Toffoli

Poster from a French holiday.

Above is a photo I uploaded using my new mobile phone - as you can see I haven't quite got the hang of it but practice makes perfect. Below is an edited version of the poster, which hangs in my bedroom.

French strike

Thousands of public transport and utility workers have gone on strike across France throwing the transport system into chaos. Many people walked or made use of Paris's new self-service bicycle system, Velib.
Though tempers were a little frayed on the gridlocked roads as commuters battled any way they could to get home. BBC:

Transport workers protest in Lille, France, during a nationwide strike

Here kitty ...

A nice piece of garage door art from our trip to France.

Revel - 23rd August 2007.

Yes, we did have some rain - here we are near Revel at a man made lake, we did manage to finish our picnic by the lake and return to our hire car before the heavens opened.

Don't rain on my parade.

Not just in Belfast ...

We saw recently how utility boxes were being decorated in Belfast - this fine example of beautifying ugliness was found in Lavaur near Toulouse.

Castelnaudary - 22nd, 23rd & 24th August 2007.

We arrive in Castelnaudary to find that this is the week-end of the cassoulet festival. Marquees are set up for diners to partake of the said delicacy and there are stages set up in different squares for concerts to be held nightly. Sadly the first night is too wet so that the scheduled pop concert has to be cancelled but ..........

....... it does not deter these young women from performing during the evening. They are accompanied by a samba (?) drum band and girate up and down the street for hours, much to the appreciation of the local population (and some tourists) - ahhh the pleasure of cold water on naked flesh.

Next morning calls for something more relaxing and we take an early (not too early) morning stroll along the Canal du Midi.

Farm beside the canal with a field of sunflowers, which I think are just past their prime. Not the scenic view of sunflowers we normally see on postcards.

An écluse along the canal - you can see the distance to the next écluses from the sign on the wall. One of the locks was manned (is that the correct word) by a young woman. I suppose nothing to be amazed at any longer but I just thought she was very young for the job (no, I am not suggesting any sort of incompetence - just, that I expected anybody doing this job to be much older with more experience, like the men we saw at other écluses).

Some scenes from fête du Cassoulet

Voir les vidéos de la Fête du Cassoulet

Lezignan-Corbières - Tuesday 21st August 2007.

Carcassonne via Mirepoix - Sunday 19th & Monday 20th August 2007.

The half-timbered houses over the covered galleries of Mirepoix, which are adorned with sculptures in the shapes of animals, crowned men, women weaving hats,and even grotesques....

Carousel at the mediaeval city of Carcassonne.
Carcassonne by night.
Carcassonne by day.

Montsegur - Sunday 19th August 2007.

Today we head for Carcassonne but first a detour to Montségur. Montségur is a special shrine of the Cathars (it has been described as their Alamo). In this nation of Southern France (Occitania) Cathars and Catholics had lived side by side as neighbours until the king of France and the pope made its demise and annexation the goal of a war officially known as the Albigensian Crusade. In 1204 the Cathars had asked Raymond de Péreille (one of their supporters) to rebuild his castle at Montségur (or Mount Safety) and it subsequently became their chief stronghold. While other castles fell easily, the besiegers found Montségur impossible to seal up tightly and starve out, even with 6,000 men. In 1243 it held out for 10 months, even into a difficult winter but shortly before Christmas a group of Basque mercenaries scaled a seemingly impossible sheer cliff face, and overran a forward position. From here, under the direction of a Catholic bishop specialising in war machines, the French were able to construct catapults. This spelled the end of all hope. The garrison surrendered on 2 March 1244 having negotiated a truce of two weeks, after which the Parfaits (or 'goodmen' as they called themselves) would have to abjure their faith or burn alive. Not a single Cathar took up the offer.

Surrounding countryside from the base of the rock (or Pog).

Montségur and pog silhouetted against an ominous sky.

Surrounding countryside from the summit of the pog.

The stone memorial marking Camp des Crémats, the burning field, where a stockade full of firewood was set alight as the archbishop of Narbonne arrived to take possession of Montségur and all the souls who converted to Catholicism. All 225 Parfait climbed the ladders and jumped into the flames rather than abjur their religion.

Cloud descending on Montségur shortly after my descent.

Information on the siege of Montségur from: 'Gascony & the Pyrenees' by Dana Facaros & Michael Pauls and also http://www.languedoc-france.info/120719_montsegur.htm

As I stopped, for a rest and a drink of water, I looked over the surrounding countryside and to my amazement there just a few feet away from me was an eagle gliding quietly towards Montségur. Unfortunately my camera was in its case and switched off - so I did not have a chance to photograph it - I could only watch as it slowly disappeared behind some shrubbery - but it is a moment that I will not easily forget. To me the eagle seemed representative of the power and strength of the former occupants of the fortress.

