November 9, 2022
Proposed Driving Itinerary of the Cathar Region
This driving itinerary strikes me as a good place to continue our discussions. It is strongly based on this web page.
This map shows most of the places discussed below. However, due to the limits of Google Maps’ driving instructions, there are two things lacking:
The connection from Carcassone to Mirepoix is not shown.
5-Day Cathar Country Road Trip Itinerary
Day 0 | Arrival in Carcassonne
As this road trip begins in Carcassonne, take this opportunity to explore this wonderful city before hitting the road. There is no road trip travel on the first day of this Cathar Country driving holiday, but we have included recommendations on what to visit and where to stay.
Day 1 | Carcassonne Castle and Citadel
Carcassonne Castle and Fortress, Southern France
The Cité de Carcassonne is one of the most important sites to visit in the Cathar Country. The Cathar religion had many followers within Carcassonne’s walls. Raimond-Roger Trencavel, Viscount of Carcassonne, protected the Cathars, and soon the city became a land of heresy in the eyes of Pope Innocent III.
As a result, Carcassonne was one of the main targets during the first Cathar Crusade in 1209, which was led by Simon de Montfort. The two burgs around the Citadel fell quickly, and they were burned and destroyed while the fortress resisted the attacks well.
It was drought and thirst that made the Viscount of Carcassonne capitulate after two weeks of siege. On 14th August 1209, Raymond-Roger and nine of his subordinates were given safe conduct to discuss the terms with the besiegers, and they accepted the terms. But then, in breach of the safe conduct, Raymond-Roger was seized and immediately thrown into prison, where he died in mysterious circumstances.
Today Carcassonne Castle and the Citadel, with its winding alleys, are the city’s main Cathar sites, while the Lower City, built after the siege, is of a completely different design.
Day 2 | Carcassone to Mirepoix
Mirepoix. Editorial credit: gumbao / Shutterstock.com
It’s time to hit the road to explore more Cathar sites. Day 2 of this Cathar Country road trip takes you to the medieval village of Mirepoix and the Cathar castle of Montségur.
Mirepoix was an important Cathar village in the region. From 1206, a great Cathar council gathered up to 600 Perfects (the highest authorities in the Cathar religion) in the village.
Originally, Mirepoix was located on the Hers-Vif River’s right bank, but it was destroyed by a violent flood in 1289. A new village was rebuilt on the other side of the river following a plan which was typical of the 13th century and known as bastida.
Mirepoix is one of the most beautiful villages in the Cathar region, France. Mirepoix has preserved a 14th-century fortified gate and a stunning market square surrounded by beautiful half-timbered houses from its medieval past. The café-terraces, shops, and the traditional market on Monday mornings make it a lovely spot to visit.
Day 2 (cont) | Mirepoix to Montségur Castle
After Mirepoix, the road trip continues to Montségur to visit its castle. Montségur Castle is one of the most important Cathar castles in the Cathar Country because it was the last focus of Cathar’s resistance against the Crusaders.
Montségur Castle is perched on the top of a rocky spur at an altitude of 1,207 meters, and it overlooks the village with the same name. The castle was under siege four times, but the Crusaders would only take it in 1244.
The stronghold was besieged for ten months before being taken by the royal army in March 1244. After the surrender, all the Cathars who refused to deny their Cathar beliefs were burned at the stake. In all, two hundred people, all voluntary Cathars, died in the fire. It was reported that some sang during their sacrifice.
Château de Montségur
Before visiting Montségur Castle, we read that this is a place with a lot of energy. We could feel this energy even on the road leading to the castle, especially when the castle’s silhouette appeared to us on the horizon. However, inside the fortress, everything was quiet and peaceful. In addition to its medieval remains, the castle offers magnificent panoramic views over the village below and the surrounding scenery.
Day 2 (cont) | Montségur Castle to Cucugnan
Day 2 ends in Cucugnan, a small village well situated for exploring the next Cathar villages and sites on this road trip. For the night in Cucugnan, book at the Logis Auberge du Vigneron. This is a former wine storehouse, and it offers guests comfortable rooms and a fabulous terrace overlooking the valley. The Auberge du Vigneron also has an on-site restaurant, perfect for your dinner in Cucugnan.
Click here to book your stay at the Logis Auberge du Vigneron
Day 3 | The Cathar Castles of Peyrepertuse
This day is dedicated to visiting the amazing Cathar castles of Peyrepertuse and Quéribus.
