Christmas in the Camargue

I had been out for a ‘wander’ last night, in fact putting my feet into the Mediterranean for the first time this year, and dodging along the rocks on the seafront..I hadn’t realised how tired I was , until I got back to Wally, made a cup of tea, and settled down…and promptly fell asleep !, I blame it on the warmth, I didn’t actually need to fasten my sleeping bag, and had pleasant dreams …and awoke fairly early to lovely blue skies, sunshine..and a wonderful day ahead..

First stop, the camp shop for 2 pain au chocolat, for breakfast, and then kitted up ready for a ride on the roads somewhere, although I wasn't quite sure where…I set off just before 10, straight away into the fierce wind that was blowing ( I thought) on to the seafront…into my face, so I ploughed on, at least it was flat, unlike my most recent rides in the Pyrenees… I rode along, and then diverted ready to cross the river ‘petit Rhone’ on a ferry..which as you can see ,was the first ‘halt’ of the day, as the ferry only went every half hour, and that wasn’t for some time, and so I went back to the road,, and carried on riding, towards the main road, and feeling good, I turned left towards Aigues Motte, still some distance away…although I eventually reached the outskirts of it, as I passed over the Rover Rhone, and saw to my right some sort of tower, so away I went and ended up at La Tour Carbonniere ,http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_Carbonni%C3%A8re  a great looking stone tower, now in the middle of the road, and was once a ‘watchtower’. I climbed to look out onto the Marais de Camargue (marshlands) with lots of birds and wildlife in it… then it was back the way I came, seeing a sign ‘St Marie de la Mer 28 kms’…that makes a round trip of (at least) 56kms …at least on some of the bits on my way back I wasn’t riding into a headwind, although not often ! I did have a cheap view of the motor museum though, I think the colour suits me !

Then it was onwards, and back to the campsite..for a welcome swim in the pool, before lunch, and a ‘siesta’, although in fairness I couldn't do much, as the wind had become quite fierce, blowing out onto the sea..

Late afternoon, I rode into the town of St Marie de la Mer, about 1 1/2 miles away, found that the tourist office had ‘free WIFI’, and so rode back to the campsite, and into town to check what was happening..then back to the campsite, to open my ‘Christmas present’, wonder what it is… ??? Oh yes, some cleats for my road shoes, thanks Fr Christmas, they are much needed, although you could have made it easier to change them – but thanks to another Englishman's’ tool kit, I was able to change them…and settle for another days ‘epic ride’ ??  

The wind is easing slightly, so hopefully tomorrow will be a nicer day…at least I was able to BBQ, with the assistance of my umbrella (an old campers trick !!)

Bonne Nuit !  

Into the Sunshine ?

I was up at the crack of dawn – just so I could leave before 8 a.m., and incur another $3 car park fee ! I’d done really well, the toilets had stayed open all night, and the car park had been really peaceful ( deserted in fact ), so I’d had a good nights sleep , after my late night walk in the gorge, exploring… 

So  I set off full of no intentions, although with a rough plan (again) and as I drove along, I saw my first ‘sign of the day’  an ancient Gallic village, which ,when I’d driven up to the top of a steep hill, I was glad wasn’t yet open, it seemed pretty tatty, and charged $7 , which i wouldn’t pay,

although there were some nice panoramic views ( for nothing )  -the Romans had also been here first… and so I continued driving, across and through the French countryside, bizarrely following an old American Buick station wagon for quite a while …I was hoping to get to the Canal du Midi start area, although I had a brief glimpse of one sign, I didn’t seem to track it down, and so, onward I went, and as I drove through Montpellier, decided this would be a good place to do the shopping, although easier said than done…however, I did eventually find a giant Carrefour for all my goodies, and also a Decathlon for some swimming gear, and bizarrely a union jack waterproof saddle cover, which I’ve been looking for for ages !

Then it was on and into the Camargue…I was here last year, although not well prepared, and had wanted to come back, so I headed for the sunshine..it was lovely –hot and pleasant on me, although with a strong wind blowing all the time, it kept things cool.

I headed for St Marie-de-la-mer ( St Mary’s on Sea!) http://translate.google.fr/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.saintesmaries.com/en/&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dst%2Bmarie%2Bde%2Bla%2Bmer%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3DvtS%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-GB:official%26channel%3Dfflb and booked in at a very busy Camping le Clos Du Rhone.http://www.eurocampings.fr/fr/europe/france/provence-alpes-cote-dazur/bouches-du-rhone/camping-le-clos-du-rhone-110569/ .which almost seemed at full capacity – at least in the cheap ASCI pitches !

