Située dans le Sud-Ouest de l’Hexagone, la Haute-Garonne, dite «Nauta Garona» en occitan, est l’un des départements français les plus longs : quelque 145 kilomètres du Nord au Sud.
Pour découvrir les merveilles des plus belles régions de France, c’est ici – Abonnez-vous 👉 http://bit.ly/3zjR2Vj 🙏
Cette géographie permet d’expliquer l’exceptionnelle variété de ses paysages, composés de plaines, de coteaux verdoyants, de massifs montagneux. Au cours de cette odyssée à la découverte de cette région d’Occitanie, de Toulouse aux contreforts des Pyrénées, la réalisatrice rencontre des hommes et des femmes amoureux de leur terre et de leur contrée, et qui parlent de leur pays aussi bien que de ses traditions et de leurs passions.
© MORGANE PRODUCTION
Do you like France? Do you like to explore it,
discover it, and meet it? Sometimes you even
feel like you know her well. We all have a small beach,
a small cove, a clearing, a hamlet or a path that belongs
only to us, far from the beaten track and that we only want to share with
those we love. This is the France we want
you to discover through 100 places that you absolutely must see in your lifetime. In Occitan, it is called Nota Garona. Understand Haute-Garonne,
one of the most sprawling departments in France. A land of plains,
hillsides and mountain ranges, with the Pyrenees mountain range as its focal point. A land with an
exceptional heritage, rich in religious buildings and preserved natural sites. Oh my, how beautiful it is! It’s magic! But above all, men and women
proud of their Occitan roots. We take you along the paths,
the pastures, and high up in the Haute-Garonne mountains. From Toulouse and Louraguet,
passing through Volvestre, to finish at the foot of the
Pyrenees mountain range, in Comminge. Wow!
How beautiful the Comminge is. When we think of Haute-Garonne,
we of course think of Toulouse and its brick facades. The pink city is rich
in 2,000 years of history. This is where François lives,
a craftsman as passionate about the cheeses that refine it
as he is about his hometown. It’s an impassive city
where we just like to walk. It’s calm, it’s meditative, it’s zen. In Toulouse, we love the tranquility
of the Dorade quays and the excitement that reigns on the Place du Capitole. But what we know less about this
emblematic square is the behind-the-scenes that François
will show us with his guide friend, Emmanuel Rossignol. So glad you’re
giving me this tour. Yes. Behind the neoclassical façade of this
12th-century building, which houses the town hall,
are hidden ceremonial rooms, including the Hall of Illustrious People. Over 60 meters long, it has been
listed as a historical monument since 1994. It is magnificent nonetheless. It is beautiful, it is
our Hall of Illustrious People. It’s really a room
that fills me with emotion. I think it’s a bit like
the heart of Toulouse. Yes, it’s a bit like the
beating heart of the city. So here, we could give a
history lesson and summarize the history of Toulouse, since the great men and
women who have marked the history of the city are here. That’s why it’s called
the Hall of the Illustrious. There you go, it lives up to its name. Inspired by the Farnese Gallery in Rome,
the Hall of the Illustrious, with its painted ceilings,
supported by nine-meter columns, is resolutely chic and flashy. This is our Versailles. Look at the paintings. Look François, if you look up,
most of them are mounted, that is to say they were made
in the workshop, cut and glued, mounted on the ceiling. So it’s pretty well done. We have a beautiful overall harmony. We want to offer the people of Toulouse a setting
almost as beautiful as that of a cathedral, in a way. It is therefore not surprising that
weddings are celebrated there. Emmanuel, I hope your
husband isn’t too jealous. No, it’s fine. I didn’t have the luck
you had to get married here. Come on, let’s do it like this. Would you mind if we replay your
scene so you can tell me about this magnificent painting? This one is full of history, yes. It’s from the Liberation of Toulouse. It’s the Middle Ages, it
‘s 1218, and the people of Toulouse are busy
rebuilding the walls that a certain Simon de Montfort had destroyed,
represented by a lion. Look at the lion up there in the clouds. The people of Toulouse all have bad
memories of the formidable Simon de Montfort, nicknamed the Lion. In the midst of a crusade against the Albigensians,
the Lion, who had already brought down the pink city, came up against the tenacious people of Toulouse,
who, three years later, as this painting tells, would revolt. And so there are three
women in the middle of the painting. Yes, the story tells us that it was
three women who activated a small wooden catapult. And by chance and good fortune
for the people of Toulouse, the cannonball will fall on the head of Simon de Montfort. It’s June 25, 1218. Oura, oura, Toulouse is liberated. So Toulouse is a bit feminine. Toulouse is a woman.
