Paul and Kaye: Travels

We spent a week in York in one of the nicest AirBnB’s we’ve been in.  A self contained little apartment with a fully outfitted kitchen, nice sized bedroom and bathroom and a nice little ‘living room’ with two comfortable chairs a TV and a view to a small garden in the back.  Had the weather been nicer, we would have sat outside at the end of the day. It was a short walk to the bus that took us to town center of York.  The owners lived in the attached house and we only saw them at check in/out and occasionally walking the dog.

From there we spent 3 days exploring York and two days driving to the east coast of the UK.  It was a 20 minute bus ride from the apartment to the city center.  York is a lovely small city with parts of a  remaining medieval wall surrounding old town and a significant Church, the Minster.  Lots of historical things to see and do and a wonderful Rail Museum that has refurbished trains dating back to the beginning of rail service in England.

We took two days and traveled to the east coast.  One day in Staithes and Whitby which are small fishing villages and tourist centers.  Staithes is less touristy and has a more laid back feel compared to Whitby’s tourists.  The drive there took us through the North York Moors National Park.  Beautiful rolling hills mostly devoid of trees and inhabited by free ranging sheep.

The second drive was to the town of Hull which is also on the coast.  A slightly larger town that is making a transition from being a whaling/fishing/shipping town to tourism.  We took a little train/tour ride that essentially took us through the industrial/shipping area and a smallish town center that is getting cleaned up.  Hull is also the location of the Humber Bridge which is an impressive suspension bridge that spans the Humber River that flows into the ocean.  We also visited the Maritime Museum in Hull that had lots of model ships of every kind.  My dad would have loved the place as he built many ship models similar in quality to the ones displayed.

Just a reminder,  the best way to view the images is by blowing them up to their full size.

York, UK, and the Minster

York Wall looking toward the Minster.

The Minster of York

Street musician of York

The Queen selling her bobble heads

An interesting store front

Inside the Minster

Inside the Minster

Minster Stained glass and arches

Minster ceiling

Minster ceiling

Minster ceiling

Minster memorials

Stained Glass and arches

Minster ceiling

Carvings at Minster

Carvings at Minster

Stained Glass and arches

What was this bishop thinking when he had this commissioned?

Stained Glass and arches

National Rail Museum of York

National Rail Museum of York

National Rail Museum of York

National Rail Museum of York

Whitby, Staithes and the North York Moors National Park.

Whitby, UK

Whitby, UK

Staithes, UK

Whitby, UK

Whitby, UK

Whitby, UK

Staithes, UK

Humber Bridge in Hull

Humber Bridge in Hull

Free Range sheep in the Moors

Free Range sheep in the Moors

We left Limoux, France on Friday, May 26 and drove to Albi to see the Cathedral.  It is large and ornate with magnificent and emotional paintings and sculptures .  We are not religious by any means but you can’t help but be moved by some of the pieces.

We spent the night in Limoges, France.  When we do 1 or 2 night stays in places while on the road,  we’re trying to stay in small , family owned hotels or B&B’s.  We also try to take in a site or two in each town if time permits. Limoges had a unique train station as well as a beautiful river walk where we were able to capture some good images.

We also visited Oradour-sur-Glane , France.  If you read this post,  take time to read about this Nazi massacre of an entire village.  It was a sobering stop.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oradour-sur-Glane_massacre

From Limoges we stayed in a beautiful B&B near Laval, France.  We wish we could have stayed longer. It was a refurbished stable and mill next to a stream.  Home made bread and yogurt in the morning.

Our final night in France was in a small village outside of Rouen , France.  We stopped in Rouen and visited a few sites before heading to our B&B.

On Monday, May 29, we crossed the channel to the UK.  Switched from driving on the right to the left.  We bought a 3 day ‘London Pass’ which gets you in at a discount to various sites, boat rides and hop on/off bus. Not conducive to photography.

Our last night in London was the night of the terrorist attack on the London Bridge.  We had gone to a show in the West End Theatre district and then out to dinner.  We caught the train back to our BnB by 8pm.  Got the news of the attacks from people texting us from the US.  We had seen, earlier in the day, young Muslims giving food to some of the street people. Their shirts read,  ‘I’m a Muslim , ask me anything.’   We know which Muslims actually practice their faith.

From London we are traveling to York for a week.  Had lunch and a brief tour of Stamford by a couple, Gareth and Jan, whom we had met in France.  Making friends has been one of the best parts of the trip.

