France doesn't want us to leave - June 27, 2024

 I still have 2 days of our French travels left to report on, but right now my computer is in the hotel checked baggage. So, this will have to be finished when we get home. Which will not be today as scheduled. Have you got a hint that all has not gone well? 

It's now 12:30 French time and Dave and I are sitting in the lobby of the NH  hotel at the Toulouse airport. You might be wondering how this can be since we should be in Amsterdam by now. 

All started well yesterday, sad goodbyes to Lorna, David and our house of 2 months, followed by a bit of a walking tour in downtown Toulouse and lunch in a park next to the Garonne River. The troubles only started when we tried to leave France,

We left Toulouse center about 2 headed to our hotel, Odalys City, near the airport. Strangely, the driveway in front of the hotel was blocked by barrier cones, actually by a large white van that was stopped at the cones, unloading luggage. She explained that the hotel couldn't or wouldn't put down the cones. A bit disconcerting since, besides the scooter, we have 2 large suitcases and 4 carry-on items. While I checked in, Dave dragged 2 loads of suitcases down to the front desk, then up to our room (after paying 7 Euros 50 for room tax). Once I was in the hotel room, Dave took the leased car back to the airport. We had our last (we thought) aperos with our last bottle of wine, Dave checked us in for our flight, and we turned in early. 

Oh I forgot. Second hint of problems:  While Dave returned the car, I requested shuttle service to the airport. This involved a long conversation with the shuttle service punctuated by interruptions from another client at the desk who apparently had 100 questions that her clerk couldn't answer. The  short answer was that the shuttle company couldn't take us because of the " chaise roulant" (my scooter). They didn't think they had the right certificates or something. So we needed  to book a taxi, which I did reluctantly - shuttle = free; taxi = pay. After more waiting while the clerk spoke with the taxi company, and more interruptions from the other client, I said I'd check in later and went back to my room. 

Next time downstairs, the clerk confirmed a cab would pick us up from the lobby at 8:30 in the morning. That was hard!

Early to bed and up early to get to the airport. Downstairs a few minutes early, I checked with the desk to confirm our taxi. A man next to me started to say something about the taxi being canceled and we'd have to take the shuttle. I began to protest and it became clear that this man was the one on the other end of the conversation yesterday - owner, manager, whatever, of the shuttle service. He had reconsidered and wanted to be sure we didn't have to pay for getting to the airport.  I wonder when they were going to tell us of the change in plans?

He directed us to the end of the drive where we had unloaded yesterday and Dave again made two trips to get the bags in position. A black SUV backed down the driveway, Dave helped load the luggage and we were soon after deposited at the departures at the airport.

Even though our flight said it was open, the Air France employee told us to come back at 9:45. Of course, when we returned,  there was a long line and a half hour wait to check in. From there things went downhill fast. For some reason, it took forever to process our boarding passes, requiring multiple trips to a supervisor. Finally given our boarding passes, they had our arrival at Charles de Gaulle in Paris. Dave questioned, another trip to the supervisor and  this time she came back to explain that our flight from Amsterdam to Minneapolis had been canceled at 6 am this morning and we'd have to rebook and fly tomorrow. 

By now, I was totally deflated. Tired, no breakfast, aching, I was pretty crabby. It took another hour of waiting before the supervisor returned with boarding passes for tomorrow - flying at 6 am to Charles de Gaulle (which we were carefully avoiding because of the Olympics) and then to Atlanta (another hub we hate because things always go wrong there too). 

And just to complicate things, our checked luggage needed to be found and returned to us. The supervisor escorted Dave to arrivals and apologized for the isssues and lack of solution they could provide. (Of course, she was Air France and the issues were with KLM/Delta.) sheesh. 

And we had to find a hotel at our own expense. We could try to get a voucher from Delta for the cost, but Air France couldn't help. (and there's no Delta desk at this airport). Dave tried to use the app on his iPad, but the chat " person"  had his hands tied and couldn't help us. Of course the NH hotel that is in the airport didn't have any standard rooms available, so we had to get the 300 Euro room ($330). Oh, and it would be a couple hours before one was available.

We ate lunch at a deli in the airport, then went back to the lounge of the hotel to wait till a room was ready. Which is where we are now. Dave's still trying to talk to KLM and I'm writing a sad ending to an otherwise fantastic stay in France. 

Now I'm glad that I still have exploration blogs to post as it would be sad to end this trip (and its blog) on such a sour note.

June 25, 2024 - Winding down - Reflections on things I've seen

 After 2 months here in France, some themes have surfaced that have got me thinking. So this blog post is a place where I've captured a few of the themes I've witnessed. No photos (at least not yet) and no travelogue, so feel free to skip this rambling. I won't be offended. But I need to capture these thoughts for myself. Thanks for coming with us on this 2024 adventure. 

