Not all those who wander are lost.: 9-12-2010 Medieval dreams in Languedoc

Last night, we talked about where we would head next, and decided to spend a few days in Toulouse to explore a new region of France called Languedoc. It was once an independent province of France, with its own culture and local language (spoken throughout the south of France) called Occitan. It's a province full of history and clashes, of Cathars and Crusades. Time to pack up and head out in the morning!

This morning before we leave, heading into the center of Brive for breakfast, we get that sinking feeling - it's pretty deserted in town today. Did we forget that it's Sunday and everything is closed?

Yep, Sure enough, 'our' coffee shop is closed (sigh).

Not to worry, there is a bar nearby where we can get teeny, bitter cups of French espresso, and another bakery where we can get some food. (crispy, flakey warm croissants filled with chocolate; how could you go wrong with chocolate for breakfast?! Ah, the French...)

Before too long we are heading down the Péage - the toll highway - and to our destination, about 130 miles south of Brive. The French highways are good for getting to your destination, quickly, and the tolls are about 40% lower for Motorcycles. See, I told you the French can be civilized!

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9-13-2010

Blue skies and breezy. Time for a ride!

Typical road in Southern France; shady, tree lined roads through farmland.

Our first stop was Carcassonne - a beautiful little town with a charming medieval Cité perched on the hilltop overlooking the "newer" part of town. La Cité is a UNESCO world heritage site and looks like a fairy tale castle with sturdy, unbroken walls, shining slate roofs and pennants flying in the breeze.

The newly-built aura of the citadel can be attributed to the fact that it was "recently" restored by the famous French architect Viollet-le-Duc in the mid 1800's, although some of the oldest sections of the Keep date back to the Roman period, around 100 B.C. Up close, the main portal into the city resembles an entrance into a disneyesque castle; complete with large parking lots full of tour busses and scores of tourists milling around.

As I stand outside the walls mulling over the comparison, Jan echoes my thoughts, remarking, "gee, I feel like I'm at Disneyland".

Between the defensive walls

We pass over a drawbridge which spans a deep ditch, through an honest-to-gosh portcullis complete with iron gate and a double set of defensive walls. Inside the fortifications, the passageways were packed with people enjoying the charming atmosphere and shady terrace cafes, crowding gift shops and walking the ramparts.

As cute as the cité is, my favorite view is from a distance where one can view the citadel as a whole, slate roofs gleaming in the sun, towers topped with cone shaped roofs and the crenellated walls enclosing the whole. I read that Viollet-le-Duc may have taken some liberties with the design of the renovations, for example, the conical roofs and slate roof tiles are not a traditional style for the area. However, the result of his work is a charming, romantic fantasy, much more than if he had followed the local preference for flatter roofs and terra cotta roof tiles.

I can't find the picture that I took, but I found this photo on the internet to give you an idea of the grand panorama. It's a Ren-Fair fan's dream for sure!

We are tired of crowds and ready to move on, and I know just the place, a charming and quiet village nearby that we have been to several times before. The village doesn't look like much until you get to its Gothic style cathedral; then, if you wander around it to the small plaza, you will be totally captivated by a collection of amazingly well preserved medieval half-timbered houses built in a ring around the square.

The buildings were built in a fairly typical fashion (for that period); in which the second story is built out over the sidewalk to form an arcade. The wooden joists that hold it up seem to be the originals and in many cases, the ends were carved into comical figures and weathered faces of people and animals.