Today we woke up to rain, chill and gloom. We walked through the Market Day merchants all set out along Quillan’s main street, and just bought some fruit. Then, after fortifying ourselves with chocolatines (“pain au chocolat” everywhere else), croissants and hot chocolate, we threw my bike in the trunk and headed out for a roadtrip to the walled city of Carcassone. What could go wrong?... Rainy late start on a weekend where thousands of tourists could be expected to descend on the City… we are eternal optimists. Our memories of this amazing old city were formed 34 years ago, when we visited here with our daughters. Who would have imagined things would change in the short time interval between then and now.
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| Same photo was taken 34 years ago I think...we changed a little, but Carcassone abides |
An hour’s drive put us into the modern part of Carcassone. Miserable traffic, ugly buildings and commercial development, all surrounding the medieval walled city, and literally choking it. To add to the confusion and crowds, today was a “Market Day”, with dozens of merchants set up around the walled city, and no parking left in sight. Buses, trucks, pedestrians, and tourist cars made driving pretty grim. We stumbled our way to a jammed parking lot, and walked into the old city through one of the big towered gates, after crossing the moat. Curiously, the moat is all grass now, not filled with water, and they maintain the grass by turning herds of sheep loose in it. Pretty classy and scenic!  |
| See the shgeep down there, mowing the moat! |
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| More crowds everywhere |
Crowds are kryptonite to our happiness, so we meekly made our way to the food area and found an open table outside to get a drink, some eats, and do a LOT of people watching. That stop took almost two hours, but was worthwhile because we got to see the guy who dresses up like a pirate, and walks around on stilts while playing the bagpipes, with a bouzouki strapped to his back. I got a bad photo, and short video. Rare sight: you don’t see this stuff everywhere! Shopping took place later, and Lynn found some things for future gifts…then we decided to abandon Carcassone and hit the road again. |
| Pirate guy playing bagpipes on stilts! Couldn't get him to turn around tho. |
Lynn was comfortable driving our rental car, and I was itching to get a bike ride in today, so she dropped me and my bike off at a tiny town about 18 miles from our home in Quillan. I’d scoped out a possible bike-friendly route using Google Maps on the bicycle setting. I changed clothes, clipped in to my bike, and watched Lynn drive off toward Quillan. Nothing to do now but ride this new mystery route and see what happens. I left the small village of Magrie, and steered as Google directed along little-used country roads, far from traffic, out in the agricultural spaces. This route took me through towns I’d never heard of, like Roquetaillade, Montazes, Bouriege, etc. Small places with just a few houses, narrow streets, and scarce people or traffic. Then, out in the countryside, the riding was spectacular. No traffic, decent pavement, beautiful farms and vineyards, and miraculously random castle ruins when least expected. Funny incident: one turn I had to make was onto a road the sign called “La Serpent”. I figured it would have a lot of switchback turns, bunches of climbing and descending, and scary parts. Like the "Tail of the Dragon" road in North Carolina. It wasn’t that way at all…I eventually rolled through a tiny town ... named “La Serpent”. Remember, here most navigation on the road is done using signs that point toward various towns, and this town wasn’t even scary.
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| See the ancient castle ruin wayyy out there on the peak near my helmet? |
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| More random castle ruins...there on the left part of the photo, between those two green stands of trees |
While pedaling into the outskirts of Esperaza, I heard music, and came around a curve to find a live concert going on in a parking lot with maybe a hundred people sitting in lawn chairs. It was an Irish band, performing in a thoroughly French small town, to a crowd that undoubtedly contained a mix of French and British residents, being observed by a goofy American cyclist, while playing one of the most famous Irish popular songs “Galway Girl”, written maybe 30+ years ago by Steve Earl, an American longtime Nashville songwriter and performer. What a cool mashup of cultures and influences live together in this area, it was beautiful to see.
Finishing up my ride into Quillan, i feared I might have been misled by the Google map, so stopped on a tiny road to chat with an elderly couple walking their dog, using the “emergency French” phrases Lynn taught me many years ago. They assured me I was on the right track for home, then we talked some more…me with little to no French, and them with little to no English. Language doesn’t always matter! I learned they are visiting Montana soon to visit a relative, calling it “Big Blue Sky Country”, and they learned I’m visiting my cousin in Quillan, while I usually live in the USA, then we parted company. They were so friendly and joyful to talk to: this is the kind of goofy stuff we love about traveling far away from tourist-based places. Getting home to Lynn was a good thing: her drive was safe and successful, and she’s confident in the rental car. Sweet!
Tomorrow let’s hope for dry weather and more bike rides…
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