₪ ₪ Carcassonne ₪ ₪

Advantages: ~~a unique visit
Disadvantages: ~~ the crowd

...Carcassonne, classed as World Heritage, and national monument since 1997, is known world wide for it's Cathare "cité". It's not easy to describe, but I'll do my best : Imagine a small town, built in the IVth century. This town has it's cathedral, (built later, by the Cathares), and a castle.... the lot is surrounded by a doubled fortified wall. That's for the quick description, but let me tell you how it came to be, and how my visit went. ۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞۞ ~~ I'll start with my visit ~~ ¨?"°º••º°"?¨¨?"°º••º°"?¨¨?"°º••º°"?¨¨¨?"°º••º°"?¨¨ Carcassonne is an hour...

bodsquidge 10.06.2006 · Read review
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Review of Carcassonne

Cathare country Airport

Advantages: It's in Carcassonne
Disadvantages: Not many flights

...Salvaza Airport, locally known as the airport of Carcassonne, "pays Cathare", is situated 4 kilometres west of Carcassonne, just by the Narbonne-Toulouse motorway. There is a commercial zone just next to it, with a supermarket, furniture shop, MacDonald's, and a few hotels. The first thing that is striking when you reach the airport, is its small size. 100 square metres altogether with the departures, and arrival areas. ₪ ₪ ₪ ₪ ۝₪ ₪ ₪ ₪ ۝₪ ₪ ₪ ₪ ۝₪ ₪ ₪ ₪ ۝₪ ₪ ₪ ₪ ۝₪ ₪ ₪ ₪ There is a car park in front of the terminal, and another next to it. Sometimes it is difficult to find a parking space, however, there is a petrol station just behind the car park where...

bodsquidge 16.01.2008 · Read review
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Review of Carcassonne Airport, France

Narrow dog to Carcassonne by Terry Darlington

Advantages: A great story, very well told
Disadvantages: It ended!

...This is the tale of Jim, who is a whippet. And his two companions (the humans who mistakenly believe that they own him) Terry and Monica Darlington. And their "brave" decision, on retiring, to take a canal narrowboat the Phyllis May, all the way from Staffordshire to Carcassonne in Southern France. Everyone told them that they were mad, or brave, or stupid or brave in a madly, stupid way. The upshot of this advice was that they were more intent on making the trip. Jim has bad habits. The kind of bad habits that endear dogs to people who are not their owners. His habit of begging in pubs is told by Terry in a fashion that is both highly amusing and original in tone. Terry's sense of humour that shines through the telling of this tale has brought a unique voice to the fore of British writing and it is to be hoped that Terry will...

Martinscholes 16.07.2006 · Read review
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Review of Narrow Dog to Carcassonne - Terry Darlington

  "Lille De France" - Geddit?

Advantages: Near London by train, cosmopolitan feel, excellent transport connections, eating out, plenty to see
Disadvantages: Dog poo

...I?ve now been to Lille three times in the past year or so, each previous time, merely for the day. Only over the last weekend did we stay overnight. Why Lille? Well, rather like the reason dogs lick their naughty bits, it?s because we can. Lille is the first main stop in France on the Eurostar/TGV route from the Channel Tunnel ? yes, I know you could get a train that stops at Calais (Fréthun), but that?s like getting out at Bristol Parkway and expecting to be in Bristol! Gare Lille-Europe arrives outside your train window 1 hour and 40 minutes after London Waterloo International disappears. Stage 1 of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), means that we now get to hurtle through Kent at 186 M.P.H. before slowing to a mere 100 M.P.H. to shrug off the 32 miles of tunnel in a mere 20 minutes. Doing 'a ton' MORE than even the over...

BNibbles 07.12.2004 (09.12.2004) · Read review
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Review of Lille (France)

Narrow Dog to Carcassonne - Terry Darlington

Advantages: Makes you want to do the trip yourself
Disadvantages: Puts you off ever doing the trip yourself

...My choice this month is a work of non fiction and it represents a complete change of tone; it is an hilarious account of a completely hairbrained attempt by a couple of pensioners to navigate a narrow boat from Stoke in Staffordshire through the canals of France to the Carcassonne region. It would have probably have been safer and less eventful if either the author or his wife had any idea of what they were doing, but it is all too apparent that they had not. Fortunately their whippet Jim, who can be viewed in a disgusting pose on Terry's web site, seems to have some sense of self preservation and, despite his penchant for rogering large lady Labradors, inveigles his way into the sympathies of characters crucial to their survival, who would otherwise have been justified in having Terry and his wife sectioned or whatever the equivalent...

