Alet-les-Bains

Alet-les-Bains

I took a little 1 Euro train/bus trip recently  to Alet-les-Bains, the first bus stop south, which is up river and up the valley from Limoux.  It used to be that you could take a train from Carcassonne to Quillan, which it the terminus at the Upper Aude Valley, in the foothiis of the Pyrenees.  But SNCF has stopped running the train that far.  Now, you take the train as far as the station in Limoux and then hop the big bus to go the rest of the way.  And it's all available for only 1 Euro...and 1 Euro to return.  For less than the price of a coffee, you can have a lovely outing, get to see some countryside color, and explore some of the little towns along this way.  They are rich in history, especially in the annals of the Resistance during WWII.  I had vowed to make each one of the stops between Limoux and Quillan, both of which I have visited a number of times, a separate day trip.  It was a lovely autumn day, the flood waters had receded and I was feeling energized, so off I went.

 

Aude looking upstream

Bridge from the highway into twon

I was a little confused by the reader boards above the windows on the front of the bus.  It read "Quillan," but it really meant Limoux...I had to change buses there.  The bus that had come in from Quillan whose sign said "Carcassonne" was actually going back to Quillan.  Normally we can take the train from Carcassonne to Limoux, but because of flood damage, the tracks must have been compromised, because SNCF was bussing us down to Limoux instead, and several of the towns where there are normally stops were unreachable that day...the bus couldn't get in.  I am assuming there was road damage.  I know some of these little villages were really hit hard by the prior week's disastrous flooding.  (I am saving those little towns for other days.)

 

Roadside memorial to the Spaniards

After being directed by the driver to the correct bus to take me to Alet, I settled in for what is less than a ten minute bus ride.  It's not long after leaving Limoux that you begin to realize that you are headed into mountains.  The road winds and curves and follows the Aude River.  I signaled to the driver that I wanted a stop at Alet, he pulled over to the side of the highway, opened the doors and out I stepped into the early noon sunshine. 

Scoured by the flood

One of the reasons I wanted to visit Alet was to find the tomb of an American soldier, the only one killed in the area while fighting with the Resistance.  His dying wish was to be buried where he fell.  His family honored this last wish and with the help and consent of the town, his body was laid to rest between Alet and Limoux.  There is a memorial at the side of the busy Aude River highway to mark his final resting place.  I have learned that the town of Alet, and its citizens are his guardians.  I wanted to visit it, pay my respects and maybe sweep it and place some chrysanthemums there for All Saints, in keeping with French tradition. 

 

spot for lunch

I had not been able to locate it on any of my prior bus rides there, maybe because at those times, I was unaware of him, Lt. |Paul Swank, and his tomb.  But I did see it this time, and was disappointed because it seemed too far to walk to from either Alet or Limoux.  Now that I reflect on it, I think I was wrong; it's a long walk, but not too far to accomplish.  This August will mark the 75th anniversary of his death, a major milestone, and I plan to be there.  In the meantime, I will visit it soon and put some chryssies on it.

 

Narrow, dark dead end alley

Half-timbered building on the main square of the medieval city

each story sticks out over the one below

At the bus stop there is a memorial to the Spanish guerillas who fought with the French Resistance.  I read a book that opened my eyes to just how much the French owed to the Spaniards who fought beside them.  The Spanish had already set up networks to get people into and, more importantly, out of Spain during the Spanish Civil War, which had barely ended before WWII broke out.  They knew the routes over the Pyrenees and help conduct escaped prisoners and downed airmen into Spain from where they could make their way back to their military regiments.  Spain really isn't that far from Quillan and all these little towns, from Limoux south were way stations on a sort of underground railroad to get these fugitives out of France and the clutches of the Germans.  Oh, I do find it all so interesting.

 

Old timbers holding up the story

narrow, twisting streets

You have to cross over the highway and then take the road into town, across the stone bridge that spans the Aude to get into the town of Alet-les-Bains.  There were many traces of the floods of the prior week; downed trees and debris, and the river had scoured the banks and the island in the middle.  I love the beauty of the Aude further up the valley.  It's swift and it sings as it tumbles over the rocks.

 

medieval construction

I think a soccer fan lives here!