I was able to get my moneys' worth, and swim in the pool and Jacuzzi, before a nice BBQ in the evening sunshine,and then a walk along the seafront …before heading back, and a snooze…so, I’ll decide tomorrow what comes next, so

Bonne Nuit, from the lovely Camargue !  (although there are some threatening black clouds overhead!)

Romans and The Cathar trail..

I was up really early, and set off before 8-30 a.m. in rainy Pyrenees, I was still undecided about remaining in the mountains, but as the rain hammered down, I thought I would drive along to see where I ended up.. somewhere towards Narbonne I was thinking, well, think again !

Late morning I ended up visiting a rather sad state of an Abbey Saint Papoul, where I balked at paying any admission money, and took some pics from outside, and carried on going !..passing a clifftop Chateau/castle ,not quite sure where I was by this time, although I did stop for lunch during another downpour of rain , good timing actually.

I was by this time on the outskirts of Carcassonne, where I have stayed before, the campsite I have stayed on has now become rather expensive, so I went to look at another one, 12kms from Carcassone (along the Canal du Midi), but didn’t like the look of it.. so carried on driving, passing Carcassonne by..and into the Minervois region, I briefly stopped at a windy Puicheric, where the old church stood abandoned, and locked up..right next to the Minervois winery – seems to go well together !, and had a wander round the impressive cemetery.. they must be dying to get in here  (the dead centre of the village) !!

I continued driving, and once again saw some signs for an ancient place…Minerve, so I thought, why not ? and off I went from the main road, high into the hills, and almost at the top of the plateau came to a large car park, where I will have to pay $3 ( so I’m staying !). http://www.minerve-tourisme.fr/ Another amazing find ! A large gorge, surrounding a fortified hill fort and town, scene of a Cathar massacre in 1210, when the Crusaders , led by Simon de Montfort, decided to ‘show them who was boss’, and laid siege to the town, eventually destroying access to the well, and forcing the inhabitants to surrender. The 140 Cathars hiding within the town, refused to recant their beliefs…and were all burnt at the stake …shocking !

the town originated around 850 BC, and those pesky Romans had a camp here in 46 BC for the 10th legion, and it was always thought to be impregnable because of its cliff top buildings..  anyway, another good find on my travels, so I walked round the town, alongside the gorges, with  differing rivers cutting into the limestone land, and up and along the Rue des Martyrs..still looking as it was when the Cathars were taken to be killed, and down to the river, seeing natural stone bridges that the river now pours out of …

and back along the side of the gorge, to Wally for a nice tea of salad,spaghetti an sauce, followed by Dot’s flapjacks …and my last 2 cups of tea (run out of milk !)

So, it’s a nice spot, and I’m staying the night, it’s still a bit windy, but I’ll go and explore the gorges below..

Well, here’s a Surprise…Up Pompey !

I’d ‘happily’ packed up and left a wet Sazos, and hadn’t quite decided where to go, I had wondered about stopping at St. Gaurens, on my way South East, although it was only about 3 hours away, and still in the mountains, so the weather would still be poor..ah well, decisions,decisions – although one I did make, was that I was going to travel on the ‘Peage’ (Toll motorways), to make my journey slightly easier…

So, less than 3 hours from when I started, I saw a sign for ‘St. Bertrand De Comminges’, as a ‘Great Tourist Site’, and as it was still belting down with rain, I thought I would stop there for a while, look around, have lunch…and carry on – not to be though

I drove off the motorway, following the signs, down some quiet country roads, when up ahead, and above me was the magnificent sight of the Cathedral church, of St Bertrand http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges  – a veritable fortress in this quiet backwater of the Haute Garonne , but where exactly was I ? – still not quite sure, but it was a majestic sight, so much so, I even parked up and paid $4 to enter..and made sure of my ‘libre’ audio guide !

I went in via the cloisters. containing some ancient tombstones, and then into the Cathedral proper, which still houses the body of St Bertrand, from  1123, and housed here since the Church was built by then then Bishop Bertrand, during his reign from 1073.. even though the area had few inhabitants, this magnificent church was built, and since enlarged 3 times –although the area was once a great Roman city –more later

The church had several unusual features, a wooden choir built inside the original stone church –keeps the people from the clerics !, and a fabulous altar inside , hidden behind which is the latest tomb of the now St Bertrand, with his head encased in silver, and behind that the rest of his body.. I could go on and on, but more surprises were in store.. I left the Cathedral, wandering back through the by now sunny streets of this ancient town, and drove Wally down to the bottom of the hill, and parked in an area next to the school – I had seen some signs indicating Roman excavations and so ‘went for a nosy’, to discover that I was in the Ancient City of Lugdunum Convernarum, founded by the Roman General Pompey, in 72BC, whilst on his way back from a victorious Spanish campaign, at one stage reaching a population of 30,000 ! and at the crossroads of several Roman roads. What a ‘find’ which has only been unearthed in the 19th C !

