August 7th, 1998 (DAY 1)
Finally, after a long drawn out train ride, we arrive in Carcassonne.
Phew! It’s hot, considering that it's 6pm already.
On to Couiza!
6.38 pm
We are waiting in the train station of Carcassonne for a small train to Couiza-Montazels, which is about 40km to the south of Carcassonne.
I'm still amazed by the incredible friendliness of the people here, what a difference from Belgium!
For a reason I still don't understand (I guess I just wanted to talk with someone), I spontaneously start a conversation with an older woman waiting at the same train track as we are.
I tell her that we are on our way to RLC.
"Aah! Le mystère!" she says.
Finally I meet the first person here that actually knows of RLC.
5 minutes later a little cute train arrives, apparently very few people are heading for the direction I'm taking.
Half an hour later the landscape starts to change and it really becomes recognizable with what I've seen on the GKIII screenshots.
Just now I realize what an incredible realism they try to achieve and that for real-time rendering!
Gare Couiza-Montazels: surreal....Just like Jane Jensen said that she had to pull over her car when she saw RLC from a distance; surreal...
Coincidence or not, but the train station from GKIII reminded me so much of the real one...very weird, they actually captured the right mood.
Getting out of that little train, standing ALL ALONE with Lotje in the heat in a sunset little desolate landscape was indescribable.
Couiza has in my opinion something very ancient and magical.
It's hard to describe, but I got the feeling of standing on a filmset..all was just so perfectly balanced! weird weird weird.
After questioning around a bit, we found the right direction to RLC, or at least to the 4,5 km road TO RLC.
Little did I know that the REAL suffering was just about to start.We agreed up front that we were going to do this, take no taxi, but climb with our rucksacks the 4,5 km to the top of the mountain to finally achieve the ultimate.
I will spare you the boring, sweaty details...it's enough to know that both of us arrived half death in RLC..the first thing I recognized was the 'Tour de Magdala' We were there!!!
Arrived at about 8.30pm, that made a 15,5 hours journey to get there!stumbling with our last powers, speechless and fascinated by the incredible, indescribable atmosphere, I take the metal doorknob and knock three times on Villa Bethania's big wooden door.
"Bonjour, blablabla"
10 minutes later I'm enjoying a quickening shower.
"Qu'est-ce que vous voulez à manger?" (What do you want for dinner?)
"Oui!!!!!" (yes!!!) is all we can utter.
The question WHAT we like to eat is completely irrelevant since I could eat about anything right now.
The room: well...perfect.
Considering that I'm actually spending 7 nights in a house Saunière built
with his mysterious wealth, is alone fantastic.
Big double bed,
parquet floor, nice carpets, cool furniture, nice view and a good bathroom.
Diner: well...perfect.
Walking out of our rooms, soiré-dressed (sort of), we walk into a nice
lamp lit garden with a bar and lots of tables and chairs.
Sweet-smelling trees, noisy crickets...this was the last thing I expected to
experience in RLC, so snug and cozy!
This is the part were we get to the menu:
'Mon Dieu' (My God!), it has been AGES that I had such a gorgeous meal!
-Salade with hot goat cheese on toast with walnuts and a nice vinaigrette.
(delicious)
-Ducks' chest with potatoes and courgette and an extremely fine sauce.
(marvelous)
-Desert: l'opera..fine pastry from the region
-A well deserved cup of joy (coffee)
this all for a QUITE reasonable price!
This diary is sort of turning out like a traveling brochure...I know... ;-)
After this salvation, Lotje and Nico are heading straight to bed, finishing
this diary and dream....
Tomorrow the research begins!