Prades
and the Passes separating it from the Caussou and Ariege Valleys
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Prades lies across a small ridge from Montaillou, as can be readily seen from the Montaillou page. It is also in the very next valley over the pass from Caussou. The next photo is from that pass looking back toward Caussou.
The next photo looks toward prades from the same pass, and is similar to views on the Montaillou page. Prades sits around the curve to the left.
Prades has a sign for the hiking trails that show it is less than 20 kilometers from Montsegur (click on the word to go there). By road it is about four times that far since the road goes around, not over, the mountains behind Prades.
Beatrice found a house right next to the church:
I am not particularly pleased to have to relate the historical fact that Beatrice spent the night with the vicar of Montaillou in this church, where said vicar also buried his mother.
Some of the houses next to the church, which is still the same as it was 700 years ago, were very old themselves.
Prades is a typical Medieval town, complete with narrow streets
and a public water supply:
Its cemetery, as can also be seen from the Montaillou page, lies outside the town. Montaillou lies right behind the wooded ridge straight ahead, old foot trails go both over and around the ridge.
On the way to the cemetery the last homes of Prades are to the right.
Past the cemetery, here are some views up and down the valley in which Prades sits:
That was the view north into the town, next are views west and east, respectively:
It is really a very nice valley, and to get back to the Ariege valley requires crossing either over the pass to Caussou or another pass to Ax-les-Thermes, a hot-springs resort town on the banks of the Ariege river.
The road from Prades offers its own views to remember:
Over the pass to Caussou, the old footpath is still here and used, part of the historical trails system. This is the same path used by Beatrice to go to, and return home from, Ava's home in Caussou.
The mountain range between the Prades valley and the Caussou valley has several nice places where water runs now as it always has:
From the pass to Caussou, the road is very narrow and I don't recommend it to the faint of heart when it comes to backing up to the last wide spot in the road.
From this road, old paths to Caussou are marked:
The road into the Ax area is wider, and the views from that road are spectacular, nearer the main ranges of the Pyrenees.
The pass is called Chioula, and there was some snow. The elevation is near 5,500 feet.
Almost into Ax, the low light of approaching evening made the green of the trees brilliant.
The next stop was Tarascon, which can be visited on its own page.
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