Now we have seen Carcassonne..
I am sure that I have told you that in my early years at high school, probably in 1940 we had a poem in our French lesson, Je n’ai jamais vu Carcassonne. It was the poem of a man who was at the end of his life and looked back at what he had done and at what he had not done. His one regret? He had never seen Carcassonne. He had done many things but this one thing remained to do and he realized he would never do it. Well, today, in spite of rain, I hope to see Carcassonne.
And I did. We both did. We parked on the outskirts of the new town and walked towards what the locals call La Cite, the original Carcassonne. A spectacular setting, on top of a hill, with the walls and towers of La Cite filling the horizon. A complication was that so many others, quite reasonably, wanted to see it too, so that the numbers swelled as we walked over Le Vieux Pont towards the towers. It is still a complete fortress city, with a double circuit of walls enclosing the city. The walls are punctuated by towers like something from a fairy-tale, appearing as a complete city without ever having to see inside. It has an almost unreal look, at odds with the massive walls and the web of streets revealed as you enter the city gates which are imposing in their solidity and add to the sense of enclosing a separate world. J’ ai vu Carcassonne.
Architecturally La Cite is all that it promises, not just a re-creation of the past but a living part of that past.
That last bit is one of its problems as well as one of its charms. La Cite at Carcassonne is the living site of one of the many cruel episodes from the past. It, together with many other cities in the region, was the dwelling place for people who accepted the Cathar approach to Christianity. The Cathars were early Protestants and the Catholic Church, having just repelled an invasion through Spain of Moslem armies, was in a mood to quell by force any disagreement. Thousands of Cathars were killed, many in battle and others, like 150 people of Carcassonne, were burned alive after refusing to give up their faith. We found it difficult to put out of our mind these barbarities while we walked around this undoubtedly beautiful city. We sat in the lovely church in Carcassonne and were able to join with generations who have prayed sincerely there over the past 800 years. But we also felt for those who had believed equally sincerely, but differently, and had died for it.
In the days since our visit we have seen many other Cathar strongholds, spectacular sites built in places designed to be inaccessible but where their enemies eventually attacked and destroyed them. Now, they are attractive tourist sites, beautiful in themselves but an uncomfortable reminder of how destructive people can be, particularly of something they cannot or do not wish to understand.
Kelli and I are staying in a little town, St. Hilaire, less than 20 k from Carcassonne, in a very pleasant little hotel. It is a great place from which to explore this varied and beautiful area of Roussillon-Languedoc.
From Kelli:
St Hilaire
Walking along the towpath of the Canal du Midi on a very hot day.
This is the Abbey at St Hilaire and the cloisters are below. Pierre says that the monks here invented sparkling wine 200 years before they did in the champagne region. The local bubbly is called Blanquette and is vey drinkable.
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Today is mid summer day which is France means it is the Fete de la Musique when all sorts of people from very raw amateurs to professionals put on concerts all over the place. In a couple of little towns we visited this morning we heard a brass band, a wandering choir and various people just sitting or standing around singing. It is a lovely idea – thanks to Jack Lange a politician who started it only about 20 years ago. This evening we are going into Carcassonne for an organ concert in one of the churches then dinner in the square while we listen to “Cosy Swing Folies” whatever that might be.
PS Two days later – Fete de la Musique was a disaster. We failed to find any of the advertised programs HOWEVER there was a hard rock event about 100 m from our bedroom at about a zillion decibels. It started around midnight and finished about 5 am. It was one of those events where you can’t actually hear the ‘music’ you can just feel the bass beat thumping your chest and head. It was a nightmare.
While on the topic of music, a piece in The Times caught my eye this week. Tom Phillips died last week. He was 101 and had been singing in the choir at St Andrew’s Church Backwell in Somerset for 93 years. That is a record that is unlikely to be broken for some time.
Another little snippet from The Times:
“ A woman of 82 died after a microwaveable heatpack she was using caught fire. Doreen Ghiloni of Leeds was OVERWHELMED BY TOXIC FUMES (?????) . The product often known as a wheatbag is used to treat arthritis and muscle pain …….”
Please be warned – if you are one of the many people for whom I’ve made wheat bags over the years – they could be fatal!!!!! Do you think Doreen’s could have been filled with synthetic wheat?
Now for a little bright spot.
