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| Cozy country cottage that is Scout approved |
Our home base was a small cottage in the "town" of Nabouly which consisted (I think) of three farms and four houses. The small farm house was a 20 minute drive along windy country roads from the small (3,000 people) town of Mirepoix, an hour from Toulouse, and 8 hours from Paris. It was far from any anything not planted in the ground. It did not have internet or good mobile reception which helped us disconnect from the rapid pace of city life.
The area had bucolic charm and was full of history. It was once the strong hold of the Cathars who were christian dualists that Pope Innocent the III ordered eliminated during the Albigensian Crusade of the early 13th century. Carcassonne besides being the location of a Cathar Castle was once fortified by the Romans. And northern Languedoc contains one of the routes of the Santiago Compostello, the christian pilgrimage route to the tomb of Saint James. It was a really fun and interesting area. While there was no snow, it was a new region of France to explore. Wines, hiking, castles, and history were on our itinerary for the week.
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| French country road |
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| After a five minute drive from our cottage we are rewarded with a view of the Pyrenees. |
This was a minimal planning trip. Besides renting the house we did no pre-organizing. We went to the tourism office in Mirepoix on our first full day and asked for a map of the area and some trip suggestions. It worked out fine. Between the information from the tourist office (a map highlighting the sites of the region and hiking book with very little details), the brochures at the country house, and the road signs that direct tourist to sites of interest, we found enough things to occupy our time.
Mirepoix market
While virtually every town in France has a market, few have their markets set in the midst of timber frame medieval houses and a covered arcade. The weekly Monday market in Mirepoix is both functional and touristy. We bought our supply of vegetables and cheese for the week, and we could have bought jewelry beads and scarves. The arcade also had your regular french bistros and shops of local artisans.
The square on a non-market day.
We even found our Christmas tree in the market.
Mirepoix Cathedral
Driving around through France you can always identify a town, even from afar, because there will always be some steeple cutting through the horizon telling you there is a village nearby. In each town, you will always be able to count on finding an old church to explore. Everything else could be close, but there will be a church that will be open to the public.
Mirepoix's is adjacent to the covered market. The cathedral of Mirepoix started out 800 years ago as the little church of St. Maurice built by Jean de Lévis and his wife Constance de Foix. Over time, with an addition here and an addition there, it was transformed into a cathedral. The gothic cathedral of St. Maurice today has a single nave 48 m long, 24 m high, 22 m wide making it one of the widest naves in Europe.
Models depicting how the church has evolved over time.
Hiking Lac de Montbel
Since the hike was around a lake, we thought it would be flat and easy enough for Scout. Even though it was a bit long, we would take it slow. At first she enjoyed being out in the woods. It was quiet, and there were lots of new smells for her. However, since it had been raining the week before, it was muddy. And walking in mud required more energy. It took us six hours to get around the lake. Poor Scout was exhausted by the time we finished, but she walked the hike without one complaint.
It was a lovely hike. There were lots of people fishing but the lake was so large that everyone had their own secluded spot. I think we might have been the only one that day completing the circuit because we had most of the trail to ourselves.
The area was mostly undeveloped. We walked over several dams that create the lake, through planted fields, and there is a modestly sized recreation building where people can rent boats, but in general we were ensconced in nature. During some parts of the hike we even had a stunning view of the Pyrenees.
We started near the town of Montbel. We drove half way around the lake to find a starting point because we got a little lost. The book of hiking trails that we bought from the tourist office was good for finding hike, but its lack of detail made it a bit useless for the actual hike.
weeks of rain + my clumsiness = mud in the nooks and cranny of my DSLR.
Early part of trip. Scout posing on one of the dams.
The water level of the lake must have been lower than usual.
Lakeside picnic break.
5.5 hours later with one kilometer left to go, Scout needed a break.
Our reward at the end - a beautiful sunset.