Reflections on living in France

Eating fresh and local is for everyone

One of my favorite activities is to shop at the open air markets for much of our food. Besides fruit and vegetables, we buy cheese, hard sausages, olives, and some shortcut meals like empanadas or paella. There is usually a butcher, a baker (but no candlestick maker), a “traiteur” – delicatessen stall - and often a fishmonger. These merchants are likely to be local. At the very least, they are regulars at the market. Customers form relationships with their chosen merchants over time.

Every town and city we visit has an open air market one or more mornings a week so that everyone has access to these products. (Many towns also have garden allotments for residents to grow their own fruits and vegetables.)  Shoppers typically walk to the market, carrying hand woven or wicker shopping baskets, or pulling shopping bags on carts. Prices (from my  point of view) are reasonable, even inexpensive. One thing we have learned is to look for the produce stands with the longest lines. They will have the best produce.

Eating “bio” – organic – is easy here, whether in the market or at the grocery store. Meat, vegetables, dairy labeled “bio” must not use chemicals, must respect animal well-being, must limit agri-inputs like fertilizers, animal feed, etc, and must be made in the European Union. Many of the market stalls sell organic foods, as you might expect, especially from small producers and farmers.

Markets are for more than buying produce

Weekly markets are a community event, crowded with families, neighbors, old and young. Sometimes it’s hard to move from one stall to another as a group of four or five women are greeting each other with “la bise” (an air kiss on both cheeks), or in the case of men, shaking hands all around or offering “la bise”. Smiling, laughing, catching up on the latest news and gossip means shopping is not a “zip-in and out” kind of affair. Even after making their purchases, groups meet at the local cafes for coffee (or something stronger) and more catching up. It is clear that for many this is part of the ritual of shopping at the market. It’s such a simple thing that glues the community together.

In France stores and offices are open, except when they’re not

Where do all these people come from who have time to do their marketing mid-morning? That is a puzzle, until you get used to a shop front door being locked with a sign saying “Back in an hour” or some such. Typically, stores (or tourist offices) are open from 10-12:30 and then closed for lunch, with afternoon hours typically 2 or 2:30-6:00. Except when they aren’t. It’s a holiday, or a saints’ day, or vacation, or not tourist season. All this may lead one to believe that the French are a bunch of slackers. However, that isn’t at all true. At work, especially in the service industry where we have the most interactions, the French are helpful, polite, and go out of their way to accommodate your needs. What is true is that the idea of quality of life is so ingrained into the French way of life, that for the locals, none of this is worth shaking your head over. Of course, they believe, everyone should have an uninterrupted time for the noon meal with the family, adequate vacation time, time to run errands, pick up kids from school, etc. It’s a lifestyle I could easily get used to.

 

Camping wherever

Here in the Pyrenees, there’s so much opportunity for outdoor activities. The rivers run fast out of the mountains, so canoeing and kayaking are popular. The number of men and women we’ve seen cycling up and down these mountains is staggering. We’ve seen far more cyclers in these mountains as are registered for the Tour de France! By far the most favored activity is hiking. The trails are endless, some local, some regional. Many are part of the GR (Grande Randonée) trails – long distance trails that are well sign-posted that travel over a variety of landscapes. With all this outdoor activity, not to mention tourism, we see many “caravans”. About half are small by our standards pull behind campers. The rest are camper vans – also small. When you consider that France drives small cars on roads we would not consider to be 2 lanes wide.

Interestingly, we’ve seen lots of places where campers park. There are campgrounds like in the US, and, in fact, many towns either have a municipal campground (with or without services) or a designated parking lot for campers. There seems to be a “laissez faire” attitude about where campers park. People are often camping the way we would do for a tailgating party. I’m not sure if this is an attitude in this area of low population and plenty of wilderness areas to explore in between the villages that dot the highways. Whatever, I find this attitude refreshing – and I don’t see mounds of garbage left behind and I’ve yet to hear loud music coming out of a camper. So perhaps it’s a trust on both sides that folks will use good camping manners.

Politics

We were here again for an election – this time for European Parliament seats of which France elects 81 members of the 720 member Parliament. These are the folks charged with rule-making amongst the EU countries. Not an easy job!

As we’ve seen before, there is only one spot in each village that posters (all the same size, btw) can be displayed. There are no billboards and it is rare to find a rogue poster on the side of a building or barn. There are no yard signs. Candidates campaign by having open meetings in town halls. (I have to admit, I don’t know what is allowed on TV as we do not do TV in France, but I’m guessing it is also subdued.) I haven’t been able to find information on campaign mail or Internet sites, but I’m guessing those are in play.

