The Beach
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This was our first "real" vacation of our stay here in France. And much needed. After six months of moving, we all needed the chance to go away and just have fun. And we did have fun.
Our vacation was in the south of France. We rented an apartment in Cap d'Agde, a town on the Mediterranean coast, near the Spanish border and the Pyrenees Mountains. We were about 500 meters from the beach and 500 meters from wonderful dinners. Click for a map As you might well guess, the children loved the beach. The also enjoyed the playground that was just next to the beach. Most days, the weather was wonderful. The temperatures were about 25C (80F) with a cool breeze to keep the sun from being too much.
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When we weren't watching the children play in the (cold) surf, we were out in the Pyrenees mountains. In the middle ages (12th-17th centuries), the local stretch of mountains was the French/Spanish border and hotly contested. In order to protect the border, and themselves, the local royalty built castles on the top of peaks that commanded the major valley intersections. They must have been fairly successful as the border was eventually moved more than 100 kilometres south (as contrasting to having moved north) and the castles fell out of common use. During the late 17th and early 18th centuries, many became the home to bandits/highwaymen and were destroyed by the kings of France as a means of public safety. These remains are still there to be seen as you drive through on the winding mountain roads. In fact, several are now French parks that can be toured and are maintained in their destroyed state. (Yes, that sounds strange. But think what several hundred hikers and vandals a week could do to something already in a rather messy state...)
This is all a long way of saying that on non-beach days, we went into the mountains to tour castle ruins. We made it to two of those most highly rated by the "sages", Puilaurens and Peyrepertuse. Puilaurens was distinctly visible from the road, as show below. Peyrepertuse, on the other hand, was difficult to distinguish--even when standing just below it. It was very well built into the hill. As a result, the best views are from overhead. In either case, both clearly controlled the peaks they were built upon. Even though they were ruins, you could still make out some of the details that showed the builders were proud of the work they were doing. For example, the vaulted ceiling in Puilaurens.
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As contrasted to the ruins, the city of Carcassonne has been restored and is still a working (albeit touristy) walled town from the middle ages. In touring this town, we had a first hand opportunity to feel (at least a bit) of what it must have been like to live when these sorts of towns were needed. Of course, the tour through the "Tortures of the Inquisition" museum also helped.
It was interesting to walk the narrow streets. A study in how to get as many people as possible within the walls. It was also interesting to walk along and see between and over the buildings the defensive structures. Every direction you turned, there was a glimpse of a tower, or a wall, or other defensive building. It made it impossible to forget why the city was built in the first place.
It is probably worth mentioning a bit more of the local history. The Cathars were a group of folks who practiced a religion the Pope considered heretical. Their biggest problem, from a 20th century perspective, is that they read the scriptures and thought for themselves. This offended the Pope so much that he had a Crusade in France to wipe the religion out. Many of these folks were driven into the now destroyed fortresses we viewed. The Crusades were so "effective", the Inquisition was created as a means of really getting rid of them--through public humiliation, pain, and death. It took more than 100 years, but it did work..eventually. (Although it has been argued that it just chased folks into other parts of the world until the "free thinking" of the Reformation began.)
All three of these cities were Cathar strongholds in the 12th and 13th centuries. And all three fell.
The Crusaders were quite good at sieges.
Life during this time must have been tough. One example from the religious artifacts of the times was quite striking to me. The Inquisition and its treatment of people was such a part of their lives that even the religious icons detailed Jesus' story with contemporary details. The carving below of Jesus being whipped shows the torturers not in Roman dress, but dressed as 13th century torturers. Of particular "interest" is the one gentleman pushing against Jesus' elbow to make the whipping worse. I guess it pays to speak in a language your listeners will understand. Particularly if you are trying to get them to follow your interpretations of the Scriptures.
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As with most mountains, there were good winding roads to enjoy. In the trip from Puilaurens to Peyrepertuse, we encountered one of the most winding and narrow roads yet. It was one lane carved right into the rock, hanging over a deep gorge. They did have the occasional pull-off. Thankfully, right where we needed them. But there were also long stretches without any and I often found myself wondering how we would react to meeting an on-coming car.
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We had a great time. In fact, we are already discussing doing this again next year. We also had a much needed break. It is good to feel refreshed again.
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