And rebellious, therefore. Obviously. So Emmanuelle, we’re going to go
see the Capitol a little bit. Come on, let’s go, let’s get some height. This place is magnificent. Yes, still as beautiful. We feel a bit like rugby players
on victory day. At the Capitol.
The Qatar cross. The Occitan cross, the cross of Languedoc. First used as a jump
by the counts, then as an emblem of the city,
the 18-meter-wide King designed by Moretti in 1997 remains
a rallying symbol for the people of Toulouse. Tell me, Manu, after the town hall, would
n’t you take me to the church, by any chance? And not just any church, but
that of the Jacobins, dear to the hearts of the people of Toulouse. A building founded in the 13th century
by the Dominican order. Did you see how massive she is? She is impressive. It almost looks like a fortress. Should
I put my bike down? Yeah, go ahead.
You’ll see this… Come on, it’s right there. Real contrast between
the exterior and the interior. How big is it?
She is gigantic. It is 42 meters long. 42 meters long? Yeah, we could
almost put it in. It’s almost a herb. Is it high up?
It is 300 meters long. It is 28 meters under the vault. A jewel of Gothic art,
the Jacobin Church, with its high, straight brick walls,
presents an austere and massive facade. This outward sobriety respected
the ideal of poverty of the Dominican friars. But inside, the decor
is much more flamboyant. Medieval stained glass windows and rose windows
let in predominantly blue and red light into a double
nave with a complex vault. The first thing that strikes me
is the verticality. Yes, have you seen all those columns
in the middle that separate the nave in two and then all those painted walls? There really is a real
difference from the outside. We are always surprised the first
time we enter the Jacobin. A pure baroque style.
No way. We are in southern Gothic. That’s what I
wanted to hear you say. Gothic, the language of Ocienne,
Gothic which is very much our own. What it immediately inspires in me
is truly an elevation of the spirit. There is nothing to catch
the eye on the sides. We are truly in spirituality. Yes, and at the same time
in an open space. And at the end of these columns,
there is one that is a little special. I’ll go show it to you.
The palm tree. Yes.
Let’s go see this Jacobin palm tree. I think we’ll have to whisper
because there’s a mass being prepared. It’s true. At the back of the church,
the Jacobin palm tree, a star-shaped vault composed of 22
pointed arches, remains an unexplained architectural feat
that leaves one speechless, or almost. It’s just magic. We are in the technical challenge at the same time. He’s been here since 1285, can
you believe it? It’s absolutely beautiful. It gives a little exotic feel to this place.
It’s true. The exoticism of Toulouse is also
the shimmering sky of the setting sun. It’s time for François and Emmanuelle to
head to one of the city’s 74 private mansions.
It’s right there. Yes! The famous Caesar Hotel.
Let’s go. Behind a heavy wooden door
hides a Renaissance building worthy of the pride
and success of its patron: Pierre d’Assesa, a pastel merchant
like many in the town. We are truly in the
city’s most emblematic private mansion. And it’s amazing because the walls are
actually brick and the hotel itself has exposed stone. Yes, on the columns,
on all the Renaissance decoration. We have bricks on site, we are
a clayey land, you know that. On the other hand, the stone
comes from the Pyrenees. It’s a stroke of luck to
bring her to Toulouse. So, as soon as you see a church,
a private mansion that displays this two-tone, you can be sure
that the owner exactly-You feel that there is money.
Lots and lots. The wealth of Toulouse’s pastel merchants was
not only displayed through the materials chosen
for their construction. It was also measured by the height
of the towers of these small palaces which are the pride of the city. An opportunity for Emmanuel and François
to gain some height on this so-called prestigious tower. It’s extraordinary.
Beautiful view. We understand better why Toulouse
is called the pink city, seen from the rooftops. It’s magical here. 45 meters, we are at the peak of
economic power that comes from Is that it? Exactly, that’s it.
And we are in the 16th century. It’s still impressive.
