Hi,

On May 28th Amanda and I flew from Edinburgh to Beziers to spend a week with my old pal Duncan who is living in Arles sur Tech in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France quite near to the Spanish border. The area is within France but borders on Catalonia so the Catalan influence is reflected in the language and cuisine of the region.

Duncan picked us up at the airport after the two hours ten minute flight and the drive to Arles sur Tech took just over two hours as we took a coffee break and did some shopping on the way back. This area is great for the lactose intolerant (such as yours truly) as there is a great supply of sheep and goats milk. The local pate and sausages are delicious and the wine is, ... well half price.

We only had the one rest day as there is plenty to see and do in the area and surroundings. One trip took us into the hills nearby where we stopped at Corsavy for photos and then onto Le Tech for a visit to a restaurant only open at lunch time. It is run by an old lady (now in her nineties) who is supported by her family. There is no menu; they just bring food to you. We had local meats, pate and cheese for starters followed by chicken and chips topped off by ice cream for dessert, all washed down by local wine. The interior of the place is a museum piece itself as you can see from the photos. It was busy however and well worth a visit for the quaint experience.

We visited Carcassonne, a fortified town famous for its medieval fortress, although the site dates back to Roman times and beyond. As you will see it is extremely photogenic and at times looks like a cardboard model. We visited the Church of Saint-Nazaire which has beautiful stained glass windows. We were treated to unaccompanied singing from three Russian male voices which were enhanced by the fantastic acoustics. The chateau was worth a visit and I would also recommend a stroll around the ramparts for more stunning views.

Not so stunning is the Museum of Torture which exposes the brutality of the Inquisition (mainly against the Cathars in this area during the Albigensian Crusades, when the city was a stronghold of Occitan Cathars.) I must admit to having felt quite sick when viewing the instruments of torture and reading of the suffering of those who were brutalised using unspeakable methods supposedly in the name of christianity. This museum leads one into 'the dark places of the earth, the habitations of horrid cruelty.'

The local buses in the region have a flat fare of 1E and we took a day trip into the nearly town of Ceret. There is usually a market on the Saturday but this was enhanced by the local cherry festival, which not only swelled the market but brought out local musicians and entertainers. The restaurants were overflowing and all the dishes featured cherries in some form. Cherry based gazpacho, chicken with gingerbread and cherry coating and so on. We didn't manage to see the cherry spitting competition but the local bands and dancers were out in force on the streets. All very colourful and hopefully I have managed to capture some of it in my photos.

The town of Arles sur Tech has just fewer than 3,000 of a population and is in the southernmost valley in France before you reach the Spanish border. It is dominated by the Pyrenees so there is plenty walking available. We did bring our hiking gear but with all the other activities just managed a two hour walk around the area outside the town itself. Most of the streets in the town are closed in by high buildings so the views taken on this walk will give some perspective on the situation of the conurbation itself.

There were two places which we visited which have Charles Rennie Mackintosh (CRM) connections. Along the Tech River from Arles is the town of Amelie les Baines where Charles and his wife came to 'take the waters.' In the village of Palada over looking Amelie les Baines there was a CRM exhibition in the local arts centre. There is also a CRM trail in the wider region which has various sites where he drew various paintings and usually there is a copy of the painting on the site where he actually painted it.

One such place was the pretty port of Collioure, which was a fifty minute drive. The photos will speak for themselves. The place is famous for its anchovies and I can now vouch for that! We had a pleasant day on the sea front and also took the small tourist train up the 'road of the vineyards' to the Fort St Elme for the best view of the bay. It would be hard I think to find a prettier spot on the Mediterranean.

On the final day we visited the Gorge de la Fou, a deep natural gorge in the Tech Valley. The word 'fou' is not from 'mad' in French but comes from the Catalan word meaning 'precipice.' The narrowness of the gorge makes this a unique experience.

I hope you enjoy the edited photos of the trip. It was a great experience which I am happy to share. Duncan, you are the 'host with the most!' Thanks again.

Murdo