Albi, France   Sainte-Cecile

Albi Cathedral

Ceiling and Organ at Albi Cathedral

Albi Cathedral

Albi Cathedral

Albi Cathedral

Albi Cathedral

Limoges France

Train Station, Limoges, France

Train Station, Limoges, France

Rowing in Limoges

Single

Train Station, Limoges, France

Remember Oradour-sur-Glane , France.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oradour-sur-Glane_massacre

Oradour-sur-Glane , France

Oradour-sur-Glane , France

Images from London

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge and the Shard

Tower Bridge and Sky Garden

Big Ben

Wibbley Wobbley Bridge

New financial buildings in London

New Building in London

Pods full of people going around in space

Holding up the wall, Trafalgar Square, London

Memorial on Westminster Bridge

Our weekends are spent working on this blog and  planning the next week.  We’re never quite sure where it will lead but the photos speak for themselves.  This past week we visited Minerve, as small village at the confluence of two river gorges.  Visitors must park on the outside of town and walk through it.  We also visited Lastours which has 4 castles built on one hill.  Three of the castles were Cathare castles and the fourth was built by D. Trump just to piss the others off.

Abbey Fontfroide is a beautiful place with gardens and lovely stain glassed windows.  No longer an abbey, it is primarily open for tourists, concerts and art exhibitions .

The Canal du Midi through southern France is one of the oldest canals in the EU.  It has a lifestyle of its own.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canal_du_Midi

Peyrepertuse Castle is one of the best examples of a Cathare castle.  Built into the side of a  mountain,  it can be seen for miles and is very impressive looking up at it and from the inside.

On the way,  we stumbled on the start of an International Bike race for 23 and under racers.  It’s kind a warm up for potential Tour de France riders.  The link to a Youtube on the race is here.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJRumKYgsqo

This past week we also visited some excellent local winery’s with the thought of stocking up before we head to the UK at the end of the week.  On Sunday, we attend a small wine tasting and BBQ at Domain Gayda.  Beautiful clear day and you could see the snow capped Pyrenees in the distance.  Met the owner of the vineyard and  some charming  British Expats.  When we returned to Limoux,  the other residents of our apartment were having a gathering in the ‘back yard’.  It was a long, fun day.

This is our last week in Limoux, France. We leave Friday for the UK.  We’re taking three days so we don’t have to rush too much and can take in a site or two along the way.

Limoux and southern France has been a wonderful place to visit.  We really haven’t strayed too far from Limoux but there has always been something new to see and do.

Abbaye Fontfroide

Abbaye Fontfroide

Abbaye Fontfroide

Abbaye Fontroide

Abbaye Fontfroide

Abbaye Fontfroide

Abbaye Fontfroide

Abbaye Fontfroide

Abbaye Fontfroide

Abbaye Fontfroide

Abbaye Fontfroide

Abbaye Fontfroide

Minerve, France

Minerve, France

Minerve, France

Minerve, France

Minerve, France

Minerve, France

Minerve, France

Lastours, France

Lastours

Lastours

Lastours

Lastours

Lastours

Lastours

Chateau Peyrepertuse

Peyrepertuse

Peyrepertuse

Peyrepertuse

Peyrepertuse

Peyrepertuse

Peyrepertuse

Canal du Midi

Canal du Midi

Canal du Midi

Canal du Midi

We left Monday, May 8th, for Prades, France.  We stayed in a lovely, 4 room B&B that looked out onto to  Pyrenees.  We took the ‘Little Yellow Train’ into the mountains from Villefrance-de-Conflent to Font-Romeu which is about an 1 1/2 hr. ride.  Font -Romeu is a ski town and also has a large Solar Energy Testing site.  The train ride was actually pretty disappointing.  I would recommend driving the route instead.

We also went to the market in Prades, hiked to the Abbaye St. Martin du Canigou ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_of_Saint-Martin-du-Canigou ) which is an active Monastery.  After the hike, we stopped off at the Baines de St. Thomas and relaxed in the thermal baths and topped the day with a short walk around Villefrance-de-Conflent, a walled city at the base of the Pyrenees ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villefranche-de-Conflent )

On the drive back to Limoux we stopped in Eus, another walled city, Collioure and Port Vendres on the Mediterranean where we had our first taste of Rabbit Stew.

After a day of recovery (laundry), we drove to Lastour, France where you can visit 4 castles built on the same hill.  Kind of like driving to 4 corners in the US just to say you’ve been to those 4 states.

We only have 2 weeks left in Limoux before taking off to England where we’ll spend a little over 6 weeks.  We’re planning several day trips, attending some music events and maybe an overnight or two to nearby towns.

So far, no major mishaps.  Only a missed train,  broken glasses and a few missed turns.

Weather over French countryside.

Prades, France-

Street musician at Prades market.

A drive through the Pyrenees-

Eus, France-

Collioure and Port Vendres-

Lastours, France

We’re not really foodies but we did go out for a great French meal at a restaurant  down the street from us.  Below is picture of Kaye’s entree.

