Friday, May 31, 2013

Mazamet

On May 31st, 2013, we left Nice after our month there, and drove to Mazamet, a 6 hour drive. The drive went by quickly as we were on an autoroute and I had downloaded an audio book on my IPad, that we played through the car radio. Most people will not have heard of this town, as it is not a tourist destination. We chose Mazamet for a few reasons. It is a working town, set in Les Montagnes Noir (hopefully hiking), in the Western part of France (an area we want to discover) and relatively close to Barcelona, which we will be visiting later in the month.

The Tarn
Mazamet is located in the Department of the Tarn along the River Thore and is one hour north of Carcassone, a fortified village which most people visit if they are in this area. In the late 1800's Mazamet was one of the largest tanning and textile centres. It happened quite by accident. The story goes that some imported sheepskins went mouldy and this made the wool fall off the hide after washing the wool in the local river...no need to shear the sheep.....wow, what a discovery! Another word for those of you who play "Words with Friends"......"fellmongery" - wool removal without shearing. They were able to process the wool and the hide after the animals had died. The bonus was that the sheep had already been butchered for meat, therefore they were able to save even more money. This brought prosperity to this area and there are several grand mansions dotting the hillsides. Today, there are still some tanning and textile factories. They also say that the water from the Arnette river is very soft and helps with the tanning of skins. We have been told that the leather manufactured in this area is used in high end purses....guess I won't be seeing any of that, since I only carry a small purse under duress!

Our Gite
Our gite is located on the property of the owner on the edge of the old town, walking distance. They think that this building used to be a summer cottage for a mansion at the end of the block; the gite faces south. Six sets of French doors that look onto the owners' garden. Very comfortable and well stocked. We even had a welcome basket of bread, homemade jam, butter, milk, cookies and oh yes, a bottle of wine. Had tea with the owners, who are an English couple who have moved here from Wales. They are both professors of art, but with cutbacks happening in the academic world, they decided to make the move. I had to laugh, a guidebook I read said that Mazamet is lacklustre. That may be the case, but we chose it due to its location near the mountains. Quiet and lacklustre is nice!

Vendor selling his local made wine...check the containers

Weather here is very cool and rainy, however supposed to get better on Sunday. The sun actually came out on Saturday afternoon! On our first full day in Mazamet, we went to the local market which takes place in the central square on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Only a two minute walk from our gite. Every type of food vendor, so no need to go to a grocery store...several Bouchers (butcher) , poissonerie (fishmongers), Boulanger (bakers) and other fruit and vegetable vendors. We will definitely be supporting the locals. One of the vendors was selling prepared meals such as paella, cassoulet (a local dish with porc and white beans), and various other dishes. The picture above shows a farmer selling his local wine (lots of vineyards a little south of this area). The containers look like plastic gas Jerry cans. People bring their own containers, mainly empty 2 litre pop bottles.


Then decided to drive to the town of Castres so I could buy a pair of longer slacks....summer definitely still not here in the mountains! When we arrived in town, we came across a huge screen set up in one of the local squares. We soon found out that the Castres rugby team is playing tonight against Toulon for the French championship in Paris. We were told by a waiter that the population of Castres was about forty thousand and that half had gone to Paris for the match. Very clear that this town is rugby crazy. The teams colours are blue and white. Most buildings had blue and white balloons, banners, team flags and even the City Hall was decorated in blue and white. All the mannequins in the shop windows were also dressed up in blue and white. We happened to walk by a chocolate shop that had chocolate in the shape of rugby balls and shoes. Also, the teams shop was so crowded, not another person could have fit in. Found out that Castres won in an upset for the first time in 20 yrs.

Chocolate rugby balls and cleats
Lunch at a small tea shop and the two couples next to us and the waiter were talking about the rugby game. I asked the gentleman next to me if the game was being televised and if so, at what time. Well, once again a wonderful half hour conversation with this couple, probably about our age. When they found out that we were renting a gite from an English couple, they told us they had a gite on their property in a small town nearby. The woman asked " Why would we rent from English people,they don't know anything about the country". She may be right, but certainly won't be sharing that with our current landlords! They gave us their business card for the next time we want to rent in France.

