Belcastel

Yep...another castle..in another medieval village...This village too is one of The Most Beautiful Villages in France!  Seems there are 12 in this region. Rest assured, we do not intend to visit them all...one would not want to tire of medieval villages...one should always be in awe of one and not jaded when coming across one...

We do intend to search for variety in our outings... perhaps an abbey or a chateau..or a cheese factory..we have the brochures...but today, it was Belcastel. We were still in the mood for a medieval village.

The village was indeed charming with its castle on the hill..My sister, younger than I am, was anxious to climb up to it, whilst I and my knees decided to remain below, take some photos and browse a shop or two. While waiting for her to return, I did a quick sketch of said castle and was quite satisfied to have admired it from afar! 

The village was a treasure trove of subject matter for sketching...the arched bridge, the old houses, the church, the wisteria still in bloom, the surrounding hills, the river... but of course, the castle won out..

What we also appreciated were the picnic tables and washrooms along the river and different parking areas at hand. We did however have to learn to operate the pay stations en français.. one more challenge overcome! 

When my sister returned to sea level, it was time to go home. The long and winding road that had led us to this village was much too long and winding. By the time we were almost there, I was feeling car sick and I was driving! I vowed that I would find a major highway to get us home after our visit...and I did..whew! What a difference that made..and it was faster too..We have learned that although the distances here are not far, the time it takes to get there is much longer than one would think! 

More careful planning of a route will go into our next adventure!