FRANCE || Occitanie - TMQE Travels 2021 (Toulouse, Carcassonne, Albi, Foix & Cahors)

TMQE Travels are travelling again! This time it’s Occitanie, a region of south west France, where we stay in Toulouse and visit the beautiful towns of Carcassonne, Albi, Foix and Cahors.
Jérémy and Ben here again! We love to travel and to satisfy our wanderlust, we are on a European roadtrip exploring the best places for a city break on the continent. We love to escape Britain to experience the best culture, cuisine and attractions that Europe has to offer. If you’re a tourist like us and just need a good itinerary for what to do and how to do it when you’re in Occitanie, we will show you the best things to put on your itinerary.
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Transcript:
Occitanie is a region in South-West France. Its capital is Toulouse, the fourth biggest city in France, behind Paris, Marseille and Lyon.
The symbol of Occitanie is the Occitan Cross, the banner of arms of the Counts of Toulouse. You can see it everywhere in the region, but the biggest of these is in the Place du Capitole, in front of Le Capitole, the city hall and its most iconic building. You can visit the Capitole for free. Originally built in 1190, the current building dates from 1750 and the entire building is built from the area’s signature pink bricks. These bricks can be seen all over the city and is the reason why Toulouse is known as La Ville Rose, or The Pink City.
A city has existed on this spot since The Iron Age. Gauls, Romans and then the Franks inhabited its ever-changing streets and it became the capital of Aquitaine. Its position, on the French side of the Pyrenees, was pivotal in protecting France from the Spanish and also its Moorish occupiers.
In fact, had the French lost the Battle of Toulouse in 721 and the Battle of Poitiers in 732, then the History of Europe might have been very different indeed. The Umayyad Caliphate had occupied Spain in 711 and had been pushing North ever since, but their defeat in these two battles halted their progress and kept the Muslim civilisation on the Western side of the Pyrenees permanently. Since then, Toulouse flourished as an important Christian city, with scores of ambitious churches and monasteries built amongst its medieval streets.
Nearby is the beautiful town of Albi. The home of famed painter Toulouse Lautrec, the medieval old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sitting on the River Tarn, its vast cathedral looms high above the town. Reportedly the largest brick building in the entire world, the cathedral was built as a statement of Catholic dominance after the destruction of the Cathars and their religion, which had been dominant in the region until they were ousted in the thirteenth century.
Next we head to Cahors, another medieval town, this time sitting inside a U-bend of the Lot River. The Valantre Bridge is one of several known as Devil’s Bridges, meaning that when it was built, people were so amazing by its technical achievement, they believed it could not possibly have been conceived or built by human’s. Subsequently, people thought it was built by the Devil himself. Which it was, obviously. The city itself also had a fairly devilish reputation as it famously allowed bankers to charge interest on its loans, which used to be known as the sin of usury by the church. Which is why Cahors is mentioned in Dante’s Inferno alongside Sodom as an example of cities of absolute sin.
Which we didn’t we headed to Foix, near to the border with Andora. A town centred around a rather impressive castle atop a rocky hill, it has been inhabited since the Romans built a fort there. Charlemagne founded the town itself and the castle was inhabited by Counts of Foix for centuries, until one them, Henry Navarre, was crowned Henry IV of France. And Henry IV is, like, a BIG deal in France because he ended the War between Catholics and Protestants by signing the Edict of Nantes. He was assassinated by a fanatical Catholic for doing so… But his legacy remained, nonetheless.
Our final stop is the glorious fortified city of Carcassonne. Yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site, the citadel is a vast and sprawling medieval walled city that sat on the border between France and Aragon. Evolving from a small castle to the stone behemoth it is today, it has two concentric fortified walls and then a castle inside that. There are 53 towers in Carcassonne. One of which was the Inquisition Tower, where the Catholic Inquisition tortured anyone who didn’t ascribe to their beliefs. Which was a particularly relevant here, because Carcassonne was originally a stronghold of the Cathars. Make sure you head out onto the walls themselves to get the best views over the city and the landscape surrounding it.

Видео FRANCE || Occitanie - TMQE Travels 2021 (Toulouse, Carcassonne, Albi, Foix & Cahors) канала TMQE Travels