Fanjeaux

The town of Fanjeaux is located on a hill and offers a panoramic view over the Lauragais plain and the Black Mountains. The views are stupendous with vineyards, then rolling fields of sunflowers, corn, wheat, and with a little luck the distant snow topped Pyrénées. Fanjeaux is a lovely village well worth discovering.

Mirepoix

Mirepoix is a historic Cathare city. The local knight, Pierre Roger de Mirepoix, was also a Cathar. When the town was attacked by the crusaders most of the Cathars fled to the mountains. Guy de Lévis stayed here to control the passage between the Pyrénées and the plain of La Garonne.

... Mirepoix

Mirepoix is a typical bastide, or medieval planned town, laid out on a grid system around a central square. The picturesque square at Mirepoix is surrounded by late 13th to 15th century houses in which the first floor juts out over timber covered arcades.

... Mirepoix

The half-timbered houses over wooden pillars make up covered galleries adorned with sculptures. The House of Consuls is the most beautiful in the square. Above the main beam, lie smaller pieces of wood the end of which are carved in the shapes of animals, crowned men and women, and even grotesques.

Vals

The church of the holy Mary is one of the most ancient churches in the Midi. It is, in fact, three churches in one: Twenty-three steps lead down to the crypt-like nave of a 10th century sanctuary, part natural rock formation and part human-made. On a slightly higher level, is the flat-ended barrel-vaulted 11th century apse, decorated with 12th century paintings discovered in 1956. On the third level is a 12th century chapel which was transformed into a tower in the 14th century.

St-Martin d'Oydes

This village is a striking example of medieval circular architecture, initially conceived for the defense of the inhabitants. The houses surround the church in a closed elipse, and until the middle of the 19th century a moat around them made a third line of defense.

For the past several years the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair and his family, have spent part of their summer holidays at a chateau in this village.

Canal du Midi

This 360 kilometer-network of navigable waterways linking the Mediterranean and the Atlantic through 328 structures : locks, acqueducts, bridges, tunnels etc, is one of the most remarkable civil engineering feats of modern times. Built between 1667 and 1694, it opened the way for the Industrial Revolution. The Canal du Midi was recently designated a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site.

Foix

Foix is certainly worth a detour with its castle turrets and battlements standing out against the skyline. In 1290 Foix became home to the counts of Bearn. The most dynamic count was Gaston Fébus who appreciated literature and poetry but also ordered the death of his own brother and son. The counts resisted French rule until 1607 when the area was annexed and fell under the rule of King Henri IV.

... Foix

On our way to the chateau we passed along this charming fountain and watering place, dating from the 18th century.

... Foix

The colorful market of Foix offers a wide variety of fruits, handicrafts and traditional delicacies.

... Foix

From the chateau one has a splendid view on the roofs.

... Foix

Wieske demonstrates what happend in the middle ages to naughty girls. Of course she's not a naughty girl herself, it's just a demo. The photographer however secretly longed for bygone times...

Montségur

The château of Montségur is a majestic ruin on a Pyrenean peak. It has become associated with the Carthar heretics, when Montségur, built in 1204, became their last refuge after defeat by Simon de Montfort. The castle was besieged in 1243 and the garrison under Rámon de Perella was forced to surrender after a few months.

... Montségur

In 1244 over two hundred of the Albigensians who had refused to recant were burned alive in a great conflagration at the foot of the mountain. The castle was then dismantled.

In 1244, the year that Montsegur fell, Jerusalem was recaptured by the Muslims and Rome was angry. This time the Languedoc was taken and added to the French crown. In the fifty years that followed, there was still a hunt for the remaining Cathars who were, once they were found, burned at the stake.

The Pyrénées

The Pyrénées are divided into west, central and eastern areas, all distinct in appearance and atmosphere. Here we are looking into the Midi-Pyrenees.

... The Pyrénées

Aside from its deep caverns, its lush grasslands and its forests of chestnuts, Midi-Pyrénées is above all defined by its cultural identity. It is the land of the troubadours and of rebellions against central authority. It is an eminently rural region which has managed to preserve its traditional cuisine as well as its rural trades of bygone centuries.

Roquefixade

Placed at the top of a cliff, the castle dominates the valley of Lesponne. This fortress was built in the 11th century. Local inhabitants took refuge there during the Albigean crusade. However it was never attacked.

Carcassonne

Perched high on a rocky outcrop, the medieval fortified city of Carcassonne has been of strategic importance since Roman times. The largest walled city in Europe, Carcassonne’s impressive silhouette dominates the route between Toulouse and the Mediterranean. In this magnificent fortress you can relive 2.500 years of history.

... Carcassonne

The old fortified city is a microcosm of European history, that predates even the Romans. With its distinctive skyline of 52 towers and pointed turrets the city looks like an illustration taken from a book of fairy tales. Carcassonne has often being used as a film set. ‘Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves’ was filmed here.

... Carcassonne

Behind the romantic charm of Carcassonne’s visual impact lies a tumultuous past echoing to the clash of military adventures and armed struggles against aggressors. For over the centuries the Cité’s strategic position between modern-day France and Spain has attracted the eager attentions of Gauls, Romans, Visigoths, Saracens and Franks – each occupying force leaving their own distinctive traces, making the Cité a fascinating monument to military architecture.

... Carcassonne

It is almost impossible to believe that the whole city came close to being completely razed to the ground 160 years ago. Not by foreign aggressors but by order of the French government. The city fell so far into ruin that by the 18th century it was little more than a slum. Thanks to a handfull of Carcassonne citizens it was not demolished, as decreed by the government, but restored to its former grandeur.

... Carcassonne

The city has a whole lot of restaurants, cafés and shops selling local produce, arts and crafts.

... Carcassonne

The basilica of Saint-Nazaire shows a harmonious blending of Roman and Gothic art, with a fantastic array of large stained glass windows.

Labouiche

Labouiche, yet another place nicknamed Venice has the longest navigable subterranean river in Europe at 60 metres below ground. The barge trip along the 1.5 km stretch of water is a serene glide past ghostly rock formations.

... Labouiche

The river caves are a good option if you want the subterranean experience without the hard work. Here, you take a 75-minute boat ride past waterfalls, sinkholes and strange rock formations.