Climbing Montsegur Day 7

The road to Montsegur is speckled with visions of torture and attrocities too gruesome to detail.  Actually, Kate Mosse did detail some of them in her book and they bore remarkable resemblance to hwat I saw int he ethers along the way here.  I was surprised at my sense of connection to this land.  Mark was aware of his, but mine surprised me.  If you want to know more about the untold story of this region, read Labyrinth by Kate Mosse.  It's a very, very well written book which takes you to the 13th and the 21st Centiries of this region.  We have just finished reading the book, and the experience is still alive.  Glad we read it after visiting.  Reaching the pass at Montsegur, we park (there are a surprisingly large number of parking spaces for such a remote area), and begin our climb at 1000 meters (3925 feet) elevation.    The Chateau de Montsegur itself is another 250 meters up from the base - equivalent to climbing a 60 story building, but ivia steps that are mostly rock, with no hand holds and slippery places and loose stones and very steep walks with no steps and all of it with frequent sheer drops and you've begun to get the idea.  (Also, make a good number of the steps about twice the normal height and some of the potential falls quite dangerous if you were to go over the side.  No concessions to tourists here!)
Two hundred were burned here.  Those were the ones left at the end. Did you know the Inquisition started in France? 

Our destination. Three sides carved out of the mountain itself.  Monsegur, the safe mountain.  The last stand of the Cathors those whose beliefs the Roman Catholic Church sought to annihilate.

Fresh at the first! There were few hand holds after the pay station. Any journey starts one step at a time.

We were very surprised at how many white-haired folks over the age of 75 were climbing it.  It is a stiff climb and the elevation doesn't help.  If we were to do it again, we would take walking sticks and twice the water we brought - 1-1/2 liters for two people wasn't enough.  We wished you could find ice in this country.  They are missing a fantastic income – cold water or ice cream at  the top of the climb to Montsegur.  There is a 4.5E fee to go up, but only the only official presence is a nice man in a little hut, who was providing guide pamphlets in several languages - very austere and nothing else the least bit commercial, somewhat like the Cathars themselves.  It's good that way.

Stopping frequently along the way, we met various people.  One rather large group was from Denmark,  others from England, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Russia, France; we were the only Americans we could detect.  The Danish group was aware of past life connections.  As we stopped for lunch just before the top, we had an interesting conversation with a Brit and his son. He explained many ex-pats from GB live in the area; one town nearby is 70% Brits.  His story was much like many these days, people sold their homes, put the money into stocks and bonds, lost a lot on the market, and are poor now.  The cost of living was very cheap when he moved there but now it's quite high especially with the ratio for the pound to the Euro.  We said many Americans have experienced similar situations,  moving to Mexico and Panama/Costa Rica.  His son is traveling and might ring us up if he comes to NC.

Reaching the fortress after just over an hour's climb, there was a commanding view for miles around in all directions, and many reasons to reflect on what had happened here, and on the passions that have all too often set us one against the other.  Very sobering, and well worth the considerable effort it took to reach this place.

The haze of pollution was disappointing and concerning.

Energetically it was a profound and challenging experience.  Much healing, forgiveness and clearing required here

Coming back down isn't much easier than going up – a bit less time though.  After paying our respects at a monument to the more than 200 men and women who were burned here after the fortress fell, it was time to find serious amounts of cold water, and we found it at a lovely little road side cafe with a wonderful waterfall

After this refreshing stop, we headed back over to the sea near Perpignan (about the most Spanish city you'll find in France).

High winds and blowing sand kept us from swimming, but the view was still gorgeous.  A quick trip to the supermarche for dinner (definitely the most economical way to eat) and some excellent regional wine -- Le Pas du Templier, a Minervois -- at under $2 a bottle!

On the road once more, to reach Carcassonne by nightfall.  The walls of the Old Cite are floodlit at night, and words can't do justice to describe how dramatic it looks .  The inside is going to have wait until the morning, though – it's been a physically grueling day, and we need a hot shower and a good night's rest .



If you are interested in more info on Monsegur, Kate Mosse wrote a book called Labyrinth which was on the NY Times Bestseller list.  It's a novel based on historical info.  Mark just finished it and enjoyed it very much.  I've just started it.  One of the reviewers says Dan Brown will have to move over to make room for her!  She says, "It's a place of secrets, one that has seen too  much and concealed too much to be at peace with itself."  I hope we brought more peace there.