Languedoc 2013: Long Distances, Great Heights

17.10.2013

There are tourist trains, Le Train Rouge and Le Petit Train Jaune, that head towards the Pyrénées and provide a great view of the journey. Of course that means following a schedule which departs very early, booking reservations for a choice restaurant at one of the stops, and probably not drinking too much water since some trains don't have a WC. (You must rely on way stops.) We love driving so decided to do an excursion by car. Little did we realize we'd be gone for 11 hours, lingering in small towns and appreciating the incredible gorge vistas at leisure.

As we left Ginestas, we snapped a photo of a fence with a long row of my signature hearts. Those hearts can be found at unusual and surprising places!

We've always visited France in the spring, so it's a new experience to watch the vineyards and fields take on their autumn mantle.

Grapes at the peak of ripeness in late summer.

The vineyards after vendange. Note the wind turbines in the background. There are a lot of those!

Vineyards becoming dormant and leaves changing colour.

Viewed from afar, the vineyards still make for an idyllic setting.

When we stopped for lunch in Monze, this teapot in the corner of the restaurant was begging to have its photo taken. It reminded me that it's my turn to welcome my group of "Tea Ladies".

We drove through Lagrasse (see a previous posting) and made our way to Termes. This sign is the closest we got to a wild boar.

The church in the small village of Termes.

Church's bell tower.

The castle of Termes, seen from the church perspective.

The siege of Termes, in 1210, was known throughout Christian Europe in the XIIIth century. The fortress was deemed impregnable, but after a long siege lasting four months, Simon de Montfort's crusaders eventually defeated the defenders. The Castle of Termes is above the village of Termes and near the Gorge of Termenet. This gorge is part of the overall Gorges de l'Orbieu, the Orbieu being an 84.3 km long river in the Aude department of south central France.

What incredible vistas! Twisty roads with very deep chasms. Precipices that are unforgiving and don't allow a moment's inattention. I couldn't help but compare it to a drive through the Rocky Mountains where the roads are wide and smooth, and metal safeguards line the route. This narrow, windy route has small, low stone walls or the occasional metal railing in the sharpest curves, but there are plenty of opportunities to fall away. Prudence!

Tunnels through some of the mountains, with a road barely able to accommodate one large vehicle let alone two passing cars. Thank goodness there isn't much traffic.

Sharp, jagged rocks and boulders overhanging deep gorges.

Acrophobia is an irrational fear of heights, but I don't think you have to suffer from that to realize you have to be alert and tread carefully!

This area must have a lot of iron in the soil to be so red.

The Château d'Arques is a masterpiece of gothic military construction that dates back to the XIIIth century. There is a splendid keep with towers boasting decorative elements and sculptures.

The towns we drove through had such beautiful names: Couza, Espéraza, Quillan, Axat, Lapradelle, Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet, Rivesaltes, and then finally our last stretch homeward bound on the auto route up the Med coastline, skirting Narbonne and finally arriving in Ginestas.