Journal Entry: Peyrepertuse and Queribus

8:36pm

Exhausted. But happy. It was an amazing day. First we went to Rennes-le-Chateau but the church didn't open until 10am. So we went to find food for lunch back in the prior village, Couiza. There was a patisserie there and we went in and bought food. Katy speaks French, and so she helped us order.

Then we went on an adventure to get gas. We stopped at three places and none of the machines would take my card. Either card. Even the American Express which has a chip in it. Finally we found a manned gas station in Limoux (having driven all the way back from Couiza) that did not have a card reader at the pump and that took cash, by a real person. Katy was a lifesaver. She asked them if they took cash and they did. We got diesel in the car finally, it cost almost €18. Not bad for all the running around we had done.

By this time we headed back to Rennes-le-Chateau, and the parking area that had been deserted when we first arrived was nearly full. I expected the church to be crowded but it wasn't. There was also a museum and the Tour Magdala that cost money to get into. We didn't care to see them, just the church. It was pretty and really weird. V. asked, "Why is Joseph holding a baby?" I can see why people think it's odd.


We only spent a little time there before heading to Peyrepertuse. Jan, the lady who runs the hostel, had told us to stop at the Galamus Gorge. I really wanted to see the castles, and since we got off a bit late because of the “gazole” fiasco.

Peyrepertuse was absolutely amazing. A lot of the walls are still left, and some rooms too. I really need to go and look up historical information on it. It was a long climb to the top, not as long or steep as Montségur, but I was already tired from the climb yesterday.



Quèribus was good too, but smaller than Peyrepertuse. There was a really cool ceiling in it. The climb up to Quèribus was much easier than the other two.



Then we went to see the Gorges, and they were really cool. We were very glad that Jan told us to go there. (That's Jan at the hostel, not Jan my mother-in-law).

There was an abbey, cut into the cliff, dedicated to San Antonio. (Saint Anthony/Antoine). I bought a post card for Jan (mother-in-law) since she's interested in places dedicated to him, and she's not even religious, so that's kinda funny.



The dorm really is like a dungeon, and quite damp. We had to hang our towels outside on the line because they weren't drying in the dorm. I really like the hostel otherwise, the common room is nice, the location is great, but the dorm is damp and cold.

Jan (of the hostel) said that she knows some people in the village that have an apartment they rent out, so if Andy and I ever come here, we should contact her about that. He hates sharing a bathroom and Sidsmum's doesn't have any accommodation with a private bath.

Now I go to take a shower and hit the hay. We leave for Paris tomorrow a little after noon.

The above picture reads:
"On this bare rock that pierces the Sabine
Where the eagle in his flight only dared to come
Dangling from a cord with a pickaxe
Man, like the birds, has found a way."

I sure hope I find a way back there, because it is a very beautiful place and I think I left a piece of my heart there...

Journal Entry: The Long Post

I found a pen today at a bookshop in Mirepoix. It's a lovely purple color as you can see. (Well, you could see in the original.) It cost €2.50, but is nice for that price.

I will write about yesterday first since I ran out of ink.

As I was saying, the ticket people at the train station didn't even speak enough English to point me to where to pick up the rental car. Finally we found a nice guy who did. He tried to send us down the street to some other location, to which I pointed out that the reservation said to pick up at the rail station. He took the reservation and I suppose they called someone and finally he told us to and wait “over there”. I was tired and so I went and waited where he said but then I had doubts that I had heard or understood him correctly. V. gave me hell for going back to ask, but I said better safe than sorry. It was indeed the correct location.

Finally after about ten minutes a very nice lady from Avis showed up. She spoke quite a bit of English which was fantastic.

She drove us over to the rental car, a Nissan. She showed us where to return it to, and I was quite nervous about driving here. I asked her how to get to Preixan (pray-x-san), which I wasn't pronouncing correctly, but she had me write it down, and she recognized the place and told me to follow the signs for Limoux.

