On the morning of our last day in Carcassonne (1 2) went first to visit Rennes-Le-Château . This is a small village, situated on top of a mountain that tests temperance of any driver. The place has become famous thanks to the Da Vinci Code. It is here that one such Saunière, who in the novel is named the dead man in the Louvre, and according to legend he had become immensely rich by having secret documents about the descent of Jesus. Other versions suggest that became rich selling masses and seeking donations. All very common in the history of the Church, but stayed with the money for it.
In any case, this village was inhabited back in 4500 BC megalithic remains addition, there are also Roman remains, and this town was part of the way of Santiago. He had great strategic importance because from its height could monitor the Pyrenees and the Languedoc. It was inhabited by Goths, Arabs, Aragonese and Cathars, until destroyed in the fourteenth century. Its reconstruction is a little more than a century.
This is the Magdala tower, built by the same Saunière, located on the cliff.
This is a strange church dedicated to Mary Magdalene.
Inside, in addition to some Masonic elements, there is a curious representation of the devil Asmodeus , a boy who appears in the Bible but from the time of Zarathustra. Usually represents the carnal desire (and that killed all the suitors of Sara, who was very good). At the end he married Lilith, the first woman (as the Bible was a woman before Eve was created simultaneously with Adam, but demanded the same rights as a Jehovah's expelled and became a prostitute). In any case, it is curious that is represented in a church. The truth is that the Cathars sought him a little.
After lunch we continue touring castles. I do not remember the name of it, just did too much wind, rain and cold to walk along a cliff.
Finally we arrive at Peyrepertuse Castle (cut stone). Although the day was even worse than the previous ones, was my last chance to go to a castle, so I paid the entrance and I entered alone in the forest. The trail was mud, roots and puddles.
Above the cliff, met all the wind in the valley, bringing a mixture of hail and sleet. The winters here must be very hard.
This is the gateway to the castle. By its width, it seems that not too many horses came here.
Inside, were the remains of collapsed walls everywhere.
How do you realize if your castle is a bit neglected? When you get a tree in the dining room.
At the time, the castle lay between two peaks. Today almost all the wall missing middle, so it looks like two separate buildings. Behind the wall and the tag is higher fortification, which is newer and was a castle within the castle.
The place seemed spectacular. In the solitude, weather and neglect, I was kind of melancholy.
The castle, built directly on the rock, kept a room where the stone had not wanted to be reduced.
I went a little to a site a little precarious and forbidden to photograph the interior of this magnificent fortress. It is unimaginable the amount of effort needed to build this, on this site and in these conditions.
guess this must be a small chapel.
I went to the top. On the way he kept some remains of the wall. The ice I confirmed that, despite being spring, it was below zero up there.
To me, if medieval soldier, this view would discourage me a bit. Now I understand why some castles was best site. In addition, the stairway, called the "Ladder of St. Louis" is built right over the precipice, so that from above you could do easily fall. To me the wind threatened to do me the same thing.
Council for the invaders to go on a rainy day, from above can not see anything.
I looked out onto a balcony, where the blizzard was coming down (and I almost veranito). A cloud treacherously attacked the bottom of the castle. But the view was worth it. I stayed a few minutes watching the clouds crashed at full speed again and again against the walls.
I started back, about an hour until one of the cars that look in the photo above.
already done at night. So clearly illegal car we went into the streets of a town that seemed abandoned, famous for a bridge and a castle.
These are the views from the old stone bridge. Suddenly, I got the feeling that maybe, just maybe, this bridge was not designed for the weight of the car and the fact of having gone through a couple of signs prohibiting the movement was not very reassuring. So we got back to the car and went at full speed.
This is the bridge from which we fled.
past, people did not like walking to fetch water. So they built right next to the River. Until one night she woke up swimming.
already done at night, and we were on a mountain road in the middle of a natural park, with streams running through the asphalt and the occasional fallen tree. The feeling that at any moment we would be an obstacle and we would be trapped in a cold night was French pressing. After an hour and a half full of anxiety we can reach the highway, who liked to home.
next day morning, we started the return to Barcelona. We left early because everything Everyone has a car and return to the city in the afternoon, the last day of a long weekend, it is almost impossible. Be four hours for 100 miles does not like anybody, and we were about 300 kms. away. We got about 4 hours, and ate and in our neighborhood.
Indeed, as we crossed to the other side of the Pyrenees, the sun came out for the first time in four days.
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