Visited the Goya Museum which was in a lovely old building, but the museum only had three Goya's, so not sure why it carries his name. Then drove to the small village of Brassac, which had a 12th century stone bridge. Wonderful rolling wooded countryside, with farms dotting the hills.

The 12th century bridge in Brassac
So, it's Saturday, we go out for dinner to the local pizzeria/brasserie. I speak French....owner....where are you from....Canada....omg....our new best friends are the owners of the restaurant, they spent 3 years living in Trois Rivieres in Quebec. They gave us a list of must visits, confirming the list with other patrons in the restaurant....love it when this happens! Walking home, all the pubs are showing the rugby match. Get home, no rugby match on Sky TV...yes Robin is upset, so he has to watch the French Open instead...o.k. smile back on his face.

Is it my red hair? As we were walking to dinner on Saturday night, we heard a car beeping it's horn...look around, they are behind us and waving. We stop, a woman runs out and asks us the location of a certain restaurant. I tell her we are tourists, but I just happen to know where this restaurant is, as we plan on going there later in the month. Being asked for directions is something that has happened to us on several occasions since being in France. Is it my hair colour (a lot of French woman do have red hair) or is it that we just blend in and don't look like tourist's. Interesting in either case.
Our first hike in the Mazamet area
Sunday, the 2nd, decided we need to find a hiking trail and we do. The trails are not what we would call hiking trails, but more like walks in the countryside including through farmers fields. Very reminiscent of some of the hikes we did in Ireland. Walked for close to two hours, then back to where we started to visit the 13th century Cathar village of Hautpour, perched on the hillside giving wonderful views of Mazamet. Made the most fabulous discovery of a wonderful little restaurant in this ancient village, so we decided to have lunch. As we were walking back to the car I commented how inexpensive lunch had been. Robin said, they must have forgotten the cost of the wine. I ran back and spoke to the waiter and the owner and indicated that we probably owed them more. They laughed and said "no, it was their gift to us". I told them we would be back. It is possible to walk to this ancient town from Mazamet, which we will do the next time.

Monday the 3rd we find another trail to hike in the Montagnes Noir, just about one km. from our gite. Finally some blue sky. Great two hours of hiking in different terrain from yesterday, hiking through chestnut tree forests. Then a drive to the small village of Saissac, a Cathar site. I am quite taken by the Cathar history. A recent book ( The Templar Legacy) was based on the Cathar's. A little history lesson..

The remains of a Cathar castle in Saissac
"The Cathar condemned the Roman Catholic Church, arguing that it did not respect the teachings of Christ. The "bons hommes" believed themselves to be the only true disciples of the Apostles. They practiced the art of extreme poverty and worked with their hands to earn a living, like weaving. They were strict about biblical laws, notably those about living in poverty, not telling lies, not killing and not swearing oaths. Cathars believed in reincarnation and refused to eat meat or other animal products. The Catholic Church looked upon the Cathar's as heretics".

The walls of the castle are crumbling due to the fact that a treasure seeking group bought the property in 1862 and dynamited parts of the castle, hoping to find a supposed Cathar treasure. Taken over by the French Historical society, the site is now protected.
The market on Tuesday's in Mazamet (also Saturday) has a few different vendors, along with more clothes vendors. We bought our fish, meat, cheese, bread and vegetables....set for the rest of the week. Then off to Albi, which is the largest City in the Tarn area and is about 60 kms. from Mazamet. The hallmark is Sainte Cecile cathedral which was built in the XIII century and is a Unesco World Heritage site. It is said to be the largest brick cathedral in the world. It is in the Gothic style, but also said to be a militant style of architecture, meant to underline the strength of the Catholic Church against the Cathar heresy, which I wrote about earlier. The interior is entirely painted and the organ, from the 18th century, is a masterpiece.

Sainte Cecile Cathedral, Albi
Albi is also the home of the Toulouse-Lautrec museum which we will see on another visit. When we have been hiking and driving through the countryside, we have noticed a bush with yellow flowers. We learnt today that it is called "pastel" and produces a blue dye. You can find all sorts of cloth products, cosmetics and pottery items which are blue in colour and referred to as "pastel". Albi flourished in the fifteenth century based on the trade of pastel and a type of saffron.

