La vie est belle

Up with the larks then on “my day” and with the sun shining on the distant hills, time to go in search of fun!

All I had to do was to sit back and enjoy being here.

Oh, and fulfil a few wishes on my shopping list at the local pharmacy, too

First stop was Rennes le Chateau. 

Now this place meant nothing to me, but set high on the hillside with marvellous views, it was the perfect place to begin my day.

We walked along the path to the small viewpoint, where someone had captured my thoughts perfectly in green chalk on the stone.

Not easy to see in the picture, but  la vie est belle.  Vraiment!

Of course, we wanted to see inside the chapel, too and as we walked, I learned a little of the significance of the place.  Had I read the Dan Brown books, maybe I’d have had a bit more of an idea, but never mind, the place is interesting in itself.

Looking towards the altar, the lavish decoration and highly coloured wall painting wasn’t easy to photograph in the dim light.

It was a little easier at the back, where the open door allowed a little daylight in to illuminate the lavish figures.

Right by the door was the one which provokes the most interest.

Just along the path is the bookshop with all the information to feed that curiosity, too.

(If you like that sort of thing)

I was happy to be back out in the countryside, driving through vineyards where the colours seemed to be changing by the minute.

The landscape changed completely when the sun came out!  I frequently wish my friends “love and sunshine” on their birthday and must say how very much I appreciate the love and sunshine that was being wished upon me right then.  Lucky girl.

We were approaching the Gorges de Galamus where we stopped at the small car park to take a photo of the hermitage over there on the cliff face.

It’s there by that yellow-y patch of rock and as we stepped inside the small cafe in the car park to buy a drink, we could only smile when asked if we were intending to walk over there along the precipitous pathway.

Actually, the road was scary enough!

My hero’s white knuckles were evident for the next ten minutes or so.  Thankfully, we met just one single vehicle coming the other way and I was grateful that we were on the right side.

Plenty of adventure then, stories to make my day truly memorable and so many places where we just had to stop and take in the view.

Small villages perched on hillsides.

Vineyards and ruined castles on rocky outcrops high above them.

And the most glorious landscape to take in.

Eventually, we found our way into Perpignan,  where we spent a short time exploring the city centre before heading back on a somewhat less tortuous route back to Carcassonne.

Dinner in La Barbacane completed what had been a very special day indeed.

Did I say it already?

 la vie est belle