Lunch in Limoux

We had a lovely lunch in Limoux today. We actually braved taking a toddler to a nice restaurant when it really was her bedtime. It was a bit tricky to juggle her and the lovely food, hence there is only one photo, but we had a very nice time and she went to sleep as soon as we got in the car. Our roasted scallops were delicious. I followed it with sea bream on red cabbage while Andy had white blood sausage and potatoes then cheese for Wilson and icecream for me. You might think we are a bit strange celebrating such a normal thing but Millie switches off at 12 and no restaurant in France opens for lunch before 12 or dinner before 7 so this was a real treat for us.

St Ferriol and surrounds

Rain, rain, rain... Millie was in heaven as rain, puddles and mud are right up her alley. 3 changes of clothes today and some very wet boots to try to dry before tomorrow.

We drove up the mountains to the east of us which were as beautiful as any we've seen so far. The villages are tiny and don't have any shops, though every single one seems to have a Mairie (town hall), a mayor and a church. Although we were only a couple of kms from our own village all of these villages have their street names written in Occitan (the old language of the area) so you know you are somewhere different. We don't seem to tire of the hill and valley views from the car and the picturesque villages you come across every few miles. The windy roads are a bit of challenge but fortunately the cars come as often as the buses!

One of the biggest villages in the area, St Ferriol is where our landlords, Sophie & James, have spent the better part of the last 12 years restoring and renovating a renaissance chateau (castle). This was the first time we've seen it and is a goliath of a structure. Andy says the labours of Sisyphus seem like a walk in the park. They are to be commended but I don't envy them.

St Just et Le Bezu

Church at St Just

St Ferriol

Chateau Ferreolus - street view

Chateau Ferreolus - garden view

Valley views

It was such a beautiful day here and very warm in the sun. After some market shopping and bargain collecting at the flea market, from which Millie did very well, we took a drive through some of the smaller villages of Campagne-sur-Aude and Brenac. Brenac is in the most gorgeous location but my interest was taken by yet another loo on a bridge. It also had a kind of old fashioned laundry too. The drive culminated in the stunning views of Quillan in the valley.

Another loo on a bridge

'cheese'

Kelsie & Millie

Quillan

Mirepoix & Chalabre

Our little car took as further afield today to the little village of Chalabre and the picturesque town of Mirepoix. The poms favour this ville, apparently making up 30% of the population. It's very pretty medieval centre is covered all the way around and littered with shops of all descriptions.

Old bath house at Chalabre

Village of Camon

Mirepoix

more Mirepoix

Rouvenac et Puivert

What a busy day we've had. After an early morning bus trip to Quillan we collected our 'borrowed' car and set off... on the wrong side of the road. I'd forgotten how tricky this bit was though you soon get the hang of changing gears with your right hand and trying not swerve to the left too much. After an important stock-up at Carrefour (supermarket) we rested and made plans. First stop was Rouvenac, a sleepy little town just to the west of us. It really is very cute and has a lovely restaurant we'll certainly be returning to.

A further trek west through the hills on windy, narrow roads and we spotted the ruins of Puivert Castle. Andy took this opportunity for a photo and the best view from an outdoor urinal. Puivert was also asleep. It is so remote and tiny that the post office and local services only open in the morning. The tiny grocery store re-opened at 4pm, luckily for passing, hungry tourists.

We have our little ol' peugeot 205 for a week so expect regular updates and daring stories of driving escapades, especially as it's Andy's turn to drive tomorrow.

Rouvenac

Chateau Puivert

Puivert in the shadows of the Chateau

Toilets on a bridge?

Valley views

Rennes-le-Chateau et Rennes-les-Bains

After a quiet morning at the markets (the rain and thunderstorms kept the hordes away) and a nice sietsa our neighbour, Nicole, took us to visit the little hill top village of Rennes-le-Chateau. The road winds narrowly and daringly upward until you reach the tiny streets of the village. From here the views are incredible with a panorama of the Haute Valley and the mountains further south. Anyone who loves high drama and intrigue should take a look at Rennes-le-Chateau wikipedia to check out one of the reasons that the village is so popular. All you Dan Brown fans out there will be itching for more!

We returned to the lower grounds and detoured to Rennes-les-Bains to see where people like to take 'the cure' or enjoy the natural hotsprings. You can have a nudie bath in public if you like or put your bathers on and take a swim in the piscine. I know what I'll be doing.

Rennes-le-Chateau Church

Couiza, Haute Valley

Hot springs at Rennes-les-Bains

Couiza

After missing our bus yesterday morning (Millie keeps sleeping-in and we are not complaining) we decided that our neighbouring town couldn't take that long to walk to. It's between 2 and 3 kilometres away so surely we could get there in half an hour. Ahhh, how we long for our youth because back then we were fitter and not carrying a toddler on our backs! 40 minutes (or so) later we arrived feeling a little warm and moist but Couiza is a nice little town with some lovely bridges and streets to explore and enjoy. We poked our head into the local church where they are doing some serious renovations and were surprised by what we found. There is a little taster in the photo below. Also this whole area was once known for producing hats and what do we find in Couiza, just what we were looking for... a big hat! That's it now, we are on the hunt for the big everything. Cheese? Snails? Frogs Legs? Wine bottle? Stay tuned.

The Big Hat