Languedoc and Provence

"Boy, those French. They have a different name for everything." Steve Martin, American actor who played the infamous Inspector Closeau in two hilarious Pink Panther movies.
For most of us it all began with “The Da Vinci Code” we read about the Cathars and the Templars, and the more curious among us (like myself) read more and more on the subject…to me, the most interesting detail in all of that history is the fact that one of the most "successful" crusades of the Catholic Church wasn't against the world of Islam but against a dissident (‘heretic’ according to the Catholic Church) Christian sect. These people, the Cathars, originally called the Albigensians, lived in France, in a region near the Spanish border called Languedoc, and they refused to obey and follow the teachings of the established Church because they had their own philosophy and system of belief. In a nutshell, this system was dualistic, or Gnostic, in essence and inspired by Eastern philosophy. The Cathars also rejected the Roman Catholic Church on account of its materialism.

This rejection infuriated the Church which simply couldn’t tolerate any alternative interpretation of Christianity. So the entire formidable power of the Church was used to crush the Cathars in a crusade organised by Pope Innocent the Third. Many medieval lords supported him with armies. Whole towns were destroyed, whole populations burnt at the stake after the relentless persecution of the Inquisition. Result? No more Cathars! Unlike most of the others, this first crusade of brother-against-brother achieved its objective.

A small footnote to our historical overture: in the year 1209, when Pope Innocent 3rd and his supporters decided it was time to get rid of these people, the French monk who led the attack, when asked how the soldiers of the Church could distinguish between Catholics and Cathars in a town, said: "Kill them all. God will recognise His own…" Despite that total annihilation in the name of religion in early 13th century, the legacy of the Cathars lives on in this beautiful region of France.

We began our tour in Toulouse. An ancient Roman settlement on the banks of the river Garonne, the beautiful architecture in Toulouse even today has a Roman air. The buildings on the long narrow streets of the old town centre are lovely, giving Toulouse the well-deserved name "La Ville Rose" (the Pink City.) We stayed in this historical centre and explored it by foot. Basilique Saint Sermin, a 11th century church restored by the famous French architect Viollet-le-Duc, is well worth a visit for its imposing Byzantine atmosphere. A walk along the river and on the Pont Neuf is also pleasant. Toulouse is a university town with 120,000 students so it's rather lively. Food is seldom disappointing in these parts; İ can recommend a traditional brassiere in the heart of the old town, Grand Cafe de Opera. The seafood is delicious.

And then we drove into Cathar country. Our next destination was Carcassonne. It appeared before us in all its medieval glory like a page out of a history book in the beautiful French countryside. Carcasonne is one of the most fascinating and still-standing fortified towns, or Citadels, in Europe. İt too was originally a Roman settlement, and then became a Cathar stronghold until the Crusaders' attack in 1209. It survived throughout the ages, and was restored to its former beauty in the mid-19th century by, once again, Viollet-le-Duc. Today it is a breathtaking place to visit, very touristic but extremely charming despite the many clichés in the numerous gift shops. If you steer clear of the maddening crowds and enter the quieter areas, you can have an authentic taste of the famous Occitane cuisine that uses a lot of olive oil and herbs. If the meal is accompanied by the delicious local wines and taken under the shade of a sprawling ancient tree that might perhaps whisper to you old secrets from its long history, you can consider yourself very, very lucky. One small tip: I strongly urge any visitor to these parts to spend the night in one of the quirky, lovely hotels in the old town just to see the night-time view of the rampants and turrets of Carcassonne. They were artfully illuminated under the moonlit sky, making the Cite one of the most impressive views in all of Europe.

Next on the agenda was the Cathar town of Montsegur where one of the worst massacres occurred in 1244. Almost all the inhabitants were burned at the stake because they refused to "repent," down to the last woman and child. Today it's a ruin of a settlement that stands proudly on top of a steep mountain as a reminder of the evils men do to each other in the name of faith. Perpignan, Beziers and Narbonne are the three other important centres of the Cathars that we visited. There are many other settlements and castles dotting this landscape that are closely associated with them, but it'd require a much longer visit to see all.

Last but not least, we came to Rennes-le-Chateau and paid our respects to the late Berenger Sauniere, the abbot who in late 19th century restored the old, small church on a remote mountaintop that was dedicated to Mary Magdalene. The mystery surrounding this gentlemen and his legacy has been immortalised by Dan Brown in "Da Vinci Code." It is said he discovered a Cathar treasure, and was also privy to some ancient Cathar secret. A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, as Churchill once said about Russia. We visited the church and the grave of this interesting man. And we drove through some gorgeous wine country on the way, wishing we could take some of the products home, but we still had a long journey ahead and could only taste the stuff on location. Not a bad alternative!

After our Languedoc tour, we arrived in Avignon, the very heart of Provence. All Francophones know the famous song, "Sur le Pont d'Avignon," from an obscure 19th century operetta. The song refers to a beautiful but half-ruined medieval bridge across the river Rhone. Avignon itself is very pleasant, a large sprawling city the heart of which lives within the old medieval walls. In the 14th century, Avignon was a papal residence when the Vatican became so corrupted that the head of the Church felt the need to live and rule from elsewhere. Today you can visit the large, imposing papal palace. Avignon is quintessentially Provencal, the seat of the lavender and herbs culture, and near enough the Cote d'Azur to retain a Mediterranean atmosphere as well.

From Avignon we drove deeper into Provence, admiring the beautiful rustic landscape and stopping in the typically Provencal town of Uzes for a dose of local charm, lunch and a chilled bottle of Sancerre. Afterwards we drove north to Lyon. It struck me as a town that aspires to be Paris yet somehow falls short in beauty, elegance and ambience. In itself, Lyon is enjoyable enough: it has a decent though unsophisticated shopping district, it has many good restaurants (it has in fact a claim as a centre of gastronomy), there is a rather nice Musee des Beaux Arts with a small but fine collection of European paintings, it's got very pretty buildings and two rivers and many bridges...but, Paris it ain't! I did however thoroughly enjoy spending a very pleasant Sunday in the old city of Lyon, browsing in galleries and sitting at cafes and watching the crowds. There are two restaurants; by the way, I’d like to recommend: Le Sud and Leon. Both are in the city centre, Presq'ile, and as a typical ‘Bouchon Lyonnais’ each serves traditional Lyonnais cuisine like duck pate and roasted meat. A typical bouchon is a warm, friendly, informal restaurant, so even a visitor feels right at home there.

After Lyon we headed into Alpine country and visited Annecy, a gem of a small town nestled in the Alps, famous for its tiny canals and its buildings which are adorned with flowers in the medieval old city. It's very picturesque, and I recommend lunch at Le Pichet. It offers excellent food in a relaxed atmosphere.

Next on the agenda was Switzerland. I am not a big fan of Genève but the warm sunny weather helped make our stay a little bit more pleasant. It was even more pleasant to return home after our interesting trip this fall. Here's hoping next time will be just as good!

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