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Hiking

Cathar castles

We drive southward to Limoux. After a short look at the city center and the marketplace we move further to the Cathar castles.

The first one – Arka is located on a grassy hilltop. The castle is closed therefore we decide to move to the next one –  Peyrepertuse castle. It is located near the top of the mountain – we could see it while driving a hour before the arrival. A car park is just below the castle – still there is a half an hour walk up the mountain path while we are there. It turns out that the castle is in fact the ruins of the partly renovated fortress. Close to the Peyrepertuse we find there another castle – that of St. George. Both the strongholds look impressive with double walls around them.

The next one is Queribus castle. We could see it already from the Peyrepertuse (on a top of the mountain as you might guess). The path to the Queribus is similar to that we had to the Peyrepertuse. The sights from above are gorgeous – summits of the Pyrenees inclusive.

We follow to the south – to the gorge of Galamus. There we take a stroll to the Hermitage of St. Anthony carved into stone cliffs. A narrow path (and a tunnel) takes us to the Hermitage.

Next we drive to the Fillols – a small village in the Tet valley that will be our home for the next two weeks. We see the Canigou summit all the time from the Galamus. Still we can not see the Canigou when we arrive in Fillols – the village is too close to the mountain and is screened out by other (lower) summits. This is sort of surprise. We leave a car near the cemetery and set out to search our house. It is tiny but still has 3 stores. The property has a tiny yard and a second house as well.

Next we drive to the Fillols – a small village in the Tet valley that will be our home for the next two weeks. We see the Canigou summit all the time from the Galamus. Still we can not see the Canigou when we arrive in Fillols – the village is too close to the mountain and is screened out by other (lower) summits. This is sort of surprise. We leave a car near the cemetery and set out to search our house. It is tiny but still has 3 stores. The property has a tiny yard and a second house as well.

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