hit the slopes, and we had lots of fun exploring the Les Angles ski resort. For lunch, we didn’t go to a restaurant. Instead, I had found out about this secret barbecue spot, where friendly staff grilled our chicken for free (but a tip was appreciated). Fantastic! In the afternoon, we called it a day for the skiing part. But I had some more surprises in store. First, we went on a sledging ride at Lou Bac Mountain. And after all this action, Middlest and I spent some time bubbling and relaxing at the second surprise: the Angléo spa. What a blissful way to end our Pyrenees weekend!
