FRANCE (Prades, Carcassonne, Riviera)
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August 15 to September 30, 2012
England, France and Italy
Independent +GCT tour
Click photos to enlarge and see captions
Flag of France
This second phase was a combination of family/friends/sightseeing, in three different areas. First, we flew from England to Perpignan where we rented a car so we could join my sister's family for yet another gathering of her whole brood – with spouses and children – in a large gîte (what the Brits call "self-catering accommodations") in Prades, a city in the eastern Pyrénées Mountains, about one hour from the Mediterranean and the Spanish city of Barcelona. There, my sister had planned a family reunion over several days to celebrate specific occasions -- for which she is famous. Once again, it was a complete success, full of fun, food, drink, and excursions to local architectural, historical or archeological sites of interest, to celebrate one nephew's 50th birthday, and the youngest of the family's 40th. One small distinction of Prades, notable to the cellist in the family, is that it was the refuge for Pablo Casals throughout WWII after leaving his homeland and unable to escape from France. It also hosts an international, the Casals Festival, cello festival every summer.
What stands out from a travelogue standpoint are two medieval abbeys, perched on rocky promontories in this eastern part of the Pyrénées Mountains in southern France, close to the city of Perpignan and in a region called the Languedoc. They are both of the Romanesque-style architecture, and built at about the same time, i.e. the beginning of the 11th century. The Languedoc is know for its abundance of such traces of medieval times.
Prades - st. martin du canigou
The first, the Abbey of St. Martin du Canigou (the Canigou being the highest mountain in the area) is a monastery built in 1009, and originally populated with Benedictine monks. It fell into disrepair and was abandoned after the French Revolution, but the ruins were restored at the beginning of the 20th century by a catholic bishop. It is now occupied by a secular branch of the Benedictine Order, called the Community of the Béatitudes. It is comprised of lay people who want to follow the monastic way of life without being "inducted." A dream for photographers, it is a jewel example of Romanesque architecture, with a cloister which absolutely enchanted me (not because the monastic life appeals to me, but because I have always loved Romanesque architecture.)
Prades - Prieure de Serrabona
Built in 1082, the decline of the Priory of Serrabona started at the end of the 13th century. Its restoration was started at the beginning of the 20th century, but nothing serious was accomplished until after WWII. This one was an especially memorable experience because of the mindboggling challenges of the one-vehicle-width trail that zigzags up the mountain from the valley below. Serrabona is accessible only on foot by hikers, and not by private vehicles because it's too dangerous and not wide enough. The only motorized way up are as passengers in 3 or 4 old beat-up Jeep taxis whose drivers are used to negotiating the indescribable hairpin turns that swing around every few yards. The ride up was harrowing for me who was on the valley side, squealing "Oh my God!!!" every minute or so while covering my eyes, while we were all praying that another taxi wouldn't be coming or going the other way... But the view from the top, plus the visit of the building and the cloister, made it all worthwhile.
Carcassonne, medieval city
Our second stop in France was another item on my bucket list, the medieval walled city of Carcassonne, one hour from Perpignan. Listed on the UNESCO's World Heritage list, it was built by the Visigoths in the 5th century. However, the first signs of settlement date back to 3500 BC. Its location, overlooking the ancient routes between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, and Spain and France, was of prime importance for centuries. Thus the need to protect it from invaders wishing to control the area.
The upper fortified city is within the ramparts and has never been damaged -- which makes it the only one in Europe -- while the lower city sits below the ramparts. The fortress has its own drawbridge and two separate moats with an extra wall in between, meant to protect the castle in the center of the city. It was restored in the second half of the 19th century by the famed Violet-le-Duc, the father of conservation principles and methods.
Carcassonne, medieval city
Trivia: The B&B I had found and reserved online was within the ramparts, but no where was it mentioned that one cannot drive into the old fortified city. Only residents do. Which means that, after we finally found the "free parking" for hotel guests of the old city, we had to rummage through and re-organize our luggage on the ground, before putting in our smallest suitcase on wheels what we needed for an overnight stay. Then traipse up the hill, through the city gate and go find our B&B on foot, cum said suitcase. It would have been a lot easier to know ahead of time what was required, so as not to flash our underwear and toiletry kits in the middle of the parking lot. But since we were not the only ones to do so, we didn’t care.
Our third destination in France was my niece's house in Provence, near Avignon, where my sister already was, so we'd have some time to rest before meeting our Grand Circle Travel group in Rome, and also to spend some quiet moments together. They have a gorgeous house (which they rent out as a gîte during the month of August), overlooking a valley behind which is the mighty Mt. Ventoux.
Provence - Abbaye de Senanque
From there, we explored the area, with the first of two highlights: the Sénanque Abbey (in the heart of lavender country). Many of you have already seen photos of this famous abbey, with a field of lavender stretching in front. A Cistercian abbey founded in 1145, ransacked and partially destroyed during the War of Religions, and abandoned in the beginning of the 20th century, until a small community moved back in 1988. Since then, the monks' livelihood is based on the raising of lavender and honeybees.
On the way back, we stopped at the second highlight of the area, the Bories Village in Gordes, one of the most picturesque villages in France, perched on a rocky peak. Now a museum, the Bories Village is classified as a historical monument, a witness to the way of life of people in Provence a long time ago. The word borie, of Provençal origin, comes from the Latin "boaria" - oxen stable -, signifying a type of shed. The hut has always been an institution in Provence. First popping up in fields to house the peasants' tools, it became, as time passed, the little country house, done up, often in quite a rudimentary manner, to spend Sundays and holidays. The borie also permitted shepherds to shelter their flocks.
Provence - Village des bories, slate shelters dating back to the 18th c.
There are several theories as to the age of bories: starting in the Bronze age, added to in the 7th, then 15th centuries, the most recent constructions date back to the 19th century. They were occupied till the 1950's. The current museum consists of a group of 30 huts, all with a specific purpose and built of dry stones, now restored after ten years of work. These characteristic constructions in their pure and simple shapes represent an architectural masterpiece. The stones, without use of mortar, have been skillfully stacked into huts with corbelled vault ceilings.
Riviera - St. Tropez harbor
Our fourth and last stop, still in southern France, kept us going east again to the Riviera, where my old college friend lives in Fréjus, a lovely seaside port in the heart of all that's pretty in that area. Outside of loafing on the beach two days in a row (swimming in the Mediterranean was a real treat for me, though she thought it was too cold, and Robin abstained altogether, even from dipping a toe in), we rested mostly. Our one outing was a tourist boat ride (instead of fighting the last-days-of-summer traffic by car on the coast road, or Corniche) that took us along the coast from Fréjus to St. Tropez, a very famous, crowded, expensive and lovely port town on that same coast. Outside of its choice location, scenery and weather, it owes its fame to Brigitte Bardot choosing it to move into in the 1960's. And now on to Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast of Italy for phase 3 of our trip (click on link at bottom right of this page).