It’s quite impressive. That ‘s a very privileged view. From the city of Toulouse to the
more rural Loraguet, pastel has brought prosperity to Haute-Garonne. It was here, in this land of
fertile hills, that the famous expression: land of plenty was born. A nod to the balls of
crushed pastel leaves, marketed throughout Europe between the 15th and 16th centuries. A golden century, François would tell you. The woad flower,
or Isatis Distinctoria, to introduce them, is this yellow flower, whose
green leaves secrete a blue pigment. To learn all the secrets
of blue dyeing, our Toulouse cyclist invites you
to follow the coloring of his T-shirt with the pope of pastel from Romania,
Denise Simeon-Lambert. You’re here, Denise.
Hi. Hi François. I’m glad I arrived. Finally, you come to see the workshop. I had a
wonderful walk on the hillsides. And I see the T-shirt. I can’t wait for you to hold it for me in blue. Is this where
it’s going to happen? This is the pastel vat. But it’s not really blue, is it? No. If you look just a
little bit, there, look. There is green appearing.
That’s what appears. That’s it. It’s really this very
mysterious side of the plant, that we find blue
that we don’t see right away, but which is in the green leaf. We collect these green leaves
and it’s from these leaves that we make
cocagnes, right? Well done. I have a nice cocagne here that isn’t
old, but it’s been redone too. But these are the
crushed, fermented leaves. But it’s fascinating because there’s
blue in it. So today,
you’re the one playing the alchemist. You’re the one who’s going to dye it. You can put on the apron. Come on, I’ll put on the apron. Come on, three, two, one, let’s go. There you go, that’s good. We see the green color, magnificent.
You tell me when I’m moving. Now you put it on,
you quickly take your stick. So.
You’re going to pull it. You pass, that’s it.
You pass and you shoot. There you go, and you go back up. Because you see, there are
air bubbles, so you have to avoid them. The air must come out through the sleeves. There you go, and now you can press there. You tap two or three times where
the sleeves fell so that the air comes out, don’t erase bubbles. There, you still need to have
eyes, underwater vision. And it is in this way that the air
will fix this color for life. The process of extracting
pastel pigment is now simpler. And the cocagnes which allowed
the preservation of the leaves are no longer very useful. But the miracle of coloring linen,
thanks to the oxidation of air, is still just as fascinating. You can let’s go, let’s take it out. You can take it out. So you have to catch it fast. But it is neither blue nor green. Come on, get it out quickly. You take them out a little bit.
I take them out. I’ll hire you. Now
you’re going to hang it up so that air can get into all parts of the T-shirt. There you go, that’s good. So you open
the sleeves a little bit. I see it changing color.
Look at. It’s impressive.
This is crazy. For drying, things
are not as quick. François has to wait a little,
but a few hours later… Come on, Denise, the verdict
in the light of day. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? It’s just magic. Well done. It
was nothing. I still worked well, didn’t I? Yeah, I know that. You deserve it, it’s okay. You were really great
as a teacher. I had a good apprentice, so it’s okay. I have a bit of a drive, I’ll leave you. See you soon and come back whenever you want. See you
soon. Okay, goodbye. In Loraguet, there are legions of men and women
who cultivate the traditions of their land. And François knows more than one. It’s towards his friend, the restaurateur
Claude Tafarello, who is now pedaling him. Claude, are you there? Yes, François.
Hi. Hi François. Are you showing me this public weight?
Come on, let’s go. Here we go. Owner of the Auberge du Poids Public,
in Saint-Félix du Loraguet, Claude never tires of telling
the origin of the name of his establishment. On the forecourt, a scale. It works perfectly. Wait, wait. Or rather a public weight,
once very useful. This is where animals were weighed before
going to market to trade, such as calves,
pigs and also hay. So there was one in every
village and I was lucky enough to keep it. So, it was really a public place,
it was the gathering of all the local peasants. It was a place of life. Today, excitement
is mainly found in the kitchen. On the menu of the Auberge restaurant,
you will of course find regional specialties such as the unmissable
South-West chicken foie gras, which is eaten with roasted pumpkin. You’re going to add the sauce. We’re going to coat the pumpkin. But if François was so keen to come to
his friend Claude’s house, it was to discover the secrets of a
very popular recipe in Loraguet, mia. A kind of thick,
egg-free pancake batter, prepared with an essential utensil that François knows well.
