The south of France.
The words alone conjure up visions of long, warm days, olive trees and glasses of chilled rosé. But the joys of travelling to picturesque towns like Saint-Rémy-de-Provence or Aix-en-Provence can be replicated – without the crowds and potentially with a lower price tag.
How?
Easily, via a visit to what Catherine, my guest on the latest edition of The Franco-Files, calls the ’other’ south of France.
Catherine, from the fabulous blog Taste of France, is a huge fan of the ‘other’ south of France. And specifically the medieval walled city of Carcassonne.
Catherine and her family have lived in the Carcassonne area for many years now. In this episode, Catherine reveals what she loves about the fabled city and so much more.
The Renovation Episode
If you have ever wondered what it might be like to renovate property in France, you absolutely have to listen in. This is a ‘renovation episode’, and for that I’m truly grateful to Catherine. She is so generous in sharing her tips for finding and renovating apartments, engaging tradespeople you can trust and the things to watch out for when considering potential properties.
You can learn more about Carcassonne and the properties Catherine has renovated on her popular blog, Taste of France and here on Instagram. And if our conversation has you thinking that it might be time for you to visit the ‘other’ south of France, you can find out how you can rent one of Catherine’s gorgeous apartments on this page.
Finally, make sure you listen out for Catherine’s thoughts on mindset as she shares a fascinating perspective on bringing France into everyday life.
I really hope you enjoy this francophile chat between Catherine and I.
Have you ever visited Carcassonne? Do you think you might like to renovate property there? I’d love for you to share your thoughts in the comments section below.
And until next time – au revoir.
P.S. If you like this interview with Catherine, make sure you subscribe to Distant Francophile for email updates. That way, you’ll never miss an episode of The Franco-Files. Or any of the other fun we share on the blog. And if you’d like to check out previous interviews, simply click here.
Photos supplied by Catherine – Taste of France.
7 thoughts on “Episode 5 Of The Franco-Files – Catherine From Taste Of France”
My son visited Carcassonne when he was a teenager on an exchange program. Even his sixteen year old ‘too cool’ self was blown away by the ancient walled city! I have been thinking that I might visit it one day and this episode of the FrancoFiles was a treat!
Carcassonne must be sensational if it can impress a 16 year old Alisa! We are really looking forward to visiting the city soon.
Thank you, Janelle, for featuring me. I look forward to meeting in person and sharing my town with you!!!!
Thank you Catherine for sharing your story with DF community. We can’t wait to visit you in Carcassonne very soon.
I just spent the month of May in Carcassonne at Ludo Expression language school. I loved both parts of the small city – La Cité and the Bastide. The language school, owned and run by husband and wife team Luc and Dominique was a fantastic experience and I met some really lovely people. In the afternoons I played petanque down by the river. I’d taken my boules with me to France and I went to the boulodrome to practise. Within 5 minutes I was invited to join the group of retired men who were playing there. They were very welcoming but it was a real test of my language skills because they spoke with a strong southern accent. I’m looking forward to making a return visit to Carcassonne next year.
I’ve followed Taste of France for a while and loved it – looking forward to following you as well!
Hi Mary Katherine and welcome. Catherine’s blog is so very lovely- I do hope you enjoy DF too. Please let me know if there are any specific topics you’d like me to cover. Warmest, Janelle.