our hotel of choice is a campanile; cheap as a rule if you go for a non refundable booking. safe car parking, good restaurant and a kettle in the room for tea and coffee. the downside is that they are often in a commercial zone. last night's was and across the road from a large shoe 'halle'! so after booking out it was shoe buying time for both of us.
then a meandering drive north via the gorge of the orbiel river gawping at the ruins of not one or two but four cathar chateaux high up on rocky crags...and, no, we didn't stop to climb up!
the sun had come out as we left carcassonne behind us and the twisting route to les martys where we joined the main road to mazamet was through stunning scenery. after les martys the wooded mountains changed dramatically to rolling hills and green pastures as we climbed up and over the end of the montagnes noir.
we got to castres in time for lunch (as planned) and parked alongside the river agout and walked into the place jean jaures (one for val rowe) where the morning market stalls were packing up.
i managed to buy thin green asparagus which we can't buy in the lot. it was warm now as well as sunny so we opted for one of the outside tables of a busy cafe. we always opt for busy ones just we choose the roadside caff with all the lorries outside, lots of custom must mean good food! there was a 'menu a jour' of seafood salad or blanquette de veau followed by pud and coffee, all for ten euros. we ate in the sunshine and could hardly believe our luck in having two consecutive days of warm weather after months of winter gloom. we'd seen the forecast and knew we would be arriving in gagnac in pouring rain...which we did.
after lunch it was postcard buying and the taking of photos, bien sur. we found the mairie and the musee goya, devoted to spanish art and perporting to have eight goyas in their collection, which i was hoping to visit. it opened at two so i wandered through several rooms of spanish art and then finally found the goyas, all two of them! but they didn't disappoint. i have loved goya's portraits ever since i was captivated by one of wellington painted by him which i saw years ago in london. anyway, back in castres there was also an exhibition of a spanish painter who was clearly obsessed with velasquez's las meninas. i had seen a exhibition in barcelona devoted to picasso's and other artists' versions of this little girl. i still can't see or understand why! :)
back outside to walk along the river bank to rejoin lou.
then a drive home through some beautiful towns and cities; albi, cordes sur ciel, villefranche de rouerge plus numerous other little places along the way. after figeac the rain started and the grey skies lowered. but we'd had two lovely days of what the french call an 'escapade'!
the sun had come out as we left carcassonne behind us and the twisting route to les martys where we joined the main road to mazamet was through stunning scenery. after les martys the wooded mountains changed dramatically to rolling hills and green pastures as we climbed up and over the end of the montagnes noir.
we got to castres in time for lunch (as planned) and parked alongside the river agout and walked into the place jean jaures (one for val rowe) where the morning market stalls were packing up.
i managed to buy thin green asparagus which we can't buy in the lot. it was warm now as well as sunny so we opted for one of the outside tables of a busy cafe. we always opt for busy ones just we choose the roadside caff with all the lorries outside, lots of custom must mean good food! there was a 'menu a jour' of seafood salad or blanquette de veau followed by pud and coffee, all for ten euros. we ate in the sunshine and could hardly believe our luck in having two consecutive days of warm weather after months of winter gloom. we'd seen the forecast and knew we would be arriving in gagnac in pouring rain...which we did.
after lunch it was postcard buying and the taking of photos, bien sur. we found the mairie and the musee goya, devoted to spanish art and perporting to have eight goyas in their collection, which i was hoping to visit. it opened at two so i wandered through several rooms of spanish art and then finally found the goyas, all two of them! but they didn't disappoint. i have loved goya's portraits ever since i was captivated by one of wellington painted by him which i saw years ago in london. anyway, back in castres there was also an exhibition of a spanish painter who was clearly obsessed with velasquez's las meninas. i had seen a exhibition in barcelona devoted to picasso's and other artists' versions of this little girl. i still can't see or understand why! :)
back outside to walk along the river bank to rejoin lou.
then a drive home through some beautiful towns and cities; albi, cordes sur ciel, villefranche de rouerge plus numerous other little places along the way. after figeac the rain started and the grey skies lowered. but we'd had two lovely days of what the french call an 'escapade'!
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