Château de Peyrepertuse is one of the most impressive Cathar castles in the Cathar region, France, and one of the most beautiful castles in Southern France. This vertiginous citadel overlooking the Corbières Massif is sometimes called the ‘celestial Carcassonne.’ From its position, it seems to touch the sky!
The lower part of the Cathar castle was built in the 11th century by the kings of Aragon in a strategic location. At the time of the Crusade against the Cathars, the castle was the fiefdom of Guillaume de Peyrepertuse, who, not wanting to submit, was excommunicated in 1224. Guillaume did finally submit after the failure of the siege of Carcassonne, and the castle became a possession of the French crown in 1240.
King Louis IX then built the higher part of the castle, the Sant Jordi Dungeon. An external staircase links both castles.
From the car park, it is a 20-minute walk up to the castle. On-site, visitors can still see evidence of military architecture from the Middle Ages and enjoy fabulous views.
Day 3 (cont) | The Cathar Castles of Quéribus
The Cathar Castle of Quéribus is another of the most impressive French castles of the Cathar region, France. It stands at the summit of a narrow, rocky peak in the heart of the Corbières Massif.
Quéribus Castle was another important Cathar refuge in the region, and it was the last stronghold of Cathar resistance to fall into the hands of the Crusaders in 1255.
Today the medieval fortress of Quéribus consists of a keep surrounded by three successive walls. It is a beautiful place to explore, with fabulous panoramic views over the Roussillon plain, the Mediterranean, and the Pyrenées.
Day 3 (cont) | The Cathar Castle of Quéribus to Féline-Termenès
When you have completed your visit to the two castles, we recommend you drive the 30 km to Félines-Termenès. There are no Cathar sites here, but this oh-so typical French village in the heart of the Aude department is conveniently located close to the next Cathar sites. Book a room for one night at Aux Berges du Livre, a charming bed & breakfast with a swimming pool, terrace, and garden. The breakfast is homemade!
Book your stay at Aux Berges du Livre
Day 4 | Féline-Termenès to Lagrasse
From Félines-Termenès, drive 17km to Lagrasse, near the Corbières Massif. Lagrasse is another picturesque Cathar village in the land of the Cathars listed as one of the ‘Most Beautiful Villages in France.’
Wandering around Lagrasse is like taking a step back in time, with its medieval houses, a beautiful 14th-century covered market with stone pillars and the old humpback bridge over the Orbieu River.
The Benedictine Abbey of St Mary of Orbieu, located in Lagrasse, was founded in the 8th century, and it had a considerable intellectual influence in the area. During the Cathar Crusades, the abbey undertook the role of appeasement. Thanks to the monks of Lagrasse, the cities of Béziers and Carcassonne finally found peace with the King and the Church.
Day 4 (cont) | Lagrasse to Fontfroide Abbey
When you have completed your visit to Lagrasse, drive to Fontfroide Abbey, a beautiful Cistercian abbey. The abbey was founded in the 11th century, and it played an important role in the campaigns against the Cathars.
The monks of Fontfroide failed to convince the Cathars to abandon their beliefs by mere preaching. Pierre de Castelnau – the Pope’s legate charged with negotiating with the Cathars — was a monk of Fontfroide. His assassination in 1208 was the trigger that began the first Crusade against the Cathars.
Fontfroide Abbey was built following the typical Cistercian plan with a church, cloister, and a chapter house. Visitors can also see other constructions like the monks’ dorms, kitchens, and canteen. Later additions include side chapels around the church and a cour d’honneur (a three-sided ceremonial courtyard).
TIP: A visit to Fontfroide Abbey is always accompanied by a guide. Don’t hesitate to ask the knowledgeable guides all your questions about the Cathars!
Day 4 (cont) | Fontfroide Abbey to Floure
After visiting Fontfroide, we suggest that you drive to the village of Floure for the sole reason of spending the night at the fabulous Château de Floure & Spa. This is a historic place that began as a Roman Villa on the Via Aquitania, between Narbonne and Toulouse. During the Middle Ages, it became a monastery before writer Gaston Bonheur turned it into his home. Today, the property works as a château-hotel & spa, and it has stunning grounds, two swimming pools, and an on-site restaurant.
Book your stay at Château de Floure & Spa
Day 5 | Floure to Minerve
On day 5, there’s a big loop to visit two beautiful Cathar sites before heading back to Carcassonne, but it is well worth it!
Minerve is one of the cutest medieval villages in Southern France. Indeed, Minerve is another of the villages in the region listed as the ‘Most Beautiful Villages in France.’
