First week in Southern France (and its cold)

Carcassonne - Le Cite

 Monday 11th March.

This morning we drove into Perpignan which was only 20k from our overnight stop. Today was about gathering info from tourist information and catching up with our laundry, we had lots. Sorting out the Old Stables and a little bit of work for Keele University. By the afternoon, once our tasks had been completed we headed off to the coast at Port Barcares. We found a site next to the lake set out for motorhomes. Only three spaces but we were the only one there. Once parked we set off on our bikes to find the sea and investigate the area. The location was attractive but the accommodation was clearly laid out for holiday homes. So it all looked very empty. At the end of the town we decided to cycle back through a pine forest that would take us back to the lakes and our van. When we returned the evening was so still we decided we would come back in the afternoon and launch our kayak for the first time this year. Jacqui had just finished reading "Enduring Love" by Ian McEwan and really enjoyed it. I had just finished reading " A woman in Berlin " which I found interesting in a historical way. So I started a new read.

Tuesday 12th March.

We left Barcares early so Jacqui could have a Skype conference call with Keele. However we managed to get connected on line but were unable to keep up the connection. So Jacqui had to abandon her part of the call but used the allotted time to complete some more marking. We then drove off to Carcassonne. One of Mike's ‘must do’ sites.

The drive to Carcassonne was one of the most beautiful yet. We followed the river Aude through vineyards, beautiful hills and through very deep and high gorges. We had failed to launch our kayak today (too windy)but on this route we saw loads of sites where one could set off from, but to be honest the river was too fast for our novice abilities. Who knows where we would end up?

Carcassonne is split into two towns. Le Cite, the old town which dominates the skyline with a medieval fairy tale style fortress. However, by the time we arrived we did not have time to explore so we travelled to our Aire at a small village called Fonties D'Aude. The Aire was no longer in existence but we managed to squeeze onto a bit of wasteland at the side and hope we wouldn't upset anyone. Jacqui and I walked through the village which was deserted except for a couple of barking dogs and an elderly woman.

Wednesday 13th March. Carcassonne.

To our horror there were light snow flurries when we woke. It had been 25 degrees a couple of days ago and now it was 1. We hadn't expected this drop in temperature as we had travelled from Spain to France. It was also very windy. The Mistral winds had started. Not to be put off, we dug out our warmer clothes and headed for Le Cite. Parking around the site was expensive so we drove down to the main road, parked by a wall and walked up to Le Cite. Le Cite was really worth visiting, despite the very cold weather. As it was still early in the season some of the shops and cafes were closed but you could imagine what it would be like here in the summer. Six million people visit the site every year so it was good to explore and see everything while the place was comparatively empty. In fact when we went into the beautiful church of St Nazine we were the only two there. Again this gave us plenty of time to take in the architecture and the lovely 13th Century rose windows. As we now completely frozen we returned to the van and set off to see the second half of Carcassonne known as the Ville Basse and the Canal de Midi. We saw this by van as we were too cold to venture out again.

As we had an early start to the day we moved towards our next overnight stop. Taking, as always, the scenic route to Narbonne and then to Narbonne de la Plage through the pine forest, hills and into the national park. Here we found motorhomes not welcome but we decided to ignore the signs and park on the the sea front to have lunch. From there we followed the road to Adge along the coast where there was supposed to be another aire. We noticed that all services were available but later on that night we were told that we could not stay as the car park overnight.

That afternoon we visited Cape d'Adge. I (Mike) had enjoyed a holiday here thirty years ago and wondered how much it had changed. Over developed is all I can say.

It was now dark and we had been moved on from our planned Aire. The wind was still blowing hard and the only alternative stop we knew about was on the sandbank between Cap d'Adge and Sette. Not the most sheltered spot considering the gales. However, we really had no alternative so we decided to brave it. We arrived in complete darkness and  found there were other motorhomes here prepared to do battle with the winds. To make things a little less noisy we removed the bike cover as this tended to flap loudly in the wind.

Thursday 14th March. The Carmargue and Arles.

We survived the windy night and woke to a sunny but still high winds. After breakfast we dressed up and went for a stroll on the beach which was full of perfect shells. Jacqui could not resist picking up a few to take back to England. By 11.30 am we were in Montpellier. Although still windy and cold it was a bright sunny day. The streets of Montpellier were lined with plain trees giving it a very pleasant feel. We parked the van near the Antigone area and walked into the city centre. Although we only spent two hours here it was a very pleasant visit. We decided to have lunch in the Camargue as Jacqui was very anxious to see this natural park she had heard so much of. We drove down to Aigues - Mortes which was a lovely walled town but very difficult to get with all the motorhome directional signs designed to ensure we only parked in designated parking area which you needed to book. So we moved on to Les Saintes Maries de la mer, which was more welcoming. The drive was through the famous flat wetlands where we saw plenty of flamingos, white horses and black bulls.

The wind was still buffeting us and we decided to head to Arles. A typical pleasant, faded, French town. Rather lovely we thought with its large Roman amphitheatre, theatre and walled town. We parked on the edge of the Rhone and battered down the hatches for another windy night. It was quite amusing as there were six motorhomes huddled together trying to protect themselves from the howling wind. Before it got dark we both set off into town to the tourist information and quickly saw the sights and the old town.

Friday 15th March. Arles.

Despite the wind we slept well and Jacqui braved an early morning walk. After breakfast I serviced the van, topped up the antifreeze and headed for "the Bridge of Arles" made famous by the Van Gogh painting. VG spent some time in Arles, some of which was in the hospital, and the time he not only painted the bridge but his famous sun flowers and it was also the time he cut off a piece of his ear. The hospital is no longer there but the town promotes his stay and  mountains of VG memorabilia.

 We found the spot and the "bridge" only to be told by an English guy who had lived in the area for 20 years that the original bridge had gone and this replacement, although exactly the same, was not in the right place.He then invited into his home which was a old furniture removal van kitted out for travelling. He had even got a wood burner inside to keep him warm and cook off. We then headed back to the Carmargue nature reserve, especially to Etang du Vaccares. There is a desolate beauty about this place which we loved and was highlighted by seeing a beaver swimming in one of the canals. We then headed out to Digue a la Mer where there is a flamingo breading ground. Sadly we were unable to cross the last dyke with the van and it was too windy for bikes. So we set our sights on Salin - de - Girand a large salt pond area where we had lunch, with a bit of salt. We then continued on our way back to Arles. But tonight our designation was to be Aviginon. The wind had started to die down. The Mistral wind is supposed to last either 3,7 or 9 days and this was day three. Lets hope!! It was cold when we arrived at Avignon and the wind was calmer but it was sunny. We parked by a ‘park and ride’ so feeling a little lazy, we took the bus into town. We were a bit disappointed by the famous bridge, access was closed due to the high winds, but we were very impressed by the Palace de Papes, which was the home of the Pope in the 15th century, the 4.5k of perfectly kept city walls, it's gardens and the atmosphere of the old city streets. Brilliant!