A stone. If I know the story, this is
used to protect yourself from fire. There you go, it’s used to protect yourself from the fire
and also to hold the cauldron. Because for an hour and a half, we
‘ll have to shoot there. And it’s to stabilize the cauldron and
not burn yourself because after an hour and a half… I understand why,
because I start to feel the heat. Go ahead, put it in front. We stabilize the cauldron.
Did you notice? It’s less hot.
So, we have the flour. There you go, you’re going to stir it.
That’s nice. Here is the whip.
THANKS. You take a handful of flour. A handle like that?
There you go, like that. Generous, generous. You put it on and turn it with the whisk. Come on, I’m going to get up. Come on, a little more energetic. Like that there?
Go ahead, don’t be afraid. There should be no lumps. All right. We’re making a bit of pancakes.
It’s a drumeau, what. We put a handful of rain back on.
Come on, let’s go. Go ahead. So you have to put it in
little by little, right? There you go, like that, like that.
In rain. You have to put everything in. We’ll let the hand cool down a little,
because I must be a little off the mark. Water, flour and energy
in the wrist, the ancestral recipe for Mia is simple. It’s hot, it’s hot, it’s hot. You can tell it’s
not a rich man’s dish. This is a real one from our countryside. Well yes, yes, yes, yes, but you’ll see,
once it’s roasted, well prepared, it’s good. It’s good and it’s local,
it was made here. Yes, because if we,
as cooks, don’t take these dishes, they are lost. These dishes must be passed on. It’s more complicated to make this as there is a
millefeuille with wild strawberries. Very good, there, it’s going very, very well. After more than an hour of cooking
and kneading, you will then need to spread the dough on a cloth placed on a table,
then let it rest overnight. I prepared it the day before, yesterday,
so that it would be nice and cold. And there we will cut it. Small rectangles. Afterwards, we can do whatever we want. That’s very… There’s a bit of a smell. It’s good ?
That is good. It’s neutral, but it’s good. But once fried, it will be better.
I imagine. A quick back and forth in the
butter and you’re done. It’s crunchy.
I like that sound. All that remains is to
enjoy this very local feast. After work, comfort. Here, finally, is the caramelized Mia
with a few orange zests. Come on, I’ll taste it. And there’s the crunch on top. Hm, hm, do you like it? Am I having a childhood, or not? That reminds me of my
grandmother, Mamie Yvonne. This was the dessert she
made for me when I was little. That’s magic. I’m going to add a little orange. How good is that? François knows all the roads and paths of Toulouse
and Loraguet. But the walk he
particularly likes… We’re almost there. It is the one that runs under the plane trees,
along the banks of the Canal du Midi. Hi Hémé. Hi François. It’s nice to see you.
Here, look. Thank you very much.
A little snack for later. We’ll go have coffee with you. Thanks to his boatman friend, Hémé Fiorès,
François takes us along the water on the oldest canal in Europe still
in operation, for a cruise in the heart
of the generous nature of Haute-Garonne. Well, shall we taste this cheese? Oh yeah, when Yeah, yeah, yeah. The Toulouse cobblestones.
Isn’t he handsome? Ah, congratulations. So, that’s the
refining of one year. The crust is edible. Okay, thank you very much. Still, we are dealing with
a symbolic work. We needed a symbolic cheese. The structure, nicknamed the
hydraulic machine, was dug to open a new transport route to
connect the Garonne to the Mediterranean. A project as improbable as it is brilliant,
imagined by Pierre-Paul Riquet, a visionary engineer. Work
officially began in early 1667. It took 14 years to get the canal up and running
. But it’s a bit of a
pickaxe, all the same. With a shovel and a pickaxe. To carry out this work, Riquet
still used no fewer than 12,000 workers. So, it was still
something phenomenal. The
canal project, which at the time no one
really believed in, was titanic. It also proves to be revolutionary. With the natural unevenness
of the land, the stubborn engineer Riquet planned the construction of 126 bridges,
55 aqueducts and 63 locks, essential for navigation. The canal would be the most
pharaonic project of the reign of Louis XIV. Thank you, have a nice day. Bye. But it will also be
one of the most expensive. From what I know,
Riquet is an entrepreneur, so he finances most of it,
at least, from his own money. Riquet built his canal. He ruined himself. He bequeathed the canal to his descendants,
who, on the other hand, did not have all the expenses that
their father saw, but they made a fortune. 240 km long, the canal remains a
remarkable work of art for its time. A time when people sailed without an engine
and had to tow boats along the towpaths. In the jargon, we called
it pulling the tinker. To pull the towpath, you simply had to
be on the towpath. Wait, what are we shooting at? We pull at the odds and ends. Because I know what
tinkering is. It’s pulling the boat. I’ll give you a thousand guesses as to who
did it, mainly, in the couple. Anyway, the ones who need to
move forward are women, right? Exactly.