( I seem to read newspapers more when we are travelling – spare time – no TV – fewer chores etc)
Mo ( short for Mohammed ) Ibrahim has inaugurated an annual prize for African leadership. It pays $US 500,000 and $200,000 a year for a leader who has been responsible for good governance in his or her country and HAS LEFT OFFICE AT THE END OF HIS/HER TERM. He says that unlike Western leaders, Africans leaders don’t have the option of lucrative book deals, speaking tours etc when they leave office and are tempted to hold onto power or engage in corruption to secure their financial future. He is a London Based Sudanese man who made his fortune in the African mobile phone industry, managing to succeed without paying bribes. The first award went to the former President of Mozambique. Mo said he was impressed when he heard that ex- Pres Chissano was going to use some of his prize to pay off debts – doesn’t sound like someone who has been robbing the Treasury. Check out Mo’s website and his “Ibrahim Index of African Governance”. When asked what motivated him to give away his fortune in this way he said “I had opportunities and made good. I have a debt to pay to my people. You can’t be an island of happiness in a sea of misery.”
I have often wonderd about the value of aid to many countries who don’t have responsible governments – it seems like pouring water into a bucket with holes in the bottom but at the same time you don’t want the people to suffer more than they do already.
---------------------------------
Completely unrelated – I am VERY distressed about Darfur and Zimbabwe. I can’t believe that the international community is powerless to stop what is happening.
Even more unrelated – on the cruise we could watch CNN. They have a great series running. They gave 6 young people a video camera, laptop and satellite link “thingy” and supported them for a gap year – 6 different nationalities in a variety of countries. The ensuing programs are called “ Be the Change”. Some of these young people have done just amazing things during their year. Two who impressed me were a young woman from Scotland who went to Tanzania to work in a school/ hospital for handicapped youth. After her year she went home to her graphic design job but soon decided to return to Tanzania fulltime – not only that but her parents have sold up and are going with her to work as volunteers – her dad is a woodwork and metal work teacher so should be a great help. The other one was an American girl, Jennifer Staple, who in her first year at Uni worked part time for an optician. She realized that many of the patients were having sight- saving procedures that only cost about $50 and took around 15 minutes. These procedures are unaffordable to many poor people in the US and of course in developing countries. So she started a charity I think called Unite for Sight and in less than 10 years she has funded more than 600,000 procedures including 14,000 people who were blind but can now see. She used her year with CNN to meet up with some of the teams of medics who are supported by her charity and to develop further their work. www.cnn.com/bethechange
For Kimberley and Ginny - A St Hilaire cat
And now a snippet from Phil:
One of the most interesting aspects of our travels was La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. During the last few weeks Kelli and I have been in many churches, some of them a thousand years old and they have a special feeling when you think of all the generations who have worshipped there. La Sagrada Familia, by contrast, is still in process of building and follows the special style of an unusual architect, Gaudi, who worked in Barcelona all his life. To our surprise, the church itself, a massive building, still in process of major construction, still has a special feel about it, probably like an Amiens or a Chartres Cathedral, buildings on which generations of people worked for up to a century or more. In spite of the noise of construction and the sight of scores of men in process of building, the church conveys a sense of reverence because, I suppose, its idea and its continuing inspiration, communicate such a clear sense of purpose and that purpose is worship.
Walking along the towpath of the Canal du Midi on a very hot day.
One of the nice things about staying in small family run hotels is getting to know a little about the people who run them ( in addition it means that your money is going to support a local business rather than into the coffers of some big empire ) You can see our present ‘home away from home’ at http://www.clos-saint-hilaire.com/. 
Isabelle and Pierre are great hosts. They live up on the top floor with their 3 children. Sarah, the oldest has just done her first paper for her baccalaureate exams and on Thursday night the whole family was nervous for her. It seemed to go well and today everyone is less tense. Isabelle says she is a very good student ( like her 6 year old brother ) – but unlike her 14 year old brother who is more interested in sport and art.
Pierre used to be a sailor – fishing boats and skipper on some sort of craft – not too sure what sort. Today is hot (33deg) and he wishes he were on the water sailing or windsurfing. He says he gave up the sea when he got married – “It is no life for a family man – sometimes you have plenty of money and sometimes you are poor.”
Isabelle and Pierre are great hosts. They live up on the top floor with their 3 children. Sarah, the oldest has just done her first paper for her baccalaureate exams and on Thursday night the whole family was nervous for her. It seemed to go well and today everyone is less tense. Isabelle says she is a very good student ( like her 6 year old brother ) – but unlike her 14 year old brother who is more interested in sport and art.Pierre used to be a sailor – fishing boats and skipper on some sort of craft – not too sure what sort. Today is hot (33deg) and he wishes he were on the water sailing or windsurfing. He says he gave up the sea when he got married – “It is no life for a family man – sometimes you have plenty of money and sometimes you are poor.”
This is the Abbey at St Hilaire and the cloisters are below. Pierre says that the monks here invented sparkling wine 200 years before they did in the champagne region. The local bubbly is called Blanquette and is vey drinkable.