annie777flower 11.10.2007 (10.10.2007) · Read review
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Review of Narrow Dog to Carcassonne - Terry Darlington

Hossegor, France

Advantages: Beats any British beach holiday hands down
Disadvantages: Strong currents on some days

...My family and I started going to Hossegor, (which is situated in the Bay Of Biscay, SW France), when I was about 5, way back in the mid 80's. Well, up he coast a tiny bit from there actually). We always stay at the same place when we're there. Its a 4star campsite called Le Vieux Port. The campsite has everything that you'd need. Even as young children we always had something to do. The entance consists of a long kind of driveway, along which runs a football pitch, crazy golf and a mini go-kart thing for the kiddies. It all looks very classy, with flags from different countries running down both sides. Then you approach the reception and main bar areas of the site. The campsite has one very very nice bar which is never too crowded, but always is full of atmosphere. There are often live bands playing here (most...

BJEEE 20.12.2000 (21.12.2000) · Read review
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Review of Lille (France)

Lyon- France's alternative city break.

Advantages: Wonderful city
Disadvantages: Pollution

...Introduction As some of you may or may not know, as part of my degree, I study an element of French language in preparation for the third year I will spend in France next year. My likely destination is Lyon and as such I decided it would be worth taking a trip to Lyon to explore what the city had to offer and get my bearings a little before I actually attended the university next year. Lyon is situated in the Rhone- Alpes region of France, which lies in the east close to the Swiss border. It is surrounded, unsurprisingly, by the Alps and is not very far away in fact from Europe's biggest mountain, Mont Blanc. It is in fact France's second biggest city residing close to St. Etienne and Geneva (in Switzerland). So I and my fiancée (who will also join me in Lyon next year) took a visit to the place. How to get there...

ashtonluke 06.07.2005 · Read review
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Review of Lyon (France)

AGAY Experience in France

Advantages: An unspoilt backwater in a sea of development
Disadvantages: Could be too quiet for some

...Calm down, there's no need to panic girls - it's not what you think. I haven't forsaken the lovely Mrs P. for the adventures of pastures new. Although there have been times whe..... You just weren't reading the title properly, were you? Have another look. AGAY - A small beach resort in the South of France between St. Raphael and Cannes. Phew! That's a relief! Let's start with a little bit of advice: If you would like to search on the web for some pictures of this picturesque little town, be prepared for some explicit images of a non-family nature. How can I put it? If you're not interested in seeing large, hairy, naked men in various poses, don't do it! If, on the other hand, you are - then feel free. Anyway.... After our hectic culture overload in Arles, it was off to the beach for a couple of days R&R (that's rest...

proxam 24.08.2003 (30.03.2004) · Read review
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Review of Agay (France)

COME FOR TEA IN MY CASTLE.

Advantages: Beautiful place.
Disadvantages: None at all.

...I visited Carcassonne this year and I think that it is an experience that is worth sharing with my friendly Ciao companions, because I notice that Ryanair do cheap flights to Carcassonne and thus that a visit there by people from England is very cheap and quite a viable proposition. Carcassonne is a Medieval Town, housed in the walls of a castle. Imagine living there, it would be a super address to have in France. I wish that I could add photographs to this op because I am not sure wordpower is sufficient to describe how beautiful the place is. As you approach Carcassonne, you suddenly see the turrets of the castle high on a hill in the distance, and it is breathtakingly beautiful, as well as entire, instead of being a relic from the past. It is a living town, a place where people are born and raised, not just a dead monument like...

thingywhatsit 04.11.2003 · Read review
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Review of Carcassonne

AA ROAD ATLAS FRANCE 2009

Advantages: GREAT VALUE FOR MONEY
Disadvantages: TO MANY GREAT PLACES TO VISIT

...This is a review for the 'AA Road Atlas 2009' INTRO Well it's that time of year for me where I think of going on my summer holiday This year I'm planning to take my car to France and go camping with friends, so a good map of France is a must. I looked on Ebay for maps on France and came across 1500 results for French maps, after searching page after page I came across two different maps that I've used before one was the Michelin foldout map (very good) and the other was the 'AA Road Atlas France'. As I wanted as much detail as I could get the 108 page 'AA Big Road Atlas France 2009' was at the top of my list. I managed to find the 'AA Road Atlas France 2009' map brand new on Ebay for £6.25p including the postage (retail £9.99). AA ROAD ATLAS FRANCE 2009. The 108 page 'AA Road Atlas France 2009' has everything I...

donovan74 06.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of 2007 AA Road Atlas France (AA Atlases) - AA Publishing