Leaving Andorra was both frustrating and awesome! We were trying to dust off the old brain cells to figure out just where we had stayed 37 years ago. Shane and Jerry went skiing and we could remember where the hill was in proximity to the village but as we went through from village to village nothing clicked. That is until the town that was almost on the border. There it was in all it's sun kissed glory... though much bigger than we remember and with snowboarders (sorry Todd, Carissa and Joey) to boot. Ahhh... things just can't stay the same.
The night before we left we phoned Jerry to tell him where we were. The three of us reminisced about the fun we had traveling through the area in our VW van. Driving the pass from Spain we had to use our butane stove to keep the frost off the window and when we woke up the first morning all our water bottles had turned to ice. The next day was one of those rare occasions when we actually sprung for a hotel. We had a good laugh skyping Jerry. May be getting older but that only means the stories get better, right?
It was another beautiful day as we descended from the Pyrenees to the coast of France. From ski hills to sun kissed vineyards. (in the canyon we stopped to take a picture... the same tunnel we took a picture of years ago). We backtracked through the countryside so that we could travel along from Cerbere(near the Spanish border) to Canet-en-Roussillon where we spent the night. Our first taste of the Mediterranean Sea with the rocky rugged waterfront in the south and a delicious seafood meal (in Cebere).
The next day we headed inland to Cathar country. This area of France abounds with superstition and history. One of the books I read (The Sepulchre by Kate Mosse.... Thanks Marge!) gets quite involved with the area in particular Carcasonne and Rennes les Baines. I must say that even after reading the book and all the preparation I did before leaving Canada I was not prepared for the haunting beauty of the region.
Taking a back road inland (just picked by chance) we came across Chateau Queribus perched right on top of a mountain. So obvious that I was sure I must be mistaken. Nope.... It was the real deal. An amazing peace of engineering and our first taste of the Cathar/Crusader history. Then, across the valley, another chateau, Peyrepertuse, stood proudly. Another mountain top chateau , this area having been occupied since the time of the Romans. As we traveled through the countryside we came across more and more.
Though the Crusaders succeeded in killing off most of the Cathars (in the name of God?) the history remains.
We stayed two nights in Cathar country, the second one in a Chambre d'hotes in Carcasonne. The woman who hosted us in Carcasonne was writing a book on the history of superstition in the area with respects to a particular poet and his friend (a painter). Won't go in to details but I must say we had the most amazing discussion with her over breakfast. She is ensconced in her research to the point of becoming a bit of a recluse. Her love of Carcasonne as well as some of the other chateaus is all consuming. She was telling us of one Chateau, Montsegur, where séances were held regularly. It seems many citizens were burned there and their ashes scattered. Guess that means a lot of unhappy spirits... which in turn means good connections. Who knows. Anyway it was a pretty interesting way to gain insite to the area.
Shane and I had tried to visit the Chateau Montsegur only to find it shrouded in heavy cloud as very heavy rain threatened flooding. Needless to say we have wet pictures of the castle from afar.... Never did make it inside. In fact, as we drove through the gorge, we noticed a torrent of water coming right out of a mountain cave. According to our 'host' this is not something that happens often. Could be why that night I had dreams of being carried off in a flood!
Our visit to Carcasonne itself was interesting though I must say not the highlight I was expecting. The Cite had been restored to it's former glory in the late 18th century. It is magnificent but, again, so much commercialism. The chateau was closed |(as a political protest apparently) which meant we couldn't walk on the ramparts either.
We did spend the day wandering around the Cite and the Bastide. With our B&B being about 1 block from the site it was an easy day of little driving. At night the Cite is lit up which is really quite beautiful.
After leaving Carcasonne we headed south to see yet more chateaus and wander around Peyrepertuse and Lapradelle-Puilaurens, have a picnic lunch and drive through the most amazing gorge, Gorges Galamus. I don't know how we negotiated those corners let alone how the bicycle riders survived the feat!? Don't think I'd be driving a motor home on that road. It did make for amazing pictures though, I must say.
So now, here we are in Portiranges Plage at our gite for the week. Turns out to be in a gated resort community. With no one that speaks English and no body at home I'm amazed that we found the key and got settled in. It's a good thing we find angels wherever we go. Turns out the neighbour lady had the key.... But I wouldn't have found her if a nice man in the parking lot hadn't asked around for me. What a wonderful world.
Now if I could only find that nice man and give him a bottle of wine to say thanks....he must live around here somewhere...there are only 200 units to choose from??!!