The Cathar village of Minerve is best known for the siege it underwent in 1210 during the terrible Crusade against the Cathars. In Minerve, Simon de Montfort and the northern barons exploited the most advanced military technique of the time, the siege machine.
Four large catapults were built on-site, surrounding the walls of Minerve, and were used to throw stone balls and dead animals over the walls of the village to spread diseases. Today, visitors can see the reproduction of one of those catapults, named la Malvoisine, still threatening Minerve.
Minerve is a small medieval village that you can visit in one or two hours. Still, its beauty and good wines deserve a brief stop on the way to Lastours.
Day 5 (cont) | Minerve to Châteaux de Lastours
Châteaux de Lastours is one of the most beautiful castles in southern France. The site of Lastours is an exceptional ensemble of four Cathar castles (Cabaret, Surdespine, Quertinheux, and Tour Régine) built at the top of a rocky spur 300 meters above the village of Lastours, isolated by the deep valleys of Orbiel and Grésillou.
It appears that the lord of Cabaret, Pierre Roger de Cabaret, was very close to the Cathars. Between 1223 and 1229, Cathar activity in Cabaret was intense, and the castles were besieged by the Crusaders several times. Finally, in 1229 Cabaret surrendered, and the last Cathar_parfaits_ escaped.
After the Cathar Crusade, the King of France took possession of the defeated lords’ property and territories, Cabaret included. The king destroyed the village and built the fourth tower, the Tour Régine, on the top of the three primary structures.
Châteaux de Lastours is a fabulous place to visit, especially in spring or with the fall colors. From Belvedere Montfermier, you can admire the whole site with its beautiful castles.
Day 5 (cont) | Châteaux de Lastours to Carcassone
From Lastours, it’s only a 17.1 km drive to Carcassonne, the end of this Cathar Country road trip.
Pin it now & read it later Back to Homepage
Visiting the same places in a different order
If we arrive at Quérebus from Barcelona, then we could consider a route more like this:
The advantage of this route is that it’s a reasonable drive from Montségur to Andorra.
August 11, 2022
Our daughter knows how hard I’ve searched for a good checklist for tasks like shopping, etc. Today she sent me this image, found on Twitter:
I decided to explain how I have finally made a shopping list that I find usable.
My primary gripe with checklist programs is that AFAIK the way you use them is to add an item to a list. When you check it off, it simply disappears. As a result, I have to write it again the next time I want the item. I want a permanent list whose items I can check when I need them and then check again when I no longer need them.
Checking an item to show I need it and again to show that I don’t need it is certainly possible but requires more programming than I feel like doing.
So my solution is to think this way, checking items that I don’t need:
I’ve used Obsidian - my new tech obsession - to make a shopping list that works on my phone and computer; they are synced:
The table on the right contains everything that I might want to buy. Every item that I don’t need is checked (that’s the one unintuitive thing about this system). If I need, say, Jura Scotch, I uncheck it. It will then appear in the need-to-buy window on the left. Note that it appears both in the complete list and in the alcohol list. If I check Jura Scotch in either list, it disappears from both lists, but of course it is still in the no-need-to-buy list, now checked. You can see how I use tags to classify things, etc. The programming involved is pretty easy. For example, the alcohol list looks like this under the dashboard:
```tasks
not done
tag include #shopping
tag include #alcohol
sort by description
```
And since Jura Scotch has a #alcohol tag, it is selected by this query when unchecked.
Frozen Food
The Twitter post where our daughter found the metal shopping list identifies is as being from the 1920s. That strikes me as kind of early to list frozen food, something that I associate with the early 1950s and later.
This interesting timeline of frozen food says that
Birdseye introduced the first line of frozen foods at a retail store in Springfield, Mass., on March 6, 1930.
Frozen foods were necessary during WWII because metal cans were scarce.
After the war, the frozen food industry begins to spiral downward as consumers return to purchasing items that are no longer being rationed — frozen foods were merely a temporary, affordable substitute, not a desired purchase. However, the upcoming re-introduction of orange juice concentrate will change the perceptions of consumers.
There is no simple moment when frozen foods suddenly became available and popular, but if you look at the timeline you will see that they really came into their own in the mid to late 1940s. I bet the metal shopping list was made around that time.
What’s missing
My wife pointed out the surprising fact that the list doesn’t contain cigarettes! I guess that ciggies are simply not something smokers are likely to forget, especially since supermarkets conveniently placed them at the checkout counters. For our convenience naturally.
This followup shows how to use the Internet’s resources to dig deeper into the history of this device.
Follow-up.
It’s also great how the tweets devolve into jokes once the truth has been unearthed.