I headed on into town.  I had a choice; I could explore the town or I could head straight to the baths and the fountain where people have been coming since the Romans (and probably before that) to fill their vessels with the mineral water of the springs.  I think the baths are closed, maybe for the season, maybe for good.  I am not sure and need to learn more.  I know people who drive up here to get the mineral water to have to drink in their homes.  I am not a fan of "gassy" water; I prefer flat; I brought no container to bring a liter or two of the mineral-y stuff home.  It was lunchtime, so I followed the signs into the center of town.  Surely there would be a place for lunch or maybe a picnic.  I did have my camera and sketch pad with me, after all, and was not opposed to spending a nice afternoon having a jambon beurre along the river bank.

 

What songs are locked in these arches?

ruins of the abbeys

What a discovery.  I knew about the two ruined abbeys, and the mineral springs, but had never stopped to think that Alet was a walled medieval town in its won right.  Many of the buildings are half-timbered and each storey is cantilevered over the one below.  If you do that on both sides of these narrow, narrow streets, pretty soon, the buildings are in danger of meeting at the top. Some of the buildings are in great repair, others are in dire need of some money and TLC.  I cannot begin to imagine what is required to bring buildings that are 300+ years old into the 21st century.  How do you put in plumbing, wiring?  It must cost a fortune, because you can't just knock things down and start from scratch, even if you wanted to.  The Historical Monuments branch of governments had something to say about THAT!

 

My lunch spot

I sat in this beautiful wondow

I finally understood the Romantics' objections to restoring Carcassonne.  The ruins of the 9th and 13th century abbeys have not been restored, and I felt a stronger connection with the past there than I have ever felt from most of the places in the walled city of Carcassonne.  The stones seemed to speak more directly to me for not having been re-positioned and replaced.  The vaulted arch is open to the sky, as the rest of the roof has fallen in. I walked to the end of the wall and entered the city through the Calvary Gate--there was some scaffolding and I think repairs were being made to the wall of the medieval part of the city.  I fully understand the need for safety, and it did appear that the repairs were not changing the face of the wall, merely keeping it from falling down, possibly on an unsuspecting tourist. 

a bit of autumn color

I went looking for a place to have lunch, which was a surprisingly difficult task.  There aren't many restaurants that I could find, although I will admit that I don't think I saw all of the commercial district.  I ended up at at hotel/restaurant on the grounds of the old bishop's headquarters.  The stone walls are thick and comforting.  It was open, so I went in and was seated.  

"Manhole" cover caught my eye

I had the special of the day, which I nearly always order, unless it's fish! It was a chicken in a wild mushroom sauce. and with the glass of rose was a delicious lunch.  I could look out onto the river and grounds of the property, which abutted the old abbey.  The grounds hand mature, old growth trees, spreading their branches over the newly green lawn (all that rain made the grass green and lush).  It will be a lovely spot to come for lunch in the spring, when the birds are in full throat.  As I was paying my bill, I asked the lady in charge if they were open all year, and sadly, the answer is no.  They were closing on October 31 for the season.  As with so many businesses here, the "season" begins with Easter.  2019's season will start late, sometime after April 21, since that's the date for Easter.  My lunch was less that 15 Euros, including wine and I had a strawberry mousse for dessert.  I will be sure to return again next season.

Last of the season roses on the grounds of the bishop's headquarters

I dallied over lunch for too long, and didn't allow myself enough time to get down to the other edge of town to see the baths and the pump.  I didn't want to risk missing the bus, since I had heard horror stories of getting stranded in these outlying towns.  I had plans to catch the 3:30 bus back to Limoux and then to Carcassonne.  I wended my way back across the bridge to the bus stop.  It was a little bit odd standing all alone beneath a blue sign with the outline of a bus drawn on it on the side of a busy highway.  Several logging trucks whizzed by--I recognized and remembered them from my time in Oregon.  I don't think automatically of logging trucks when I think of this region, but it just proves that |I still have a lot to learn about my newly adopted region. And sure enough, right on time, the bus came around the bend, the driver saw me and drew to a stop. 

Broken  "See around the corner" mirror-

I plan on visiting another of those little hamlets this week.  I will definitely be back in Alet.  I would like to take my camera there in the winter and get some photos.  The abbey is open only in the afternoon, except on the weekends when it opens in the morning for a couple of hours as well.  I want to get in there and walk about the ruins, opening up the pores of my spirit to the breath of the stones' stories.

Modern among the ancient

What a lucky find this region of France has been for me.