The blue and white colours of the Castres rugby team on the City hall
The gardens at the Goya museum in Catres
The ancient homes along the Agout river in Castres
The medieval bridge is Brassac
Brassac
Robin in Brassac
An ancient cross at the start of our first hike
The countryside on our first hike
Robin on our first hike. He looks worried...are we going the right way. Actually trail well marked, the "x's" mean, don't go into the farmers field
Looking down onto small town from Hautpaul
Claire, after our first hike in Hautpoul
The medieval village of Hautpoul, hardly anyone there.
The town of Ausillon, the start of our second hike
Claire at the start of our second hike. Walked through a chestnut tree forest.
Chestnuts
Robin on our second hike
This cross depicts the trail of St.Jean de Compostelle, one of the great pilgrimages
A Cathar castle in Saissac
Hautpoul
Mazamet from a local viewpoint
A fountain in Albi
Sainte Cecile Cathedral in Albi
Claire having lunch in Albi on the town square
Albi
The ancient bridges of Albi
A weir and lock in Albi on the river Tarn
A cloister in Albi

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Nice continues

Weather has been cooler than normal for this time of year in Nice, but still getting out making sure we have sweaters and our umbrellas, as a few showers in the past week. The papers indicated it had been the coolest spring in 26 years.

On Friday the 24th, we took in the Nice Tennis Open, which is classified as an ATP 250 event for our tennis family and friends. We watched the two semi finals. Montanes from Spain vs. Roger-Vasselin from France.....Montanes won. The following match was Monfils from France who won against Andujar from Spain. The second match was more exciting than the first. It was a windy day, but didn't seem to bother the players. The finals were on Saturday, Montanes from Spain won in a tie breaker. Might have to look into attending the French open one of these years.

Love some of the expressions of the French. Waiters will often come to your table and say "Je vous entends" which translates to "I am listening", but sounds better in French ! When you thank a waiter or store clerk a lot of times they say "de rien" which means "it was nothing, my pleasure".

In a previous blog, I spoke about the huge numbers of people who still smoke here. The one trend seems to be a rise in the amount of people who smoke electronic cigarettes. Not sure why these have become so popular. One of the articles I read indicted they were once marketed as a smoking cessation tool, however a lot of them now have the same amount of nicotine as a conventional cigarette. They also contain propylene glycol which creates the smoke....really! They don't even look like cigarettes.
In the news this week in France, is the first gay marriage which is to take place in Montpellier. There were riots in Paris over the weekend, when the new law was passed. I think they have far worse problems in France then to riot over gay marriage!
Haven't talked too much about style in France. As everyone knows, French women have always been looked upon as very stlylish, and for the most part, that is still the truth. There is however one horrible sight these days. Women of all ages are wearing horrible baggy bum pants. If you recall the MC Hammer harem pants, these are somewhat similar. Very baggy in the bum, where the material almost goes down to the knees of the wearer, but with tighter material in the legs. Sorry, these simply do not show off a woman's figure, they look more like a baby wearing a very dirty, saggy diaper. Who comes up with these "fads". You can be well assured that I for one, will not be buying a pair of these!

We certainly get a kick out of the inventive parking in Nice as it is at a premium to find a space on the street. Cars constantly double park, park partly frontward on the sidewalk with the back end protruding on the street, or oftentimes, just cram into a spot between two cars which is usually a little too small and all cars get somewhat dented. They will also park on a corner of a curb, if no other space, then they put on their four way flashers, as if this makes it o.k.! Most cars and trucks/vans, have mirrors missing, huge dents scratches along the sides and some held together by duck tape! Glad we didn't have a car while we here. In reality, with the great bus and train system, we really had no need for one. Also, the walking down to the Old Town most days has been great exercise.

Well yet another great restaurant. On Saturday ate at "Le Comptoir du Marche". Another little jewel of a restaurant that we found via Trip Advisor. A "Lapin terrine -rabbit" shared as an appetizer, Robin had joues de porc (pork cheeks) served on polenta with a sauce and I chose magret de canard (duck breast). Saved room for desert of chocolate mousse (guess who had that!) and millefeuille. The food was well presented, reasonable portions and very tasty. Once again, great conversations with those around us. A norm in these small restaurants as the tables are so close together. An English couple on one side celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and a single American man who was attending the Formula One race in Monaco, which is taking place on Sunday. A delightful evening and a walk home on a moonlit night.

