As I sit here inside with all the windows wide open to the balmy spring air, the memories are fading of the depth of winter cold, hauling up logs of wood to burn in the fireplace that was lit most every day.  Here, in mid-April, the birds are chirping, the trees are full of fresh green leaves, the flower boxes have already lost their daffodils and we are averaging temperatures in the low 70s or mid to high 20s Centigrade.  I've put away my winter jackets and taken out the sandals and flip-flops.  The weather is so warm we have had a picnic or two recently.  It is Spring after all, and thankfully she acting her part. 

What is more surprising though is that we had this weather the first week of March!  However, March is a fickle month, and the second week of March brought us unprecedented SNOW!  Not the light, melting snowflakes to which we are accustomed in the South of France; the kind that disappear on contact and light the sky up with lovely white twinkles.  This was a serious snowfall, so rare that the last time anyone could recall such an enormous deluge in Narbonne was over 30 years ago! 

It started on the first Sunday of March.  The initial warmth of the month quickly disappeared into freezing temperatures.  The sunny blue sky turned a deep leaden grey, and big fat snowflakes started blanketing the town.  Initially they melted into the ground.  But they kept coming and coming well into nightfall.  By the next morning there was about a foot – yes, a foot – of snow covering the city.  The quiet, white world of snow was enhanced by the fact that Narbonne is mostly closed on Mondays.  The city prefers to have a lively Saturday and a snoozy Monday.  Many shops and restaurants are closed but banks and such are open.  Thus, the light foot and automobile traffic kept much of the snow pristine.  So it made for wonderful picture taking and walking. 

Thus out came the hat, gloves and overcoat, and with camera in hand I went to take some pictures.  Narbonnais children who had never made a snowball were learning very quickly how to mash up a handful of snow and fire away.  There were impromptu snowmen here and there.  But most people just stayed indoors, so I was able to get some unusually deserted winter scenes in the center of the city.  The photos look black and white, but are color; such was the tonality of the day.

It stayed below freezing for about four days, a very long time in this part of the French hexagon.  So we kept the fire going in the chimney and started to wonder about that first week in March ~ would such weather come back soon we wondered.  The flower boxes that the city of Narbonne had already put out were not looking too happy.  Their blooms were crushed in the heavy snow and many were lost to the cold.  I was reminded of bigger, colder cities when the snow turned to grey slush.  Several patches became icy and walking was hazardous.  The charm of winter had definitely passed.

Winter in Narbonne is also the time for Carnivale.  After the city takes down the ice skating rink, the Christmas trees and the 40 log huts that were in the place de la Mairie and the center of town for the month of December everyone takes a breather in January.  The weather is still not freezing; the sky is often sunny and bright.  It's a good time to take stock, pull out the feather comforters, the fleece-lined slippers and recover from the holidays.  You have one month from January until Carnivale which arrives the second week in February.  Narbonne's carnivale lasts about four days; this year's theme was The Circus. 

Although it didn't snow in February, it is the coldest month of the year and can be very windy as well.  So Carnivale is truly a test for those who choose to participate in their flimsy, colorful costumes or barely-there dancing dresses.  A long parade of stoic partiers circled the town on elaborate floats flinging tiny silver stars into the air and on top of spectator heads.  There were shivering clowns, frozen dancing girls, trembling trumpeters and trombone players and icy idlers with their hands shoved deep into coat pockets.  And the wind kept blowing.  We all stood around long enough to watch the grand finale: an enormous musical playoff between a couple of dozen pink and black hot-pantied dancing girls and several townspeople banging big bass drums.  The drum-banging and dancing was particularly energetic as all the participants were trying to keep warm in the process.  But as soon as it was over the crowds evaporated into their warm abodes as did the carnival.  My own fingers were frozen from trying to keep them ready on the camera.  Carnivale in Brazil makes a lot more sense.  I think four days of Carnivale in a chilly February is plenty; however Limoux, a mountain town about 1 ½ hours from Narbonne, is famous for its three month long Carnivale.  Brrrr.

So as I sit here, enjoying this balmy spring weather, I take none of it for granted.  Spring is welcome and finally here to stay.  Our local firewood provider has seen us for the last time and probably won't be seeing us again until the beginning of next year.  As the seasons shift, so do we and our lifestyle.

Early spring is a good time to run around and see sights that the tourists will be clamoring about in June.  So we decide to head for the hills – the Pays Cathare with all its incredible castles, churches and stories for which the Languedoc-Roussillon is famous. 

Catharism was a name given to a Christian religious sects that appeared in the Languedoc region of France and other parts of Europe in the 11th century and flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries.  There were various schools of thought and practice amongst the Cathari as some were dualistic (believing in a God of Good and a God of Evil), others Gnostic, some closer to orthodoxy.

Needless to say, the Church was not altogether happy about this rising sect.  There were basic conflicts that existed between the Cathari and the Catholics on both religious and material grounds.  The Catholic Church thus considered the Cathari dangerous and heretical.  War was imminent.  The beginning of the 1200s saw the Church calling for a crusade.  The rest, as they say, is history.

