Au Revoir Caunes et La France

This will be the last blog written in France as we are off tomorrow to catch the plane from Toulouse to Gatwick in London. All going well we expect to arrive at the Victory Services Club around 1930 hrs. There are a couple of issues to report since Monday.

Mon 10 Jul

We had invited Chris and Ray , the Brit expats from the Jersey Islands, to visit Caunes with a view to eating at Hotel d'Alibert however, it was closed and Donna decided another tarted-up 'holy trinity' was in order at our place. Considering she has been running-down the pantry she did a marvelous job with Roquefort and Salers cheeses, ham, salad, and nuts. We drank a top notch 'cremant' from Limoux as well as Chateau Donjon's top red. Regrettably, our guests spent most of lunch complaining about the tourist industry, service, food,and general ordinariness of Australia! I was a bit put out as they were eating a great lunch and further, they were drinking our wine! Talk about whingeing Poms. All that aside, they are nice people and they certainly helped us language-wise. They invited us to their place but I think time is against us.

In the evening, our next door neighbours invited us in for a glass or two of wine. Bit embarrassing as mine had all been drunk at lunch! Mike and Liz are from Plympton near Plymouth and bought the house four years ago. They visit very 3 or 4 months. He is a retired tax inspector and Liz manages a nursing home. They have a real interest in Australia and seemed impressed at our understanding of things British and particularly history. Mike is quite handy and his improvements to such an old house are very good. He also dabbles in painting and has done murals to decorate cupboard doors and so on. His oils are particularly good and he also does copies of famous artist's paintings. He is especially interested in Picasso and his copies are brilliant. He has also spent considerable time sorting the wheat from the chaff in respect to Minervois wines. We drank two 'La Liveniere" beauties: a 2002 Valliere Lorgeil (Syrah/Grenache/Mouverdre), and a 2001 '2001'(Syrah/Grenache) from Trausse. Not a bad 'degustation' and a great couple of people to boot.

Tue 11 Jul

The weather is really very hot with a 'dry' heat. Apart from some local shopping we spent most of the day indoors.

We turn-up at the Grand Theatre in La Cite at 1930 hrs for the Al Jarreau concert scheduled to begin at 2130 hrs. Security was tight and I got turned back at the entrance because I had a camera in my bag. The crowd around us were quick to respond and pocketed their cameras. We diplomatically side-stepped to the adjacent entrance and were allowed through. I would have been very upset if we had not got in as camera flashes were going off right through the concert.

The theatre is in the open and can hold 3000 people in an amphitheatre design. The actual area was originally a monastery in the walled city. The stage was brilliantly lit and the surrounding crenellations on the walls and the turrets and towers themselves created an extraordinary ambience. Al Jarreau is an American jazz singer and even though he is not a youngster any more his vocals are superb. His band has got to be world class as you would expect, and the solo efforts were wonderful. I have never seen and heard a better drummer and the full-house agreed. The bass player stunned us all when his solo incorporated a first class singing performance.
All in all a great memory to leave the country on.

Wed 12 Jul

Another hot day but we are determined not to waste our last full day. As our house guests will recall, it did not seem to matter where you were in the Languedoc there was a sign to Mazamet. We decide to take the 45km drive just to see what this seemingly 'all important destination' was all about.

We took the longer of all the alternative routes to get to Mazamet and as we approached Carcassonne we turned north and drove through undulating pasture land before starting the climb up the Montagne Noir. A lookout 3kms from the town offers a view down upon it and to the east, a view through the steep valleys of the mountains as they stretch away in a narrow band 50 kms away to the north of Montpelier. The sea of red tile roofs below indicates a bigger than expected town with a population of just over 10,000.

In the 18th century, Mazamet became a major centre for the wool industry. The local area produced natural dyes; the pastures on the mountains supported sheep; and the rivers supplying unlimited water. In the mid 19th century the town began importing sheepskins and developed techniques for 'pulling' the wool out of sheep skins rather than using sheared wool. Australia was a significant supplier of skins. The textile industry then did the carding, combing, spinning and weaving. The skins were then dressed for use. Unfortunately for Mazamet, this industry has seriously reduced and the town relies more and more on outdoor attractions in the wilderness areas.

Geographically, Caunes is nearly directly over the other side of the mountains to Mazamet. We drive east away from the town and at Albine, turn south to begin the climb over the mountain. It had to be the right road as it was called Rue Caunes. The road was good with virtually no traffic and as we climbed this northern side into the Parc du Haut Languedoc we noted the mixed forest cover of oak, beech, and spruce. Over the top and onto the southern slopes the cover is a more Mediterranean landscape of brush and vine. We loved the way the trees stretch across the road virtually forming a tunnel on the north side. On the way down we got different views of Lespinassiere and Citou. The round trip was about 90 kms and we are glad we did not miss it.

Seriously approaching the task of packing this afternoon with the battle of weight and space clearly engaged.

Thank you for the kind comments many have made about this blog over the period we have been in France. It becomes a bit of a rod for one's back to maintain the flow of information however, after reading through it, it has been worth the effort. My son's word-counter has it over 30,000 words for the last three months! I should acknowledge some sources of information: firstly, the Michelin 'Green Guide for Languedoc and the Tarn Gorges'; next, the 2001 edition of 'The Rough Guide to Languedoc and Roussillon' by Brian Catlos; the Cadogan Guide 'South of France" 2003; and 'France, The Rough Guide' by Baillie and Salmon. Each of these guides provided great research and descriptive material with the 'Green Guide' the most current and noticeably very popular with other travelers. I have been a serious collector of brochures and site guides which of course are perfect for detailed local knowledge. The internet has been particularly useful and I have found 'Wickipedia' a good tool. Language notwithstanding, I have spoken with the locals...they are amazingly forthcoming.