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The department of Aude, in the Languedoc, in the South of France is Cathar country, a mix of mountains, vineyards, castles and distant views. A generous and little populated part of France. And still far from being over-visited. It is superbly placed for seeing the country around about. The next-door department of the Tarn is easily reached, across the Black Mountains where cities like Albi and its Toulouse-Lautrec Museum and Cathedral, or Castres with its Goya paintings, are wonderful to see. The city of Toulouse is just over an hour away: charming, sophisticated, with good food, music, and ballet, as well some of the best museums in France.
This is Cathar country: it is filled with the ghosts of Cathar past, ruined castles, battles and sieges. La Cité in Carcassonne, the best preserved medieval fortified city in France, is an extraordinary sight with its turrets and battlements. The Inquisition sat here, and Crusaders fought at its gates.
Another delight is the Canal du Midi which rises in the mountains above Caunes and flows close by. You can walk it, hire a boat, cycle along the tow- path or just sit on the bank under the plane trees and watch the waters drift by. Like la Cité of Carcassonne, the Canal du Midi is a World Heritage Site. For those who like to get down to the coast, there are beaches, beginning at Narbonne. They get better the further afield you go. Seaside towns like Sete, for oysters, and Collioure, for its pretty harbour and famous anchovies, make a terrific day out. |
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