Cathars and Castles

Thursday and Friday, April 17 and 18

After our mini-adventure on the Canal du Midi, we stopped Wednesday in the little town of Mirepoix. It had sounded pleasant to me as I perused one guidebook or the other during our planning phase. It looked like a good jumping-off point for several possible excursions, so we opted to stay for 2 nights.

Mirepoix turned out to be a interesting town in its own right. It is not a tourist Mecca and has all the usual work-a-day edges to it. But its town square is something to behold. It is completely rimmed with medieval arcades. Huge ancient timbers hold up multi-colored, half-timbered buildings. In one section of the arcades, the ends of the timbers are carved with faces and animals. They are very weathered and worn--you would be too if you were 700 years old!--and quite intriguing.

We had been worried that everything would be closed up on Easter weekend all over France. Not to worry. When we arrived in Mirepoix, everywhere were signs promoting their annual jazz festival, which takes place on the Saturday to Monday Easter 3-day weekend. We saw pictures that show they fill the central square with big tables, and they have an impressive list of performers and concerts. We were leaving the day before this all would happen, which is probably why we were able to walk into a hotel and get a room. It also probably explains why it was the last room available. People were arriving in town, and it was clear it was going to be hopping.

We are in Cathar country now. We have left the vineyards behind and instead are seeing signs pointing to towers and castles and museums.

One of the excursions I was hoping to make while we were in this this area was a visit to Montsegur. It was the site of one of the last chapters of the Albigensian Crusade--the church's war against the "heretical" Cathars.

We drove south and found ourselves passing through beautiful, lush green farmland with lovely rolling hills and drop-dead views of the snow-covered Pyrenees, not all that far south of us. We turned off and started winding our way up into the hills to get to Montsegur.

We stopped at the tiny hanging village of Montsegur before heading up to the castle. We walked through the village and down a couple lanes and stumbled on a blackboard listing a menu for lunch. It was an exquisitely pretty day and we were in no hurry, so we decided to make a lunch stop. We wandered down a path to a little terrace at the far edge of the town. We sat under a very fragrant lilac in full bloom and had a view of the fabled castle at the very top of a major hunk of rock in one direction and a lovely view of a high rocky cliff with orchards and a garden in the other direction. Our proprietress/chef was very friendly and served us some very tasty food. She made at least three trips from her kitchen out to her garden to get fresh herbs and pretty, edible flowers to adorn our dishes. It was pure bliss. We could never ask for a prettier setting--beautiful views, fragrant lilac, active birdsong, and yummy rustic country food. A lovely, most likely never-to-be-repeated experience.

We headed up the steep track to Chateau Montsegur. An impressive sight, to be sure. But an oh so sad tale. The last 200 Cathars were holed up here in 1243-44, under siege and surrounded by 10,000 Crusaders. They eventually walked down the hill, surrendered, and walked onto a pyre where they were burned alive.

We next stopped in the bustling town of Foix, which is dominated by a 3-towered castle. We found parking in the main square area and started walking up and up and up--first through a residential/commercial area and then on steep cobblestoned switchbacks that made sure you were glad when you made it to the top. I was glad I'd worn my sturdiest shoes, because those cobblestones can be challenging. No Cathars here, but lots of history. The foundation was laid in 1000 AD.

On Friday, we left Mirepoix and headed to the Mediterranean coast, just north of the Spanish border. We were still in the heart of Cathar territory on the bulk of our day's route. We stopped at Chateau Puivert to see one more castle before leaving this area in our rear view mirror. We drove up a track that we initially passed by because we could not believe it could be our entrance. It was a once-paved goat track that our little rental Opel seemed to take reasonably in stride. After lurching our way to a parking lot, we started the steep path up to the castle. Once at the top, we got to visit a pretty original (i.e., pretty rugged) castle and to enjoy views to a strikingly beautiful valley.

Deciding we'd had enough climbing and castles to hold us for awhile, we beetled off to the southeast and the next leg of our journey--palm trees and Mediterranean beach towns and, of course, another wine area.


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