Medieval Cities and WIND!!!

Our current location is the small village of Paraza, on the banks of the Canal du Midi that connects the Atlantic and Mediterranean Oceans across the south of France. Much of this area was once part of Spain and contains walled cities and castles that were strongholds during the 11th & 12 centuries during the Crusades and the conflicts between the locals, the Pope and king of France.  As in other parts of the region, the vegetation is surprisingly tropical and colorful, especially for November!

Our exploration of the area has taken us to two remarkable medieval cities, Minerve and Carcassonne.  Both have been well-restored and are remarkable building feats when you consider both their location and the time in which they were constructed.  Minerve is carved out of a canyon that can be reached on foot and the leads to a cave through which the river runs in the Spring.

There are no cars (and, on the day we visited, very few people, either). But we’re told that, in warmer weather, the town is teeming with both locals and tourists who come to walk the ramparts, explore the cave, and enjoy the loveliness of the village.

Carcassonne is more well-known, and larger, than Minerve.  Since we are here in the off-season, we haven’t had to wade through the hordes of tourists who visit here in warmer months.  As we walked the ramparts and rooftops, we understood why there were so few of us there.  The wind is so strong that it blew our hats off onto a nearby rooftop! (And, over Rick’s protests, I climbed over a railing onto the roof and retrieved them…)

The WIND has a name. It is called la tramontane, (the Languedoc equivalent of the Mistral in Provence) and it comes from the Atlantic to the Med through this valley between two mountain ranges, the Pyrenees and the Montagne Noire. It has been quite strong for several days (some gusts are enough to make you hold tight as you climb the stairs or walk up the street).  We are breaking out our layers as we try to figure out what will keep us warm enough to keep on exploring.  One thing we did not bring, and don’t need here, is an umbrella!!

But, when we come back at the end of a day, we are happy to return to our lovely dwelling at the Domaine Mediterranée, where our hosts, Marie-José and Harry welcome us and prepare fabulous dinners, with well chosen local wines, of course. In addition to being good cooks, they are excellent tour guides – providing us with maps, directions and advice for touring around the area and, sometimes, even going with us! (That’s Harry in the long coat in the pictures from Minerve…)