The week started off quite slowly and uneventfully with us cleaning and
polishing the house until it shone – in preparation for the cleaner who would
be coming in while we are away!. We also managed to get all the linen washed
and changed in one day which was a real bonus with all the bad weather we have
been having. After that it was a matter of packing for the three weeks that we
will be away from ‘our’ house which was quite simple as we just left out all
the winter stuff and only packed cool clothes. Perhaps a bit of a gamble, but
the southern areas are always supposed to be warmer…………… I think.
We finally got ourselves organised and on Thursday set off for
Lezignan-Corbieres in the Aude region of the Languedoc-Roussillon department of
southern France. We had reckoned that the 250 kilometer trip would take us
about three hours, so we decided that we would leave fairly early and take our
time over it, while hunting for the ‘pigeonniers’ that are scattered around and
which we are trying to photograph. For those who don’t know, these are large
brick or stone dove-cotes, and are generally associated with the bigger old
houses. Obviously big houses had lots of staff and visitors to these houses
always brought quite a large retinue with them, so there were always many
mouths to feed. Farming pigeons made a lot of sense, as they feed themselves
and breed quite prolifically, and apparently can be made into a delicious pie!
A lot of them have fallen into ruin or have been pulled down to make way for
other buildings, so finding one in good repair; not too far from the road; and
in a good position to be photographed is always
a source on pleasure to us. We knew that there are four between Auch and
Toulouse, but couldn’t remember exactly where so although we managed to
photograph two of them, we had to just watch the other two sliding past as
there was just nowhere to stop along the motorway. However, we will not be
denied and on the way back will turn off the motorway once we have passed the
buildings and try to find them from the minor road.
As we drove along, getting ever more eastwards, we noticed the changes
in the scenery. The rolling hills with their forested valleys made way for
flatter hills, bigger fields and much bigger farms. Less vineyards and more
wheat for a while, and then suddenly everything changed again and the landscape
became more rocky and drier, while the grape vines were no longer trained along
wires as we were used to seeing, but instead resembled small bushes. We haven’t
yet found out what this indicates.
As we approached Carcassonne we started to see notices telling us that
we were approaching Cathar country and listing the sights that are to be seen
here. The Cathars were a religious group that broke away from the Roman
Catholic Church in the 12th century and started their own brand of
Christianity which they considered to be purer than the Catholics. They soon
gained a lot of support and the head of the Catholic Church in Rome was
somewhat put out to say the least. He declared the Cathars to be heretics and
called up an army to eradicate them. Some horrendous deeds were carried out at
this time, but some wonderful walled cities remain for us to marvel at.
Carcassonne is perhaps the most complete of all of them and was never conquered
or destroyed. It is a very impressive view that one gets, driving past, as the
town and its castle stand on the top of a hill. The turrets with their pointed
roofs, at intervals along the walls, look rather like an illustration from a
child’s storybook. We had visited the town a few times before, though, so drove
straight past and on to our destination.
The next day we wanted to take our hostess out to lunch at a restaurant
of her choice and she chose a charming little place on the banks of the Canal
du Midi, where we had a delicious meal, sitting outdoors and watching the boats
glide past on the water. As usual, it was quite a slow leisurely process and it
was a couple of hours before we left. Then we drove along the side of the Canal
for some way as it is very scenic. We saw some very rare black swans on the
water, and a very strange building that at first we thought was a pigeonnier
but turned out to be a small fort, shaped alike a wedge lying on its side. In
the fields flanking the canal, the wild poppies have started to bloom and in
places it looked for al the world as if someone had smeared a paintbrush full
of brilliant red paint across the countryside.
The following day which was Saturday was the second day of an event
known as the ‘PromAude’, which consists of a number of minor events over a four
day weekend, all of which encourage people to come here from far and wide. On
the programme were parades for the children; cycle races around the town; a
parade of motor bikes; a dance; a concert; some art exhibitions and a wine
festival. There are no prizes for guessing which of these we attended!
Our hostess, who is very fit and walks a lot, suggested we leave the
car at home and walk up to the venue, saying that it wasn’t far and all on ‘the
flat’ anyway, so off we set at about 1.30pm, having had an early and quite
substantial lunch. Well, her idea and mine of ‘far’ appear to differ quite
considerably, but I am proud to say that I managed it without getting left too
far behind and, I think, without puffing audibly. The walk was well worth it
though. About fifty wineries were represented as well as a few local crafts and
industries – some allied to wine production and some not. All tastings were free,
and every now and again there wold be a stall promoting some kind of food or
snack, also offering free tastes which were very handy for mopping up the wine
and champagne. One stall that I really enjoyed tasting was a sun-dried tomato
stall which was offering different flavoured tomato spreads and crisps to
spread them on. Mmm! Delicious!
We tasted some really wonderful champagne and were amaze to discover
that the average price of a bottle is
about six to seven Euros. That only equates to about sixty to seventy Rand. We
don’t drink much champagne so have no real idea of prices, but that sounds
quite inexpensive to us.
Later in the afternoon, a rain storm threatened, but after a few drops
it passed over which gave us time to make the long trek home again before the
rain circled round and really poured down for an hour or more. We would have
been drenched if we had been caught in it. At least by the time we arrived back
at the house, any effects of all the wine we had tasted had worn off.
By Sunday, the rain was over and it was a beautiful, sunny and warm
day. We had heard that there was a ‘Vide Grenier’ in a nearby town, and just had to go and see. We had thought the
previous one, in Manciet was big but this was huge. Almost the entire town had
stalls up and down the streets, and was buzzing with people. So we spent a
happy couple of hours wandering around looking at the amazing array of goods
for sale at knock-down prices. We eventually stayed for lunch in a small café
and came home again in the mid-afternoon, pleasantly weary from walking around in the fresh air
and, probably, from eating too much………….again!
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