Having a car has allowed us to expand our exploration.  We visited 3 Cathare Chateaus northwest of Limoux  ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharism ).   The countryside was beautiful and from the Chateaus you could see it all.  Of the 3 we visited, Montsegur has the most dramatic story as it was the place that the Cathare rebellion was ended.  Over 200 Cathare followers were burned at the stake after refusing to give up their religious beliefs.

St. Hilaire near Limoux.  ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Hilaire,_Aude ) and Robert Blanquette De Limoux Vineyards.

Chateau at Puivert

Chateau Montsegur-

Rennes – le- Chateau -inspiration for Da Vinci Code

This has been a fairly laid back week and a half .  We gave up our bikes on Tuesday.  We’ll miss them because it expanded our territory a little and we were able to bike to the big grocery store a few miles away and stock up.  Without the bikes we’re more ‘local’.  I managed a swim,  Kaye,  a good walk or two and we did some planning for London which is only a month away.

Feeling a little restless after giving up the bikes we took the local bus from Limoux to Couiza which is about 12 kilometers away.  Our intention was to walk to Rennes-le-Château which we thought was 2 kilometers from town.  After walking about 2 miles uphill we realized we weren’t going to make it to the Chateau and back down and make the return bus.  It was actually about 2 1/2 miles to the Chateau so we retreated back to town and walked around town until the bus came by.  Some of the photos are from the beautiful church in the town of Couiza.  We’ll have to save the Chateau for another day.

Couiza Church

Couiza Church

Chandelier in Couiza Church

Storm passing through Limoux

Attended 3 of the performances at the Limoux Brass Festival.  Excellent bands and music. Everything from show tunes to New Orleans Jazz.

Took the train to Toulouse for 3 days to pick up a car and explore Toulouse- the Pink City.  We were there May 1,  Labor Day and a big holiday for the French so nothing was open, parades in the street and armed guards on every corner.  The city was not crowded and a great chance to walk and bike around the city.  Visited the Capitol, the  Basilica of St. Sernin ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Saint-Sernin,_Toulouse ), and the Cathedral of  St. Etienne (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Saint-Sernin,_Toulouse).

Images from Toulouse.

Toulouse street scene

St. Sernin

Toulouse Street

Passion in the park

Passion in the square

Guarding the Merry go Round

Toulouse Streets

Taking a break

Climbing stairs at the Capitol

Art in the Capitol Building in Toulouse

Art in the Capitol Building in Toulouse

Art in the Capitol Building in Toulouse

Best meal in France so far at Vents d’ Est.

WWI War Memorial

The Basilica of St. Sernin ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Saint-Sernin,_Toulouse )

Basilica of St. Sernin

Basilica of St. Sernin

Basilica of St. Sernin

Basilica of St. Sernin Orgns

Basilica of St. Sernin

Row of seats at Basilica of St. Sernin

Cathedral of St. Etienne ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toulouse_Cathedral )

Pipe Organ in St. Etienne

The Rose Window from 1230 AD

The arches of St. Etienne

St. Etienne

St. Etienne

Drove our leased Renault Clio back to Limoux and stopped off at Mirepoix to visit the Medieval town (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirepoix,_Ariège ).

We’ve got some short day trips planned over the next few weeks.  Next week, at train ride into the Pyrenees.

Church in Mirepoix

The center square at Mirepoix

The drive back to Limoux on a rainy day.

French elections this week.  Almost as crazy as ours.

We rented bikes part of the past week so we could get out into the French countryside and explore a little.  If you’re into biking,  this is a great area.  It has hills, flats and mountains if you want them.  We met Chris, who lives down the block from us and has lived here 23 years because of his love of biking.  He spent 20+ years as a financial guru for the Canadian Government and then moved to Limoux for the biking terraine and weather.  He and his wife started a ‘painters’ retreat and he takes his clients to ‘painterly’ sites near here and has someone to instruct them.  The home they purchased was an old monastery that they have done extensive renovating to over the years and it is lovely! He also trains women competitive bikers on an interational level. I’m always amazed at what people do for a living.

Our bikes are rather clunky ‘comfort’ bikes.  The shifting leaves something to be desired but they can handle some panniers that hold food, camera gear and wine.  We put on only about 20 kilometes a ride but take on some pretty good hills so it is a good workout.

The images below are from some of our rides as well as others from Limoux taken since we’ve been her.

Next week we are in Limoux without a bike or a car.  The high point is the Limoux International Brass Jazz Festival beginning on Thursday.  We’re hoping to hear some good music.

The best way to view the images is to click on one and page through them.  For a larger version you can click on the lower right hand corner where it says view full size.

French countryside

A door with a view

Streets of Limoux

Old Bridge and Catholic Church in Limoux

Inside Limoux Catholic Church

Catholic church organ

Road to Limoux.

