Once more we are chasing good weather. Our forecast is for cool temps and grey skies. So we're heading towards Quillan, with stops on the way at Camon and Puivert, chasing the sun and warmth.
We've been to Camon twice before, but love this village for its beautiful roses. A quick tour of this village rewarded us with even more roses than before. Well worth the quick visit.
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| Mad, Ron, Chris |
Our next stop was Puivert Castle.
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| entrance to Puivert Castle |
The original castle (of which only a few walls remain) was built in the 12th century and owned by the Congost family who were - can you guess? - Cathars (that Christian sect that challenged the wealth and authority of the medieval Catholic hierarchy). It was built as a defensive fort 1800 feet above the town of Puivert.
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| remains of the old castle |
Of course, it came under attack in the Albigensian Crusade and withstood the siege for only 3 days. It was given as a prize of war to Simon de Montforte's lieutenant, Thomas Pons de Bruyère whose grandson built a new castle to the east of the original.
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| remains of the "new" castle |
The keep of this castle is particularly well-preserved.
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| 5 story keep |
The wind was cold up on top of this ridge and the sun was hiding behind the clouds. In the forecourt we were surprised to see a pony grazing. Chris made sure to introduce herself to the pony.
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| Notice how windy it is |
I found a sheltered corner and got out my stitching while the others explored the castle and its keep.
By now we were getting hungry. We stopped at a picnic pull-off outside of Quillan which was also windblown and cold. Nevertheless, we quickly ate our lunch and continued on the road to Quillan.
Only to find several other picnic pull-off areas all of which were not windy. sigh.
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| This picnic area had a lookout point and wasn't windy.... |
Quillan has a beautiful setting deep in the foothills of the Pyrenees. It is known for its water sports along the Aude River - white water rafting and fishing.
It's a pleasant city to wander and boasts a 12th century stone bridge and a chateau.
Most interesting to me while wandering the town, we watched how the communal recycling is collected.
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A big truck lifts the whole container over the top of the truck.
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| https://www.alamy.com/ |
To my surprise, there's a very large container under the much smaller surface container. Once over the truck, the bottom opens on the large underground container and all the stuff falls out. Then the container and its underground storage bin are replaced ready to fill again.
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