Xavier, our guide in Corsica

 

We received a nice e-mail this week from Xavier, our guide while in Corsica. He thanked us for the review we wrote on Trip Advisor. Guiding is his livelihood and he excels at it and we gave him a glowing review. As we use Trip Advisor quite a bit, we think it is only right that we write reviews whether the ratings that we give are good, mediocre or improvement required. He was outstanding.

 

This past Sunday, a beautiful sunny day, so we treated ourselves and spent the afternoon at one of the beachside restaurants that rent out sunbeds and provide food and drink. A lovely leisurely afternoon. Normally, when we have been to the beach, we have our small beach chairs and one mat which has little cushioning when to lying on the rocks.

 

The seaside at Menton

Monday, the 27th a day trip, by train, to Menton, the last town before you cross over into Italy. It almost reminded us of a smaller Nice and is known as the "Pearl of France". Not as big and not as touristy; which makes it quite alluring. Someplace we might look at staying in the future. Picturesque harbour and houses set into the hills. Had our first taste of paella here and walked through the old town and down the Oceanside walkway. The town is known for its lemon and orange trees. A shop in town sells everything flavoured with lemons ie: olives, vodka, cookies, cakes, soaps, etc. The town is also famous for its numerous gardens. As usual along the promenade, many restaurants flourish. The only thing which is a little different here is that the majority of the tables are on the oceanside, wherein the kitchens are across a road. Therefore the waiters run back and forth across the road with their trays. Most drivers are very indulgent and let the waiters cross the road! While having lunch in one of the squares of the old town, we were fortunate to have a young man playing a twelve string guitar who was at times accompanied by a young woman doing a local dance. Very lovely and entertaining. Afternoon train back to Nice and Velo blu bikes back to the apartment.


Wednesday, the 29th, we took the bus to Beaulieu-Sur-Mer, 10 kms. from Nice to visit Villa Kereylos which is a stunning reconstruction of a luxurious Greek palace but built in 1902 by Theodore Reinach during the Belle Époque. The home is completely furnished and decorated in the Greek style. The mosaic tile work on the floors and walls is simply stunning. Can't imagine the time it must have taken to tile this home. Columns made of Carrera marble thoughout the home. The shower was particularly interesting as it had several sets of vertical jets, not unlike a high end shower of today, well ahead of its' time. This was the dream home of the amateur archeologist, who came from a wealthy family and had helped the Greeks with the excavations in Delphi, Greece. It has stunning views of the Meditterenean.

Villa Kereylos


Then we walked along the Promenade Maurice Rouvier, into St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and went to visit Villa and Gardens of Ephrussi de Rothschild. The villa and gardens sit on 17 acres of prime land on the Cap and once again, spectacular views. It took five years to build the villa, which is in a neo-Venetian style and was completed in 1905. The home is furnished and has art work and tapestries and china collections displayed. The garden has seven theme gardens and we were fortunate enough to see the water show in the various water fountains in the garden, which was set to music. Both the Kereylos and Rothschild villas are now owned and operated by the Academie de Beaux-Arts Institute of France. So glad we took the time to see both these wondrous villas, while wondering what the poor people are doing.....oh right, we are here paying to see the villas!

One of the several gardens at Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild

Our last week in Nice and we found that we ran out of time for some of the areas, towns and museums that we wanted to visit. Where has the time gone?

Thursday was our last day in Nice, picked up a rental car and drove to Juan des Pins for lunch. Back to apartment to pack and leaving Friday morning the 31st for Mazamet, which s about a 5 1/2 hour drive.

Menton
Claire having lunch in Menton
Guitarist in Menton
Robin in Menton
The cathedral in Menton
Villa Kereylos
Beautiful tile work in Villa Kereylos
Art work in the gardens f Villa Kereylos
The inside of the Villa Ephrussi
The view from the Rothschild villa
Beautiful pond at Villa Rothschild
Pond at Villa Rothschild
Robin and Claire at Villa Kereylos
Stonework at Villa Rothschild
Claire in the gardens at Villa Rothschild
Japanese garden at Villa Rothschild
Artwork in the gardens at Villa Ephrussi Rothschild
Robin at Villa Rothschild
Vila Rothschild gardens
Dancing waters
A view of Villa Kereylos