Visiting Cathar Country

Thursday, September 19, 2007

Judy and Pat are off to parts unknown. Winn stayed locally to explore the village and do some
photos of the surrounding area.

We stopped first in the village of Chalabre at the tourist information center and picked up some
information for sightseeing purposes. We went in to a pharmacy to pick up a few items and were amazed at the variety of goods.......everything from shoes to fine perfumes and including the normal things you would expect. We found it quite amusing to find the the kleenex tissues were
kept behind the counter. Lunch today was taken at an open air sports bar. Football (Rugby) is
quite the sport here this time of the year as it is at home. My lunch consisted of a bed of salad greens, tomatoes and cucumbers about six different frommages. The dressing was a vinegarette with a walnut oil.

Now we were off to find The Chateau de Puivert. You can see it sitting high atop a mountain formiles before you arrive at the site. Thanks for a four wheel drive car as we wind our way up to the parking area. We huffed and we puffed but we made it to the parking lot. Pat opted to stay and begin some painting of the beautiful valley down below. The color contrasts are un-
believable. I began my climb up the mountain path toward the castle. This path wove around the mountain but was still quite steep especially for my creaky knees. I prevailed. About half way up, I observed what appeared to be a shortcut to the top. oh,yes, it was a shorcut but I went the last shortway on my knees as it was so steep. I am certain it was quite the sight from behind but fortunately there were no viewers.

The Chateau de Puivert is composed of the ruins of an "old" castle (12th century) and a newer
castle built in the 14th century. The ruins include what appears to be 4 chambers. The multi upper levels include a chapel and what appeared to be a banquet room. This "Keep" is 35 meters high. I did not get to the top level as the stairway was quite narrow and very steep. I could not be that certain of my footing but the view was beautiful. The whole castle opened in to a very large courtyard. There are sheep kept there....their lawnmowers I suspect. There was an area to sit and have a bottle of water or soft drink and view ba video(in French). Walking down the north side of the castle I came upon the death chamber.... Chains and shackles hanging on the wall next to the guiotinne? with the ax embedded in the table. My trip back down the mountain was not as adventuresome as coming up I followed the path. By nightfall
my knees and legs knew I had had a workout.

Back home we found Winn just arriving from her adventures. Time for a glass of wine and dinner preparation. I had started a pot of bean soup the day before. I let it finish cooking while we rested. Our friend Woo, and artist from Korea invited us to her studio to view her
work. We invited her to dinner and had a wonderful visit. What a way to end another spectacular day.