Even better, the entire campaign season lasts just a few weeks. In fact, as a result of the EU Parliament vote where the ultra-right gained significant seats over Macron’s centrist party, Macron dissolved France’s National Assembly just hours after the results came in on the EU Parliament vote. And new voting is within 20 days of the dissolution. Imagine how the country is scrambling to get this to happen!

So, France may have a less-in-your-face campaign season, but they still have plenty of drama in much the same way as we do.

Tarascon-sur-Ariège - June 22, 2024

 We've passed and passed through Tarascon-sur-Ariège several times, so today we'll explore this city whose clock tower can be seen from some of the highways we've traveled. 

Dave's plotted out our afternoon which starts with a picnic in the city park along the Ariège River. The weather is not cooperating.  It's cold (for me, but then I'm always cold. The actual temperature is probably the low 60s.) And it's threatening rain. 

In the old town with all my layers

We walked along the Ariège to the stone bridge and crossed over into the old town. 

As is true of most medieval villages, Tarascon was once walled with its houses huddled together along narrow lanes, opening on a central arcaded square where markets were and continue to be held.

ruins of town walls

It's best feature is its setting, nestled at the confluence of the Ariège and the Vicdessos Rivers which flow out of intersecting glacial valleys of  the same name. 

Outside the old city, this building on the right is the "club house" for several local organizations, including the "Committee of Festivals" Sign me up!

A clock tower, la Tour Castella, was added on the high point of the city in 1775. 

Dave recorded the views from this vantage point of Tarascon's breath-taking setting. 

Back in its central square, we checked out the bell tower, la Tour Michel, remains of a church of the same name from 1382 which disappeared mid-19th century. This tower would have been part of the city walls and used for defensive purposes as well.

Also on the square is a very plain church from the outside which is well-preserved inside. Notre Dame de la Daurade has been both Catholic and Protestant in its checkered history. The current building is 16th century, built over the 11th century church.

We walked back across the Ariège River to the "new" part of town. Some buildings attest to their modernity, 

but then there is another church, the Eglise St Quitterie. This building was finished in 1820 after the first 2 churches were destroyed by floods in 1622 and 1722 (hundred year floods, perhaps?) This church was built on higher ground. 

On the way home, we took a quick detour at Les Pujols, just a few miles from our house. I've been intrigued by the road sign pointing into the village "fortified church". Worth a quick visit. There's more to this village than we realized passing through it just about everywhere we go. Definitely fortified.

More Castles and some music - June 21, 2024 - Villerouge-Termenès & Thermes & Fête de la Musique in Mirepoix

 I have to begin with the end of the day. June 21 is "Fête de la Musique" all over France. This music fest has been celebrated every June 21 since its inception in Paris in 1982. I've been lucky enough to experience this festival both in Paris and in Vannes, Brittany. Two very different experiences. But what is the same is the community feeling of this party and the celebration of local music and musicians and all styles and tastes in music. It's just a joyful night out with one's neighbors and friends. It is now catching on across the world. A story today in the Madison WI newspaper described the June 21 music fest as Make Music Madison (part of Make Music Wisconsin). What a cool idea!

We've seen a poster for Fête de la Musique in Mirepoix and decided to stop on our way home. The fest is always just in the evening, usually starting around 6 pm. It's always on June 21, usually the shortest night (longest day) of the year. It's a family affair with toddlers running in and out amongst the chairs and tables set up in the outdoor venues. (If it rains, arrangements are made for indoor spaces, often in cafes.) 

When we arrived at 5:30 (early enough to get a good parking spot), the only activity was at the covered market where programs were being presented by the local music school. When we arrived, a choir of local children and adults were singing after which the orchestra played for an hour of toe-tapping familiar songs. We installed ourselves at the tapas restaurant Le Casti just beyond the covered market. While busy, the cafes and restaurants on the square were not yet full. 

sitting at Le Casti

But by 7 pm, there was not a table to be had. 

We were glad we had opted for a "pichet de 50 cl" (a half-liter pitcher) of rosé to while away the time before ordering dinner (Don't even think about ordering dinner before 7 at the earliest!) so we could look reasonably European tonight. Listening to the music of the local orchestra while people watching was all the entertainment needed. 

I watched people greet each other with "une bise" on each cheek. The bise is a sort of air kiss given to each side of the cheek - the number of times depends on which part of France you're in. Here, it's one on each side. I misspoke when I said men only offered "la bise" to women but shook hands with men. We saw men of all ages giving each other la bise. (So my new theory is that it depends on how good a friend you are.) Greetings completed all around the table, folks would stop and chat for a bit and then move on. Some joined friends at their table. 

When the community band finished, a duo of local musicians set up right on our corner and played French cafe music, pleasant to listen to as we ate our tapas. 