La Digne d’Amont entrance

Join us for a glass of local chardonnay

The French Candidates

Sun, hills and vineyards.

The town square race track

Limoux countryside

A wonderful image by Kaye.

We took a 5 day trip to Avignon where we staying in an AirBnB.  From Avignon, we took 1/2 day trips to Arles and Orange.

Avignon is the largest of the 3 towns and was, at one time,  the home of the Catholic Papacy ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avignon_Papacy ).  The big draw is the Palace of the Popes and Saint Benezet Bridge.  Quaint and trendy shops and restaurants contribute to it’s popularity as a tourist destination.  It’s one of the main stops for tour boats up and down the Rhone River.  We walked it and biked it and did our best to avoid the congested touristy areas.  We stayed in an AirBnb close to the train station in the heart of the city.

We caught some music at a local Tapas bar and biked to Abbey St. Andre which had great views of Avignon and the Palace of the Popes.

Entrance to Papal Palace

Entombed Cardinal in Papal Palace

Street musician

Entrance to Papal Palace

Don’t look him straight in the eye

Watching the action on the main square

View from across the Rhone of Papal Palace

Nice ride

Statue in Avignon

View from across the river of the Papal Palace

Spanish Jamming

Spanish Jamming

A nice welcoming.

There were some French soldiers with security dogs at the station on the way to Arles.  Arles is know for it Roman Coliseum that still holds bull fights.  Also, Van Gough spent some time in Arles and some of his most prolific work was done there.  He spent a little over an ‘ear’ there.

Roman Coliseum

Roman Coliseum

St. Trophine Cloister Stain Glass Window

St. Trophine Cloister

St. Trophine Cloister

Roman Coliseum

Alleys of Arles

Security at the Station

Security at the Station

Roman Coliseum

St. Trophine Cloister

St. Trophine Cloister

St. Trophine Cloister

Orange has the finest preserved Roman Theatre in the world.  Very impressive structure that still hosts theatre and music events.

Roman Theatre

Roman Theatre

Roman Theatre

Best seat in the house

Roman Theatre

Taking a break at Orange, France

Orange, France

We had 5 busy days and the photos give you an idea of what we’re seeing.  We’ve also met some wonderful, friendly people along the way.  It felt good to get back to Limoux, where we could relax a little and spend some time reflecting and putting together the blog.  Over the next couple of weeks we’ll rent some bikes and further explore the immediate Limoux area.

We’ve been in Limoux a little more than a week.  Kaye has been going for some power walks and I’ve found the local pool.  We’ve also found that if you need something other than food between noon and 2 , you’re out of luck.   The French are fond of long lunch breaks.

We are also finding more Apps to make our stay easier.  Google Translate- with it you can scan something written in french and it will do a reasonable job of translating it to english.  Really helps with menus ( avoid surprises),  event posters and open/closed schedules.  The other is WhatsApp which allows you to make international phone calls for free.  We had a 45 minute conversation with Doug the other day.

Had a wonderful day (4/9) with Jane and Peter Midwinter whom we met earlier in the week.  They were kind enough to drive us to the Esperanza

Bridge over Aude Rive in Limoux

Carcassonne Castle

Carcassonne Castle

Carcassonne Castle

Carcassonne Castle

Carcassonne Castle

Lunch with the Midwinters

Olives at Esperanza market

Pyrenees

French countryside

Vineyards below Cailhau

Cailhau

Vineyards below Cailhau

Stain Glass in Carcassonne church

Some hurry, some don’t.

market and to their lovely second home in Cailhau.  The snow capped mountains in the photo are of the Pyrenees and the small country of Andora and can be seen from their sitting room window.

Carcassonne Castle at night

Carcassonne Castle

One sculpture takes 73 hours of labor.

Aude River which runs through Limoux

Limoux Carnival Mask

Giving the tuba player a rest before parade

Limoux Carnival

Limoux Carnival

Limoux bridge and church

After saying goodbye to  the kids at the airport we left on Icelandic air.  Made all connections and landed in Paris only 1 1/2 hours late.   Started figuring out train schedules to Carcassonne.  Caught the AM train and spent the night in Carcassone.  Brief visit to Cacassonne Castle.  We’ll go back on a day trip.  Checked into Hotel du Soleil Terminus, a 1914 built hotel with a view of the magnificent mideval castle.

Arrived in Limoux around 1 pm on Saturday, 3/1/17  and walked to our AirBnB.  A small 1 bedroom space a few blocks from the town center square.

Limoux has an annual Carnival de Limoux which begins in January and runs every weekend through March.  Same timing as Mardi Gras but not nearly as wild.  Caught the last 2 days of the parade and festivities.

Basically,  trying to get our feet on the ground.  Trying to figure out a routine that will keep up healthy even though,  for the next year, we will have no routine.