I was able to wander round the early Christian church, the market hall and  area ,alongside the remains of a Roman Temple, and significant Rotunda monument, ancient Amphitheatre, capable of housing 5,000 people, several differing Roman Bath houses , all of which were just open to anyone and everyone to wander around, with little if any evidence of damage to the structures…wish it was like this at home !

I finished with a trip down to the river Garonne, to see the remains of the Roman Port..just a rock in the river, and some little evidence of buildings…what a place, and I had just stumbled across it !

Even better, I had spent that much time there, I decided that the parking area, with toilet next to it, seemed ideal to stay the night, evidenced by several other motorhomers turning up later in the day

And so, a very enjoyable day, even better it being the second ‘free night’ camping I’ve had in a row !

-where will tomorrow bring ?

-I don’t know, I’ll tell you when I do..Bonne Nuit

a couple of things did happen later that I thought I would share with you, firstly the local farmer let the sheep graze next to me, bells ringin’- I said it was rural, and later on I decided to go for a walk around, hoping for darkness, howver darkness didn’t really come until well after 10..by which time I was tucked up in bed, although I did get a few glimpses of the stars during the night..and the Cathedral lit up.. 

Life in the Old Dog…yet ?

I couldn’t make my mind up whether to go for a long walk, or another ‘ascent’..of somewhere, and as it was expected to rain later in the day I decided I may as well go for a bike ride, even if I did get soaked, I planned to wash all my dirty clothes today anyway…

So, where to go ?, for an old codger like me…-up to Gavarnie sounded good, not quite as high as Luz Ardiden, but not far short, and I thought the road, although longer, didn’t have as steep a gradient..

I set off, shortly after 10-30 a.m., having breakfasted outside in the morning sunshine, and the great part it started with a descent down into Luz St Saveur, and across Pont Napoleon, where I turned right…to start my climb… well, I thought my legs were going to ‘blow up’, it was quite hard, although I just kept pushing, and occasionally stopping for a drink/snack… I was sat in a village ‘Gedre’ as I saw a ‘portly couple’ setting off from there – that was it, I couldn’t be beat by them – could I ?

I got a bit more into my rhythm then, and soon past the couple, and was happily (!?) spinning along, climbing at a nice gradient, with occasional flattish pieces of road, which helped !

Soon I was passing the car park for the via Ferratta in Coumely, and I realised that I didn’t have too far left to Gavarnie – which helped, and as another (younger!) cyclist passed me, it helped that he spoke English, and I was able to take a breather behind him for a while, although he did leave me behind on a steep pull, but I’d had a couple of minutes out of the wind, which makes a big difference.. as I sat having another snack, I looked ahead, to see a dark misty Cirque de Gavarnie, ahead , but now – achievable ! and my tired legs kept going, and soon I was in Gavarnie village,which seemed to be overrun with ‘tourists’ !! Lots of coaches, and wheelchairs…must be having a day trip out from Lourdes  –pity they didn’t come yesterday ! It started raining just as I arrived, and i sheltered for a short while, had another scoot round the village, getting a plastic bag to put the camera in, and zipping up I was ready for my  speedy descent…which was great, jetting down the road, nothing overtaking me on the twisty turny road, as I sped along, taking both sides of the road, and straight down the middle..it was fun, reaching 30+ mph, before my Speedo once again stopped working (probably going too fast ..) and after about 20 minutes I was back at the Pont Napoleon, by now in sunshine, and having a look over the parapet at the Via Ferratta route below – I should have climbed all the way up to this !

Then it was the dreaded bit..I had descended from the campsite to Luz…now I had to climb back up it – the road to Luz Ardiden, so now I can say I’ve done it all – only about 120 mts climb…but it was sore, and I was glad to see the campsite in the distance, and one last spurt…I was home..back to Wally, and a lie down in the sun !

A nice few hours riding, 775 mts climbing..and I could still walk !

Now though, the real test- packing up and doing all my washing, before I set off on my travels in the morning…so I’ll say an early Bonne Soir, and Bonne Journee..to all !

Weaker,Heavier .…or More Sensible ?

