Dave and Judy started their day with a hike in the neighborhood.
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| Manses |
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| Judy |
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| view of "our" mountains |
After lunch at home, we headed southwest toward Foix, about 20 miles away.
Foix (pronounced fwa) meaning "faith" is a city that is only 15 miles from our house. It is the prefecture (that is, the government center) for Ariège (which is kind of like a county). With a population of around 10,000, it is a small city, but one with lots of history.
There was a Roman fort on top of the steep rock in the middle of town where the castle now stands.
Already in 849 AD, the Abbey Saint-Volusien was located here. As is the fate of many/most churches in southern France, it was damaged/destroyed in the Albegensian Crusade, the wars of religion, and the French Revolution. Rebuilt several times, it still retains its southern Gothic character, although the abbey buildings are now used for government services.
There is a covered market....
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| La Halle aux Grains |
And a city center that still retains its medieval character.
Foix sits above the confluence of two rivers, the Ariège and the Arget in the foothills of the Pyrenées mountains.
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| The Arget River |
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