Journeying South

Saturday 13 September

Another glorious morning, although something of a nip in the air, as we packed up and took the road south to Collioure which is in the Pyrenees Orientales department, only about 30 km from the Spanish border and on the Vermillion Coast of the Mediterranean.
We drove through the vineyards of the Gaillac wine domaines which lie on the southern slopes of the hills that rise above the River Tarn - beautifully scenic and views to the Pyrenees which appeared faintly on the horizon.  Once over the river our route took us towards the Montagne Noire range of hills that separate the Tarn and Aude departments.   Circling around the large town of Mazamet we climbed up through the forested hills and found a tiny road which led up to a very medieval village called Hautpoul.
Hautpoul clings to a rocky spur and overlooks Mazamet far below.

View to Mazamet from Hautpoul

  The village dates from 413 and was a fortress built by the Visigoths.  It has survived a siege during the Cathar persecution as well as the Hundred Years War and the Wars of Religion.  We had to park at the top of the village and walked down a path past the grey stone houses , followed by a sweet and very vocal kitten.

Friendly Hautpoul kitten

The buildings are all facing south-east to the sun and many have pretty gardens - there is a medieval garden that can be visited - no time today.   We did stop at L'Auberge d'Hautpoul - a beautiful little stone building with amazing views and a grumpy owner who wanted to know why we needed more milk in our coffee.  I think he was teasing as he produced really good coffees for us which we enjoyed on a sunny terrace, still with kitten in attendance.

Old tree, old houses, old Hautpoul

Fortified by our drinks we walked back up the hill, told the kitten he couldn't come with us and set off over the Montagne Noire in the direction of Carcassonne.

Friendly little kitty

After circling the car park for a bit we luckily found a shady spot to leave the car - it was really feeling like the south of France by the middle of the day.  The Citadel was crowded with visitors today - I always get the feeling that this renovated fortress city looks better from a distance.  Inside the mighty walls the streets are packed with souvenir shops and restaurants which is a bit of a shame.  The whole place was a crumbling ruin, being used as a stone quarry until 1850 when a fellow called Viollet-le-Duc oversaw the restoration - which continued until 1910, well after his death.  Apparently his interpretation of the true nature of the structures is questionable.  Nevertheless Carcassonne Citadel in very imposing and its hilltop position is very commanding.  Historians and archaeologists think that the city dates from the 6th century AD.

Carcassonne - (a little bit of it)

Well, we were feeling hungry so chose an outdoor restaurant in the first square we came to - it seemed to have a good variety on the menu - and only 14 euros for three courses.  It soon became obvious why it was so inexpensive.  The mixed salad entree was miserable, the steak was flavourless and tough, the frites were disgusting, the off the supermarket shelf Bernaise sauce was inedible and the apple tart dessert was marginally ok but spoilt by a hefty dose of caramel sauce - the kind that is squeezed from a plastic bottle.  Gerri fared a little better with quite tasty Roquefort sauce on her steak.  Worst meal in France so far by a long shot - but hey, we were hungry and ate it (mostly).  Moral of the story - avoid tourist traps for lunch. I think we have been spoilt up until now.
We strolled through the city and poked in a couple of shops but didn't feel the need to pay to climb on the remparts.  I am a fan of Kate Mosse's Languedoc trilogy so it is interesting trying to imagine the Carcassonne of her medieval novels.  It was at that time a stronghold of the Cathars and eventually was taken after a long siege.
With still some way to travel, we drove to the nearby Plus Beaux village of Lagrasse which is surrounded by the vineyards of the Corbieres wine region, the largest grape growing area of France.

Crumbly old Lagrasse

Unlike Carcassonne, Lagrasse does not appear to have undergone any restoration since a large and important abbey was founded there in 799.
A nice little river flows though the town - great place for a swim on this hot afternoon.  We made a quick circuit of the town - a very quiet sleepy hollow this afternoon - and then drove to the autoroute for our final leg down to Collioure.

12th Century stone footbridge, Lagrasse

We turned off the peage at Perpignan - very busy around the city - and then hit the madness that is Collioure on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.  Following our house owner's instructions we attempted to park at one of the car parks only to be denied access - it was supposedly full, although we could see empty spaces.  To cut a long story short, we were hemmed in by cars behind us for about half an hour and then had to back down a hill to escape.  Martine, our host, telephoned us and we arranged a meeting spot so she could show us where to park.  Turns out that she had a garage for us but had forgotten to let us know!  Anyway it was good to have the car safely parked and to settle into our lovely village house.  We have a two storied apartment in the house - three bedrooms, two bathrooms and two lovely roof terraces.

Treetop Roof deck of our apartment

 Our kitchen looks out to a square with a busy restaurant on one street and the living room opens on to a big square on another street.  It is very spacious and comfortable and Martine was extra helpful - even carrying luggage for us!

Lovely living room with balconies overlooking a pretty square

The town was very crowded and all the restaurants were full until late into the night - a great buzz!  We managed to fall asleep quickly, despite the noisy streets - it was a long day.  We look forward to our week by the sea.  Collioure is exceptionally gorgeous - it has a real Catalan feel despite being in France ( once was part of Spain).  Quite different from the regions we have been travelling in so far.  The Pyrenees dip into the sea at this point and tower up behind the town, the lower slopes covered with vines - Banyuls is the wine of this location.  And seafood certainly seems to dominate the restaurant menus!

View from our roof deck, Collioure