Back to present time, this history has left us with an array of incredible structures built on lofty peaks of land scattered throughout the countryside of the Languedoc.  Many of them are easily reached within an hour or two of Narbonne and make for a full day of hiking, and sightseeing.  The vistas are breathtaking from these peaks and you are guaranteed a day of healthy exercise as well.

We started with one of the most famous sites: Rennes-Le-Château.  Situated about one and a half hours inland from Narbonne, Rennes-Le-Château is most sought after by tourists.  Tens of thousands of tourists visit yearly; many are interested in the site's role played in ‘The DaVinci Code’. 

Situated on the top of one of the highest mountain peaks in the Aude region of the Languedoc Roussillon, Rennes-Le-Château is a great starting point on the Route de Cathares.  It has a church which is still in operation and the rectory is also kept in beautiful condition.  The photos show the colorful interior of the church complete with a very wild eyed devil in the entrance.  The holy water is perched on his head.  The inscription over the entrance reads ‘Terribilis’ which means ‘strong’ in Latin.  Visigoth symbols are mixed in with traditional Catholic ones.  The small cemetery has a cross which sits above the Latin inscription: Quia Pulvis es et in Pulverem Reverteris - Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.  There are many other interesting details which include a lovely small garden plus a lively village which has made ample room for parking dozens of cars – testament to the surge of tourism in the summertime.
 
 

Our next stop is Château Villerouge, a well-restored Cathare fortress.  We learn here of the system of taxes or tithes which the Church used to collect from the towns and villages.  One tenth of the produce was demanded, thus the word ‘tithe’ or ‘tenth’.

This collection process was overseen by the Archbishop of Narbonne who reigned from the Archbishop's Palace which is nestled next to the splendid Cathedral and has an accompanying Donjon (dungeon).  This is a structure which is also known as a ‘keep’ in English and is defined as a strong central tower.  It is the most defended area of a castle (the Archbishop's Palace) and may be used to store weapons, food and even the water well.  In the times of the Inquisition and the French Revolution these structures would also ‘keep’ prisoners. 

A visit to Narbonne's Donjon is really a must.  It is the oldest part of the Mayor's Place (Place de la Mairie).  It consists of five levels.  The first is dedicated to explaining the history of Narbonne in colorful tableaus.  Then a very narrow stairway takes you up the next four levels which have some sculptures and stonework.  Then you arrive at the open top where steep steps climb to the very edge of the square peaks of the tower.  Here is the most magnificent view of the thousands of Narbonnais terra cotta roofs, a dizzying view of the Via Domitia and the Canal de la Robine.  The Pyrénées Mountain range and the Mediterranean Sea are clearly visible beyond the city limits.  After enjoying the sights on the outside of the donjon, a close inspection of the interior of the Donjon shows neat and even elaborate carvings of the names and initials of some of its former inhabitants.  It is a chilly reminder of the past several centuries.

Here in 2010 we ponder on the age of this structure, built in the 1100s.  Our apartment is on the top floor of a ‘maison de maitre’ or ‘master’s house’ built about 300 years ago.  It has seen some history as well.  From our apartment we can see the Donjon and some of the cathedral.  But what we often remark on is not the donjon or the cathedral.  It is what circles these structures.

A flock of black birds, similar to the California swallows of Capistrano which return every year, circle the Cathedral in the morning and evening.  They swirl every day from early spring to late fall.  Then they fly away to warmer climates in the winter.  They have just come back to Narbonne.  At first just a few came in the first week of April.  Slowly more came to join them.  As they return they make loud calls as if to announce their arrival to the city.  They raucously dive by our windows in wild celebration.  They welcome the mornings with lusty calls to the city.  They then settle to a daily rhythm of circling the Donjon and the Cathedral faithfully.  Every morning and evening their calls are accompanied by circling the ancient Narbonnais structures for an hour each morning and night.  Last year I wondered if they would do this every day; now I know them and they are faithful - they only dive by our windows on their arrival and then settle in for another season of swirling the Archbishop's Palace and its Donjon.  There are hundreds of them, these small lively dark birds; I enjoy their perpetual motion and wonder if they have been here for the last thousand years that the palace has been here.  Spring is back and so are they; they bring comfort in their duration.

As we ease into summer, here in the southwest of France, we have already begun our beach life.  The crowds have arrived earlier this year than last.  The end of May shows the beaches full and we are already contemplating where we can find some spare sand in June.  The springtime flower boxes are gone, replaced by a surprisingly large amount of early tourists in Narbonne.  Some of the summer cafés have opened ahead of time, perhaps stirred by the influx of travelers.  We find new friends  - on the Canal du Midi and see old sailor friends who have wintered over in their boats on the Canal de la Robine - depart for new destinations.  Today, La Fête des Mères is Mother's Day in France – Sunday, May 30 -  the last Sunday in May.  The summer season promises to be a busy one, and we are looking forward to it. 

.....on to Summer