--------------------------------
Today is mid summer day which is France means it is the Fete de la Musique when all sorts of people from very raw amateurs to professionals put on concerts all over the place. In a couple of little towns we visited this morning we heard a brass band, a wandering choir and various people just sitting or standing around singing. It is a lovely idea – thanks to Jack Lange a politician who started it only about 20 years ago. This evening we are going into Carcassonne for an organ concert in one of the churches then dinner in the square while we listen to “Cosy Swing Folies” whatever that might be.
PS Two days later – Fete de la Musique was a disaster. We failed to find any of the advertised programs HOWEVER there was a hard rock event about 100 m from our bedroom at about a zillion decibels. It started around midnight and finished about 5 am. It was one of those events where you can’t actually hear the ‘music’ you can just feel the bass beat thumping your chest and head. It was a nightmare.
While on the topic of music, a piece in The Times caught my eye this week. Tom Phillips died last week. He was 101 and had been singing in the choir at St Andrew’s Church Backwell in Somerset for 93 years. That is a record that is unlikely to be broken for some time.
Another little snippet from The Times:
“ A woman of 82 died after a microwaveable heatpack she was using caught fire. Doreen Ghiloni of Leeds was OVERWHELMED BY TOXIC FUMES (?????) . The product often known as a wheatbag is used to treat arthritis and muscle pain …….”
Please be warned – if you are one of the many people for whom I’ve made wheat bags over the years – they could be fatal!!!!! Do you think Doreen’s could have been filled with synthetic wheat?
Now for a little bright spot.
( I seem to read newspapers more when we are travelling – spare time – no TV – fewer chores etc)
Mo ( short for Mohammed ) Ibrahim has inaugurated an annual prize for African leadership. It pays $US 500,000 and $200,000 a year for a leader who has been responsible for good governance in his or her country and HAS LEFT OFFICE AT THE END OF HIS/HER TERM. He says that unlike Western leaders, Africans leaders don’t have the option of lucrative book deals, speaking tours etc when they leave office and are tempted to hold onto power or engage in corruption to secure their financial future. He is a London Based Sudanese man who made his fortune in the African mobile phone industry, managing to succeed without paying bribes. The first award went to the former President of Mozambique. Mo said he was impressed when he heard that ex- Pres Chissano was going to use some of his prize to pay off debts – doesn’t sound like someone who has been robbing the Treasury. Check out Mo’s website and his “Ibrahim Index of African Governance”. When asked what motivated him to give away his fortune in this way he said “I had opportunities and made good. I have a debt to pay to my people. You can’t be an island of happiness in a sea of misery.”
I have often wonderd about the value of aid to many countries who don’t have responsible governments – it seems like pouring water into a bucket with holes in the bottom but at the same time you don’t want the people to suffer more than they do already.
---------------------------------
Completely unrelated – I am VERY distressed about Darfur and Zimbabwe. I can’t believe that the international community is powerless to stop what is happening.
Even more unrelated – on the cruise we could watch CNN. They have a great series running. They gave 6 young people a video camera, laptop and satellite link “thingy” and supported them for a gap year – 6 different nationalities in a variety of countries. The ensuing programs are called “ Be the Change”. Some of these young people have done just amazing things during their year. Two who impressed me were a young woman from Scotland who went to Tanzania to work in a school/ hospital for handicapped youth. After her year she went home to her graphic design job but soon decided to return to Tanzania fulltime – not only that but her parents have sold up and are going with her to work as volunteers – her dad is a woodwork and metal work teacher so should be a great help. The other one was an American girl, Jennifer Staple, who in her first year at Uni worked part time for an optician. She realized that many of the patients were having sight- saving procedures that only cost about $50 and took around 15 minutes. These procedures are unaffordable to many poor people in the US and of course in developing countries. So she started a charity I think called Unite for Sight and in less than 10 years she has funded more than 600,000 procedures including 14,000 people who were blind but can now see. She used her year with CNN to meet up with some of the teams of medics who are supported by her charity and to develop further their work. www.cnn.com/bethechange
For Kimberley and Ginny - A St Hilaire cat
And now a snippet from Phil:
One of the most interesting aspects of our travels was La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. During the last few weeks Kelli and I have been in many churches, some of them a thousand years old and they have a special feeling when you think of all the generations who have worshipped there. La Sagrada Familia, by contrast, is still in process of building and follows the special style of an unusual architect, Gaudi, who worked in Barcelona all his life. To our surprise, the church itself, a massive building, still in process of major construction, still has a special feel about it, probably like an Amiens or a Chartres Cathedral, buildings on which generations of people worked for up to a century or more. In spite of the noise of construction and the sight of scores of men in process of building, the church conveys a sense of reverence because, I suppose, its idea and its continuing inspiration, communicate such a clear sense of purpose and that purpose is worship.
Fortification at Puilaurens
Fortification at Peripertuse
