Road Trip to Aragon

The bench invites one to sit and contemplate, but perhaps another, sunnier day

My friends John and Catherine were here recently.  They'd rented a car decided one day to have lunch after their morning appointments and then head out to explore some of the hamlets in our area. They graciously invited me to come along.  The prior Sunday we'd been to Montolieu (between here and Toulouse) --a lovely hamlet that is the home of book stores-----many, many book stores, for lunch at one of their favorite restaurants.  I'd not brought my camera with me that day, preferring using the time to catch up on the exciting events in their lives. 

Lunch in a cozy, warm La Cite restaurant

But I did manage to bring the camera with me on this road trip to Aragon.  Honestly, it felt like a step back in time.  The weather was not particularly pleasant, chilly and a bit raw up in la Cite, where we had lunch, and either spitting rain or threatening to spit rain most of the afternoon.  The weather added to the feeling of being out of modern times, the smell of wood smoke pungent in my nose, and the slick cobbled streets probably looked the same hundreds of years ago.

Neat little herb garden one terrace/level down

We set out to see Pennautier, but I guess we weren't impressed enough to stop the car and get out for a closer look around.  So, on we pressed to Aragon.  This hamlet has the feel of being lost in time.  My impression was that it is in the mountains, which is completely false.  (Funny, I thought the same thing about Termes and was equally wrong!!) The village is perched on terraces that cling to the side of a very steep hill, and that topography, combined with the weather made me think of mountains.  No wonder the old gentleman Catherine was conversing with looked at me strangely when I asked him if it got hot there in the summer. 

The smell of wood smoke drifted on the wind

The architecture is also atypical of the region, I think.  Lots of stone buildings, of course, but their shapes are different.  The priory has what we in the US would call a lawn, broad, flat and very green, upon which stand crosses that I have seen only in museums.  I have the impression that Aragon is very old. 

Crosses on the priory lawn

I think these are very old

Whimsical mosaic? designs in the street

The other impression I got is that today, Aragon has property owners who have plenty of money.  The custom here in Carcassonne is to not spend a great deal of time, money or attention on the exteriors of the buildings. (Much to the mayor's dismay)  I suspect this custom has something to do with taxes and having to comply with very strict rules from the Historic District Commission about what can and cannot be done to the outside of one's property, especially street-front facades.  So, in most places, peeling paint, deteriorating wood, rusty and broken ironwork are sort of the norm, even though inside the houses and apartments are bright and modern and updated-- elegant, even.  But in Aragon, the houses were spit shined and in great repair.  I am so delighted to have discovered this place and want to return one day, perhaps in the summer to see if it's as hot there as the old gentleman claimed.

The underside of the arch--there is a room on this "floor"

The chateau's coat of arms

Go under the arch and off the street to this hide-away