PO Living > Basil Howitt around the region
 Articles in
this section :
Boules, Baldies and Bermuda Shorts? (...)
Brotherhoods, Black Puddings, (...)
Carcassonne: Dream or Nightmare? (...)
"Get off the rails!" by Basil Howitt (...)
Feeling the pinch this Christmas? Or are (...)
Georges Frêche: a triumph of deeds over dogma (...)
Glad to be back! After a rare visit to his (...)
L’Homme de Tautavel by Basil Howitt (...)
La Jonquera Eldorado? - or Sodom and (...)
La Retirada by Basil Howitt "An (...)
"Our Little Mountain Canary" (...)
Sweet Wine, Chocolates Galore, and Women’s
More scandals from the Roussillon, otherwise (...)
Parting Potpourri Basil Howitt welcomes the (...)
Perpignan’s Scandal of the Smelly Socks (...)
Pigs’ Cheeks, Paso Dobles and Seamed (...)
"Quel gâchis!" (What a waste!) Basil (...)
"The Perfect Fortress" Basil Howitt (...)
Sex, Truffles and Flies Basil Howitt (...)
Smelly socks - final story (we hope) Alduy, (...)
Solidarité: Lansac à la bougie (Solidarity: (...)
Small Great Revolution The Mayor of (...)
TGV Perpignan -Barcelona: Will I live long (...)
The Caliph of St Cyprien Basil Howitt (...)
The Caliph of St Cyprien - - A Sicily without (...)
Storms, Waltzes and Punchups The Saint (...)
The show must go on! In spite of torrential (...)
The Sun King is Bewitched Basil Howitt (...)
The Treaty of the Pyrenees ’The (...)
The use of Catalan in the Roussillon by (...)
God’s largest prison: Albi and its (...)
When Perpignan’s smelly socks start to (...)
Who would be a vigneron? Amidst the general (...)

Blevins Franks

TPM Piscine Services

UK Paint Depot

Aviva Insurance


Sky Digi

Pyrenean trails


happy project manager


TPM Property Services

george and dragon

Kap Oupa Kap

John Lansley - Financial advisor


Rando et Chariot

Morley renovation




Here are the most read articles in this section:-


  • La Jonquera: Eldorado? - or Sodom and Gomorrah?
    La Jonquera Eldorado? - or Sodom and Gomorrah? Basil Howitt reports on the recent opening of Le Paradise. Situated in the Spanish border town of La Jonquera, it is Europe’s largest-ever maison close or brothel, with 80 rooms and up to 200 prostitutes. At weekends, the clients (...) read more...


  • Carcassonne: Dream or Nightmare?
    Carcassonne: Dream or Nightmare? Basil Howitt and Clare Gallaway visit Carcassonne. It is by far the most popular heritage destination in the Languedoc-Roussillon, with 2,783,332 visits recorded at the Château comtal in 2006. "To visit the fortified town of Carcassonne is to be (...) read more...


  • Maury - Sweet Wine, Chocolates Galore, and Women’s Voices
    Sweet Wine, Chocolates Galore, and Women’s Voices (Not to mention also a Michelin Star) Basil Howitt reports on the exceptionally dynamic village of Maury under its long-time mayor, the potter Charles Chivilo. If you head west on the D117 from the Catalan border town of (...) read more...


  • TGV Perpignan -Barcelona: Will I live long enough?
    TGV Perpignan -Barcelona: Will I live long enough? by Basil Howitt Basil Howitt sends an update on the progress of the new TGV link between Perpignan and Barcelona. He also wonders if he will live to take a TGV train all the way from Paris to Barcelona Whilst tourists roasted on the (...) read more...


  • Le Petit Train Jaune "Our Little Mountain Canary"
    "Our Little Mountain Canary" Basil Howitt falls under the spell of Le Petit Train Jaune that plies daily between Villefranche-le-Conflent and Latour-de-Carol in the Cerdagne. As well as being a top tourist attraction, this "big meccano set" is seen by locals as a powerful symbol (...) read more...


  • Sex, truffles and flies
    Sex, Truffles and Flies Basil Howitt offers another snippet on the sex life of the Sun King, Louis XIV and, at the end of the local truffle season, shares his modest acquaintance with truffled dishes and truffle lore. She ravished him or at least surprised him. quoted in Antonia (...) read more...


  • Train to Albi in the Tarn
    God’s largest prison: Albi and its "monstrous mountain of brick" From Rivesaltes station to Albi via Toulouse The first leg of the journey was uneventful, apart from the distant view en route of Carcassonne, bastioned and turreted "like a magical kingdom floating in the sky." (...) read more...


  • The use of Catalan in the Roussillon
    The use of Catalan in the Roussillon by Basil Howitt Basil Howitt offers an overview of the use of Catalan in the Roussillon or French Catalonia. "The use of Catalan is repugnant and is contrary to the honour of the French nation." (decree of Louis XIV, April 2, 1700) "Be clean, wash (...) read more...


  • Boules, Baldies and Bermuda Shorts
    Boules, Baldies and Bermuda Shorts? Basil Howitt was enthralled by the eccentricities and fanaticism of pétanque players. Une partie de pétanque Une partie de pétanque A game of pétanque Ça fait plaisir Is so much fun La boule part et se planque The boule is launched and (...) read more...


  • Smelly socks - final story (we hope)
    Smelly socks - final story (we hope) Alduy, c’est Perpignan, et Perpignan, c’est Alduy. Bravo Monsieur le Maire ! (blogger Huascar: 21/06/2009 à 22h08) Basil Howitt closes Perpignan’s saga of the smelly socks. Fortunately last Sunday’s affair of the unsavoury armpits (...) read more...



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