A beautiful start to the day, with a lovely blue sky,not a cloud in sight (although there was frost on the ground), especially when the sun hit Wally and everything warmed up

I was fortunate in that mass was to be held in Sazos, the village where I was today, so as I wandered up there for 9-30 a.m. mass, thought how peaceful everywhere is, and a great walk to church ! –I’d even put on my ‘Sunday best’.. although I did shrink at the request ( I think) to do one of the Readings ,in French ! I think I made the numbers up to …less that 10, in this beautiful old Roman Church, quite enjoyable singing Hymns and responses in French, although I did have my missal to understand the readings !

Then it was back to Wally, change, and on the road for some climbing..I travelled up towards Gavarnie, and just before there came to the Chaos de Coumely http://www.viaferrata-fr.net/via-ferrata-151-Chaos-de-Coum%E9ly-Gedre---Gavarnie-Hautes-Pyr%E9n%E9es.html for my first Via Ferratta of the year ..  which I wasn’t very successful at…I climbed up the cliff quite well, even overcoming a couple of overhanging sections – always my Nemesis – until I got to a quite exposed section, also overhanging, which I couldn’t get myself up and over, my arms pulling, without much strength…so ‘get out of it’ I decided, and retreated back down the route, looking up at what I’ve done before, and should have been able to, but couldn’t ..so wandered back along the river, to Wally, and then drove up to Gavarnie http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirque_de_Gavarnie and walked up to a viewpoint looking up at the famous ‘Cirque’ still ice/snow bound, fabulous…just wish I could climb it… ah well, maybe back again soon..dependent on the weather !

I then drove back to Luz St Saveur, for another Via Ferratta attempt http://www.viaferrata-fr.net/via-ferrata-74-Pont-Napol%E9on-Luz-St-Sauveur-Hautes-Pyr%E9n%E9es.html and as I walked down to the start point, looking up at the proper rock climbers above..thought ‘hope I can manage it ‘ !!  I had a look up what I had to do, and knowing there were more overhangs to overcome..I beat myself before i started !, although I did make a reasonable attempt.. getting almost 2/3 of the way up, and again my arms failing, I had to beat an ignominious retreat, with the ‘real climbers’ wondering what I was doing ! Still I’d tried it, and time to move on…and get back to Wally for some sunbathing …and pause…and wine !

2 attempts, no successes (not today).…still living though !!

So I’ll say a Goodnight..Bonne Nuit !

Magic Dragons and Mr Moon

After my successful days ride on Friday, the sky cleared, sort of, so I decided to go and see if I could see anything interesting in the sky..

Firstly as the sun was going down, the snow clad mountains were bathed in red light, and then as it got dark properly, I was waiting, hoping to see some shooting stars – no such luck, although as I wandered back to Wally one of my fellow campers said to me, something like ‘ the last light of the day’ pointing to the mountains across the valley, with a weird light behind it, and yes, to some…it may have looked like that, although I knew the sun had gone down in a different direction..and so I waited, and waited.. realising it to be something different… what ? do you know…the moon coming up behind the mountains, casting it’s light upwards, until eventually it poked it’s face up from behind  ,and soon it was almost like daylight, with a full moon casting it’s light upon me.. so it was time for bed..and because of the clear night, it was a cold one, so much so…I put 2 bars on the fire…big mistake, although nicely hot as I went to sleep…early morning I awoke,quite chilly, switched the fire on, and the fan clearly wasn’t as quick to get going as the heating elements, which glowed quite nicely in the dark…and promptly burnt out,just like ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’  !,leaving the fire to now blow cold air all around…however, all was not lost…I had Wally’s own heater to switch on, which was soon roaring like a jet engine, blasting hot air all around…phew, but costly as it uses MY diesel…

I had a plan, I would buy a new heater (in Lourdes), buy an adapter to use on my electrics…and then be able to use the campsites electric again ! Perfect, not quite, but I did manage it by late morning, and on my way back went up to Cauterets, another ski area I’d considered staying – glad I didn’t, although in the heavy rain, nothing looks as good as it could !, although I saw that a cycle race was coming my way later in the day, finishing at Grust, next village up..

So I returned to Sazos, which was again raining hard, and whilst sheltering from the rain, and then dashing up the hill, meant I’d missed the race, although there were a few cars remaining, and dashing back to town..anyway it was good exercise, and reminded me that I’d not eaten a great deal, and so..the BBQ of all BBQ’s – yes I know it was raining (sometimes), but I decided to cook  all the meat, and did ! How’s that for a sustaining meal ?Although someone did get some of it…

Later in the evening, again a clear night, I was out wandering, trying to catch any unusual sights in the sky – lots of stars, and eventually Mr Moon coming up behind the mountains again, almost sending searchlights up into the sky..until eventually it peeped out again, so I could go to bed, a very late Bonne Nuit !