Montferrier - Day Two

What a great spot this is - decided to stay another day - lots more moho’s have joined us through the day so that is always nice to have company especially at night. The children in the old Moho behind us are gorgeous and the way they play reminds me of how we played as kids. Sticks, mud, water - imagination. We were up pretty early this morning and had brekkie. Lovely day with blue skies but chilly early on. Walked on through the little village - very unusually the church was not open. Thought it might be due to fact we were early - went back later on but still not open so don’t know what the story is there. Although, there is one story that has emerged here, via some signage just outside the entrance to the church and I share the picture with you here. This is a very rough translation:-

PLACE du 8th July 1944

“This Saturday following a skirmish with resistance, the Nazis rallied the population in front of the church square. Villagers owed their salvation only thanks to the interventions of M. GREF (Teacher Lorraine native) Mr Salome and Father DENJEAN Bartholomew who pleaded the cause of Ferrimontains with the German officer. On August 21st the village of RIMONT was burnt down by the Nazis”

If you google RIMONT you will find the story of what happened on 21st August and it makes pretty tough reading. It’s very strange you know - we as a country were so very fortunate not to have had to live under occupation. You walk these streets and read the history and one cannot help but feel a tingle up the spine when you even try to grasp what life must have been like for the people who lived here through the war years. The picture you see here is Alan stood by the sign I refer to and the church so this is where the townsfolk would have gathered on that July day, We are so enjoying our time in this area at the moment and are absorbing everything it has to offer.

Which brings me to fish! When we arrived, our site is on the River Ariege - yay another River!!!!! There are quite a few weir type structures on the Rivers and there is one here - beside it is what I can only describe as a stepped cubed section which staggers from the river up to the top of the weir. The water cascades through these rectangular sections and its’ purpose is for the Salmon to be able to continue to spawn - it’s called a Salmon Ladder (this information comes from my brother and, believe me, he would know). How amazing is that! I do love all this stuff. There are again pictures and video already posted on Social Media.

Chateau de Montsegur beckons tomorrow which is some kind of Chateau on the top of a ‘pog’ (mountain) - it was apparently built on the ruins on one of the last strongholds of the Cathars. Apparently, Montsegur was the location of a mythical treasure related to the Holy Grail. Monty Python here we come! More about that tomorrow and the road to Perpignan continues. Whether we get there tomorrow or stop en route is still undecided. If the weather is kind we tend to dawdle. So nighty night