Category Archives: Photography

Cathar castles: Montréal de Sos and the Grail Cave

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Further up the Vicdessos valley from the ice age paintings of Niaux ( https://mountainsrivers.com/2014/02/23/the-ice-age-paintings-of-the-grotte-de-niaux/)  is one of the less well known Cathar castles, known as Montréal de Sos. It sits on a rocky outcrop, the Vic de Sos, from which the valley gets its name. Occupied since the Bronze age, this was the site of an Iron Age oppidum, a Carolingian fortress, and during the Cathar period one of the most powerful castles of the Foix region, Montréal-de-Sos. Under the castle remains is a cave with two exits – or an entrance and a different exit. Such caves were used for initiation rituals in Cathar times.

The Vic de Sos, 2011. Montréal de Sos on top, the Grail Cave below, 2011.

The Vic de Sos, 2011. On top is Montréal de Sos, entrances to the Grail Cave below.

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Cathar castles: Puilaurens

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One of the southernmost Cathar castles, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, Puilaurens sits on a 700 m high rocky outcrop.. Perhaps the best-preserved of Languedoc’s many cathar castles of the area,  it offers breathtaking views of the surrounding valleys. Very atmospheric! Puilaurens  was originally built by the Visigoths

Chateau de Puilaurens, 2002

Chateau de Puilaurens, 2002

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Cathar castles: Peyrepertuse and Quéribus

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Peyrepertuse 1996

Peyrepertuse 1996

The Cathar country in the foothills of the French Pyrenees is one of my favourite places. I first went there in 1992 while living in Montpellier, then again in 1996, 2002 and most recently in 2011 with my family. I have pulled together a few photos from these trips and this first post features Château de Peyrepertuse and the nearby Château de Quéribus. Continue reading →

Looking up the Valais towards the Dents du Midi

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Of all the photos I’ve taken in Switzerland, this is one of my favorites. Its taken from the balcony of Hotel Victoria in Glion, a village above Montreux on the northern end of Lake Leman. The Rhone flows down the Valais (towards which we are looking) into Lake Leman and then flows out of the lake at the other end, in Geneva.

The snow-capped mountains in the distance are the Dents du Midi (height 3257 metres  or 10,686 feet). Beyond the Dents du Midi are Verbier and the Grand Saint Bernard Pass into Italy.

View of Mont Blanc from top of Grand Montets

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Mont Blanc massif

This is my current header image, a photo I took in 2008 at the top station of the Grand Montets ski field, near Chamonix in the French Alps. I am looking towards the Mont Blanc massif from an altitude of 3300 metres (over 10,000 feet).  This what skiing is all about: above the clouds, spectacular views and  long vertical drops.The Argentiere Glacier is below and behind me. From here its 2,200 metres vertical descent – nonstop skiing if you avoid the crevasses. On my descent, I saw one person ski into a crevasse. But more on that later.