I had mapquest directions as well, that I made the mistake of trying to follow. There are no numbered road signs here, or they are few and far between, and quite small if they exist.
Finally we saw a sign for Preixan and made it to the village. Also learning that the speed limit signs are quite ambiguous as well and that the speed limit is understood, supposedly.

Once in the village there were signs to Sidsmums. Jan, the lady who runs the place is delightful (not to be confused with my mother-in-law Jan). I was able to wash some clothes by hand and hang them to dry on a line.


The only drawback is that the dorm is in what was once a wine press, and it is damp, and a bit cold. Also the mattresses are quite thin, and I'm a bit too old and a bit too fat to be sleeping on so thin a mattress, so my thighs were a bit sore when I woke up, but I walked it off. Otherwise the location is great and Jan is quite knowledgeable about the area.

We woke up this morning and made breakfast, but I'm getting ahead of myself. We got some food at the Marché down at the end of the lane last night, for breakfast this morning, some eggs and bread, and a piece of sausage for me.

Then Jan gave us directions back to Carcassonne so we could go find something to eat. We found free parking in the new town, and it was convenient. We walked across the bridge and could see Carcassonne from a distance, it was fantastic. We ate at a restaurant in the old city's square, called Le Trouvér. It was only €25 for the two of us and that included a pitcher of wine.



We then walked around the walled part of the old Cité and it was amazing. They light it up at night and it was like something other worldly.



We managed to find our way back to the hostel with minimal trouble.

So on to today. We woke up early, about 7:30am and cooked breakfast. We then got directions from Jan on how to get to Montségur. She insisted we stop at Mirepoix and I'm glad we did.


We first went to Carcassonne though, to the Saturday morning market. It was nice, but I don't have room to be buying much of anything. Then we went to Mirepoix. They had a lot of interesting shops, including a “witch” shop with these silly little witch dolls that cackled. It was quite funny. They also had toy medieval soldiers, which I know Andy would love, but I'd have never been able to it home in one piece.

We then ate at a pizzeria for €11 for the both of us. They didn't charge us for water either which was nice. The place was right across from the British Store, but I didn't get the name of it. It was in a really old building with a barrel vaulted ceiling.



Then we saw a bike race go by on the way back to the car.

Then it was on to Montségur. The countryside here is simply breathtaking. Gorgeous. Words, even pictures, cannot do it justice. We climbed Montségur. It took us at least forty five minutes but the views were worth it. Such a beautiful place, to have such a terrible history. On the way up I picked a couple purple flowers and left them on the memorial to all those who died there. It's truly an amazing place, and one must see it in person to understand it.


The descent was harder than the climb up. Very difficult and dangerous. I nearly turned my ankles and knees a couple of times. And to think that an army managed to drag siege engines to the top! Crazy.

After we got back to the car all hot and sweaty, we went to the museum in the (modern) semi-medieval village. They have artifacts from the site, and souvenirs. I bought a pack of postcards for €5.50 that depict an Illumination chronicling the Albigensian Crusade. I also bought a key chain with the symbol of the Languedoc on it. {technically the cross of Toulouse} Then we left and drove to Foix. We saw the castle from the outside, but decided it was getting late and that we'd better head back, so we didn't go inside.



We went back through Quillan. We saw Puivert from the road. I really must come back here sometime for a couple of weeks and see all of the historic sites.

We met a girl named Katy, she's staying at the hostel too, and she came with us to Carcassonne again this evening. I ate again at the same place we ate last night. Katy had already eaten dinner so she went and walked around the town.

V. and I split fries and had cheese burgers. The French do make good American food. It only cost us €17 with drinks.

Afterwards we walked around the walls again, with Katy. She's coming with us tomorrow to Peyrepertuse and Quèribus. We're also going to Rennes-le-Chateau. The church there is supposed to be very weird.

*”SARKO BUSH ­Á MORTIR” -graffiti on the road to Quillan. Cracked us up.