Troglodyte Church
The plan for day three was to head southwest to the city of Foix. As we were driving along the small country road, we saw a sign for Sainte-Marie Church in the town of Vals. We read about this church which was built in the rock just the night before, so we decided to add it to the itinerary.
The church has three levels. The lower nave, which is built in the rock, is pre-roman with steps leading up the main nave. We were able to wander up the chapel on the third level which was built in the 12th century. The interior was simple, but bright which was quite different from the Cathedral we saw earlier in the week in Mirepoix.
11th century roman fresco depicting the life of Christ.
The small town of Vals.
Foix, France
The main tourist attraction in Foix was the castle. It sits on top of a hill with a grand view of the town below. As we walk up to the castle and up two of three of its towers, we could see how the location and structure was a good defense strategy. Even getting to the town would prove difficult since anyone wanting to storm the castle from the south would have to get through the Pyrenees first.
The part of the town near the chateau was its historic quarter. The town did a good job decorating the narrow streets for Christmas.
Christmas Lunch at Domaine Gayda
Christmas for me is still about being surrounded by joy and lots of people celebrating the holiday. While our quiet cabin is cozy on cold nights especially in front of the fire, for our Christmas meal we wanted it to be more of a celebration even if low key. With that thought, we decided to have lunch at winery that had a special Christmas menu. We first tasted Domaine Gayda's wine in our town near Paris at a small wine expo at our local grocery store. We loved their syrah so I was thrilled that they were close to Mirepoix and was open for lunch on Christmas day.
The domain was forty minutes east of Mirepoix in the Languedoc region. As we drove to the winery, we could see the transition from farm to vineyards. The landscape changed and plowed fields were replaced with rows of grape vines.
The winery was decorated for the holiday season with a Christmas tree in the foyer and another one in their fancy tasting room. Each table in the dining room was tasteful decorated with a small festive item. Our table also had a beautiful view of the estate and, of course, the Pyrenees. The meal itself was OK. The four course Christmas menu with wine pairings was perfect for the region and the season: fois gras and pheasant with gingerbread sauce were among the dishes served, but the flavor was bland. Overall, while the meal was lack luster, the setting was beautiful.
You must like fois gras if you are travelling in this area. It is a part of every meal.
Goat cheese. One plain. One covered with pesto. One covered with cracked black pepper.
Vanilla ice cream with salted caramel sauce.
Walled city of Carcassonne
The most impressive medieval city that we visited during the trip was the one in Carcassonne. Its medieval citadel, with 2,500 years of history, is set upon a hill surrounded by a double wall. We leisurely wandered around the pedestrian streets within the walls on a sunny afternoon walking by restaurants, hotels, museums and tourist shops. We decided to pay the entry fee to tour the Château Comtal, the castle within the citadel, because it was the only way to walk around a part of the upper wall from watch tower to watch tower.
Chateau Comtal within the citadel.
Viollet-le-Duc chose to put pointed roofs on the chateau during the restoration which took place in the 1800s.
Of course there is a cathedral.
These shadows near the altar was a quartet who sang a couple of songs. They were peddling their operatic CD.
Beyond the wall but below the clouds are mountains of the Pyrenees.
Outside wall (right) and the inner wall (left).
Last day in the south
The weather gods smiled on us because we had sun for almost the entire week. It was only on the last full day when it rained (and rained all day). Its hard to find things to do when the weather doesn't cooperate especially at the end of December. During the Christmas holiday most things in small towns are closed. This is usually fine since walking around is pleasurable. However, walking in a heavy rain shower is not so fun. We ended up driving around to stay dry. We found, to no surprise, churches but also the Canal du Midi (the canal that bisects France and takes flat bottom boats from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic ocean).
Church in Fanjeaux, France.
Rainy day.
Canal du Midi. Smaller than I imagined. It's pretty amazing that this little canal stretches across France.
We discovered the Monestary de Prouilhe with its Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary (la basilique Notre Dame du Rosaire) constructed at the end of the 19th century but is currently undergoing restoration. This is their current altar.