We left around 8:30, so don't know if there was more music to come. I'm guessing there was, but....

we went home to a beautiful sunset over our field of harvested hay. (The farmer just managed to finish baling the hay before Wednesday's storms. Whew!)

One of the benefits of living in small towns (Mirepoix has a population of just over 3,000 people) is that everyone knows everyone at the fest. One of the benefits of living in France is that there are so many festivals, especially in summer. There seems to be something going on almost every weekend - music, walks, community garage sales, art shows, and, of course, markets. It gave me such pleasure to be reminded that most folks get along even if they have differing politics. I went home from the fest feeling all warm and fuzzy. I'm not sure why, we have small farm town fests all over Wisconsin too, but at these events, I feel like I'm part of the community, just one of the neighbors hanging out at the fest. 

Which was a good way to end another day of castles conquering. This time, the we're aiming for 2 castles east of us - one in Villerouge-Termenès and the second in Thermes on the way home. One castle reconstructed, the other a complete ruin. Both involved driving deep into the gorges of the Corbières countryside. 

view from Thermes

The castle at Villerouge-Termenès is different from others we've seen. For one, it is in the village and not perched on a rocky outcrop above the valley. In fact, it is down a steep slope from the parking level to the castle and I worried the scooter breaks would not hold (they did). 

Secondly, it has been lovingly restored by the town of Villerouge-Termenès (a ploy to get more tourists, perhaps?) 

There's even a medieval restaurant in the courtyard (closed when we were there)

Interior of living quarters

Third, it offers an audio guide that automatically starts when you pass from one room to another. The guide explains a lot about Cathar beliefs and lifestyles (yes, this is another Cathar castle). And the woman taking our money is wonderfully friendly and helpful, in English and in French.

Fourth, the ground floor of the castle is handicapped accessible. 

Castle entrance gate - no steps!

So I could visit at least part of this castle. Our guide on the audio, Pierre, provided explanations and the story-line for Guillem Bélibaste, the last Cathar, turned in by an Inquisition bounty hunter, resulting in prison, a trial, and a judgement of being burned alive in the courtyard of this castle in 1321. This is long after the Albigensian Crusade and the Inquisition, so the castle was never at risk of siege or warfare. In fact, Bélibaste wasn't from Villerouge-Termenès at all. But it was the seat of the Bishop of Narbonne who wanted to show his power over "heretics". 

dressed mannequins helped lead us into the story of the Last Cathar. This is our guide, Pierre.

remains of a medieval painting in the dining room

The whole experience was very well put together with props (including mannequins dressed in medieval costumes), the audio, and also video presentations in each room. 

After leaving the castle, we circled the old town which was lovely to walk through, but which didn't have a lot of other monuments to show us. But there were hills that required helpful pushing to save the scooter battery.

streets surrounding the  castle

walking toward the remaining gate left from the defensive walls

Outside the gate is the modern parts of Villerouge-Termenès

not everything is spiffy and well kept, but this door has a surprise....

....There's a troll looking out at you.

Another place that could use some love.

the church

a patch of lavender in bloom

What a surprise to find a stone hopscotch (marelle in French) embedded in one of the village streets. The game was played in medieval times (and before) pretty much as it is still played today. 

I hope you can see it as it's stone on stone.

We ate lunch at a bench in a grassy park that overlooked the castle. 

Our next stop, Thermes, is only 13 km away (5 km as the crow flies), but a half hour in time. Once more, we climbed and descended rugged tree-covered landscape with lots of curves and switchbacks. 

lots of curves and switchbacks, but the views were fantastic (and no place to pull over for a photo as we were on a one lane road where traffic went in both directions. 

We had a view of the ruined castle of Thermes as we climbed over the last hill. 

There was obligatory parking outside the town but the walk wasn't too bad because this village is really small - only 50 inhabitants. Dave left me with my needlework and headed up to the castle. He said the climb wasn't too hard. At least not as hard as other castles he's climbed this trip.

Views from the top were well worth the effort.

This castle was besieged by Simon de Montfort and, having run out of water, capitulated after 7 months. The castle was given to one of de Montfort's lieutenants as a spoil of war. The castle was of continued strategic use as it lay on the border between France and Aragon (Spain), until the border moved farther south in 1649 after which time it was abandoned. The castle is in its present state of ruin because it had been taken over after it was abandoned by a band of brigands who were terrorizing the region using the castle as its base. A local stone mason was hired to blow up the castle with gunpowder. Obviously, it worked.

We continued traveling hills and gorges until we hit better roads at Limoux, after which we had a road that was 2 lanes wide and even had a stripe down the center. After our previous roads, it felt like a highway. (Well, it is a highway by French standards.)

And arrived in Mirepoix about 5:30 to check out Fête de la Musique.