In Bulgarian mythology, the eagle is a creature that flies between the worlds from the mountain heights to the underworld depths. It never ages because it drinks from the lake of the water of life that lies at the end of the earth. It is the helper of heroes.

Tarascon sur Ariège - Friday 17th & Saturday 18th August 2007.

Just down the road from Foix is the little mountain village of Tarascon which is a good base for exploring the nearby attractions and they also have a very entertaining festival of world music and dance.

One of the very public toilets in Tarascon.

Some of the participants in the Festival Danses et Musiques du Monde at Tarascon.

The mouth of the cave at Niaux.

Dolmen near Sem, known as the Palet de Samson, which was created by glacial action.

Visiting the cave at Niaux is a truly amazing experience, you have to walk to the paintings (no boats or trains in this cave) and you also have to take a torch (provided by the tour guide) to light your way. Not for the faint hearted - but once you arrive at the black chamber and see these amazing prehistoric depictions of bison, horses and mountain goats you know it was all worth the effort. These are fairly simple paintings (just outlines really of the beasts) but they convey the strength and vitality of these long dead animals. I, for one, could only wonder and stand in awe of the talent of these supposedly primitive artists.

St Lizier - Thursday 16th August 2007.

Two strange creatures to be found in Saint-Lizier, an ancient roman town, situated at the foot of the Pyrenees in the department of Ariège. The second is either a door knocker or a door latch - I did not investigate to find out which. I may have been taking my life in my hands if I had gotten too close to that fearsome beast (c: and the first doesn't look too friendly either.


You drive into, what you think is, a small town in the middle of nowhere and lo and behold the world and his granny has got there before you. Parking space? - you'll be extremely lucky - and for once we are, we find a space close to the town centre thanks mainly to somebody deciding it's time to visit the next small town. No thanks to the cow who got in her car and just sat there even though it was obvious we were trying to get parked. I hope the door knocker got her.

Toulouse - Wednesday 15th August 2007.

15th August is, as everybody knows, a jour de fête - which means that everywhere is closed (except cafes and restaurants, thankfully) and car hire offices will not open a minute before 3 o'clock. This means spending some time in the blazing heat, stopping every so often for cold drinks (boissons frais) pressions are out, because we have to drive. Past Place Wilson is Place du Capitole with an arcade of shops and cafes, the ceiling of which is decorated with scenes from Toulouse's history.

The arcade with its painted ceiling.

One of the ceiling panels.

Basilique Saint-Sernin and Notre Dame du Taur from Place du Capitole

We have lunch at FNAC's cafe les Americains before collecting the hire car. Note the young man enjoying the pleasure of cold water on naked flesh from the industrial sized fan which seem to be part and parcel of most cafe fittings now.

After collecting our car we set off to Foix which is one of the tiniest departmental capitals in France. Tucked between the Arget and Ariège rivers means that it is slightly cooler and more pleasant than the furnace-like Toulouse.

Toulouse - Tuesday 14th August 2007.

I have just returned from my fortnight's sojourn in France and here is the first of many photos to tempt and titillate you. Our first stop was Toulouse (mainly because the air fare was cheapest) and anybody who has visited Toulouse must surely have walked through Place Wilson
PLACE WILSON
La place du président Wilson se situe à l'entrée est du centre ville de Toulouse est un petit jardin rond, et autour duquel rayonnent plusieurs rues - en son centre, une sculpture et une fontaine honorent le poète Goudouli depuis 1898.

The smiling poet is seated beside his naked langourous relaxing muse; la Garonne.

Toulouse was exceedingly hot and you can only envy the naked langourous muse but at least it was pleasant to relax within the vicinity of the cool water. And the pleasure, the sheer joy of a cold shower on naked flesh (upon one's return to one's hotel room) cannot be extolled enough.

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PONT NEUF

We took a walk down to Place de la Daurade and Pont Neuf, Toulouse's oldest bridge, which has seven unequal arches and curious holes. My theory is that in time of flood these holes would allow the flood water to pass through without smashing the bridge.

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JARDIN ROYAL

From Pont Neuf it is only a short walk past the magnificent fountain representing the two rivers, Tarn and Garonne,

to Jardin Royal and the statue commemorating Antoine de Saint Exupèry and The little Prince.

... I think this little house is for the ducks. What a fantastic setting.

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