Surprising Mirepoix (17 October 2024)

 

Mirepoix

Thursday was a transition day.  We had a couple of days to get to Bayonne so I thought it would be a good opportunity to stay off the beaten track.  The route I planned was to go Foix which is at the base of the Pyrenees. I thought that if we had time, we could visit a neolithic cave to see drawings.  However, rain was predicted.

 

It was fine when we headed out of Carcassonne stopping to refuel the car before taking the route toward Foix.  We were looking for a boulangerie where we could have coffee but nothing appeared. Then I saw a  sign to Mirepoix so I decided to call in there and see what it had to offer. 

 

It was a little gem.  Another medieval village but with a difference.  The buildings around the town square were timbered or half timbered.  There was to be a Fête des Pommes, (an apple festival) and like the pumpkin sculptures we saw in Zurich, a number of apple creations were being constructed.  I had a look at the apples and the quality compared to NZ apples was quite poor.  It was a good place to have a coffee and wander around, then we were on our way to Foix.  All the time the sky was darkening heralding the predicted rain. 


Apple sculptures

 

Foix is dominated by a Chateau that sits on a crag overlooking the town.  Like most of the towns we have been to, the centres are all pedestrianised, even the larger cities.  Parking is always an issue but we were lucky and found a place to spot. After an amble around the town we found a creperie where we had a nice galette. 


Foix with Chateau dominating the skyline

 

By the time we left Foix the rain had set in and it continued all the way to Tarbes which I  thought  would be a good place to stay.  Just to ensure that we had accommodation, Bev looked up hotels and eventually found an Ibis.  In the meantime there was quite a deluge coming down and the road markings all but disappeared.  Fortunately the road we were on was sufficiently wide and I didn’t have too many problems but it did slow us down at times because of poor visibility.  Eventually we got to our hotel.  It was definitely a budget one with an unusual configuration, having a double bed with a bunk above.  Quite a hazard for us if we needed to get out of bed during the night, as the bunk was very easy to bump our heads on.

 

Places to eat nearby were limited, in fact the only restaurant with walking distance was Buffalo Grill. It has to be the most non-French meal I have had but it met our needs at the time. 




 

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