I was the last to be served but finally, my order arrived. First, my coffee followed swiftly by a Nutella crepe – a delicacy in this region. The square was relatively quiet aside from the carousel as my young nephews yelled in excitement “again, again” to their aunt.
The immense gothic cathedral silhouette towered high on the other side of the square. The cast of its long shadow pointed towards me. My eyes traced it back and followed it until the sun glared from around its spire. It was at that moment my imagination kicked in and I was transported back in time to the Roman empire and that little rebellious Gaul village of Asterix and Obelix…!!
The colourful homes with matching shutters atop stilts that created a shaded walkway that hid us from the blazing sun where we could shop, drink and dine.
Mirepoix was a chance discovery that I owe to a friend on FB after I’d checked in at our villa nearby. I Googled it, loved it instantly and shared it with my group. It didn’t take too long to gain their buy-in and before you know it we’d packed, loaded the cars were there and experiencing this quaint, rustic and stunning example of French history and, to top it off, we practically had the place to ourselves! TGIF!! It went down a treat
Walking up to the Cathedral was like David walking up to Goliath. It wasn’t like other cathedrals I’ve seen. this one had minimal detailing that didn’t take anything away from the impressive high arch windows and gargoyles that stretched out from the ledges and corners. The awe didn’t stop there. Inside was even more remarkable – an amazing presence I felt from the moment I entered its immense chamber. It invoked a serene calm and, as I walked around to the front, passing the walls shimmering with the light coming through the stained glass, I could hear everything – even the slightest sound resonated adding to the already captivating experience. After completing my investigation, I turned back saw that hung high on the back wall was the ‘thousand pipes’ of what has to be the grandest (gothic) organ I’ve ever seen looking down at me. I can only imagine the timbre this instrument would have made in such a space…
Stepping away from the village, an hour away and we were in the castle of Carcassone. A castle that looks like it had been lifted out of a fairytale – cylindrical towers with pointed caps (with the added gothic touch here and there) on top surveying the region…
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