You go up to the upper part there. Go ahead. If I understand correctly, we’re going to tinker
and I’m the one who plays the woman. You could say that. Come on, let’s go. So.
And you make it move forward. And as soon as possible, you try
to bring him back to the bank. Pull you a little to
make him come back to you. It’s a bit messy
for a first maneuver. The bricole was the name of the harness,
most often used by women, to whom this pedestrian chore was reserved. Okay, let’s get on board, rest
behind the helm for a little while. Well, Aymé, would you
give me a little present? Would you let me take
the helm for two minutes? Ah, beautiful.
SO ? Do I push the bar or do I pull it? Like in pétanque. Okay, here we go. You have happiness ahead of you. It’s just magic. Let us now head further south,
into the land of the former province of Gascony, Volvestre. A valley land that protects
picturesque villages. A disturbing coincidence: it is in Rieu-Volvestre that Sonia Rieu lives. A native of Toulouse,
this artist loves to sing along in the village square. His friend Marion, a guide at the tourist office, is never far away. And the two accomplices offer you
a colorful stroll to discover the hidden treasures of their village. In Rieu-Volvestre,
everything is about the good life. And behind the half-timbering,
the stone walls and the heavy wooden doors, Sonia and Marion
like to go back in time. Heading to Tourrasse. This massive building, which towers above the others,
dates from the 16th century and has had several lives. We’ll see about that. Are these the games? Where the prisoners,
deserters from the Napoleonic army, were locked up, is that it? That’s
it. Town hall until the Revolution,
La Touras was used as a prison until the 19th century. Apparently there was a prisoner. Are
there any famous firsts here? I think of Martin Guerre.
Yes. Yes, so Martin Guerre,
his trial took place in Rieu in 1560, but we are not sure that he was
in this prison, since there were several in the city center.
All right. But it’s very small. How many of them were there in there? We have no idea
how many there could have been. There were many of them, as there
were some in the corridors too. Oh yeah, okay. And there, it’s…
It’s graffiti? These are drawings that were made by
the prisoners who were in the jail. Are these horses? They are horses and on them
you have a soldier with a rifle. And there’s a whole section of it, actually.
They made several. And there, this chain? But they must not have
had fun every day. If the visit to the tower is
chilling, the walk on the Lajou Bridge, which spans the riverbank and leads
to the Sainte-Marie Cathedral, is more bucolic. Do you know, Sonia, how many
cathedrals there are in Haute-Garonne? There are three of them. Yes, there are only three
cathedrals in Haute-Garonne. And the particularity of ours
is that it has had its feet in the water, in the Rize, since its
foundation in the 14th century. And the bell tower leans. Yes, it’s not the Tower of Pisa yet,
but it’s leaning slightly, precisely because the cathedral has its
feet in the river and over the past 700 years the ground has
shifted slightly. It is inevitable that the bell tower will lean with it. Is this a fortified church? The cathedral is fortified, yes,
because it is specific to the southern Gothic style which had such a
defensive style, and especially in Rieu, where the cathedral is at the entrance
to the city, where it had a role in the protection of the city. Are we going up to the bell tower?
Yes, but not right away. I would like to show you two or
three things in the cathedral that are still worth a visit.
Oh yes. Who says bishop, canon, says treasure. And yes, we have an
episcopal treasure in the cathedral. In listed 14th-century cabinets,
Sainte-Marie Cathedral houses an exceptional collection of
liturgical vestments, as well as an incredible reliquary bust. So this is the bust of Saint Cygie? That’s right, he’s the
patron saint of the town of Rieu. Is it silver? Yes, it is made with 5
kilos of silver plates. This is the most
valuable bus in the room. It was stolen once, right? It was stolen, but officially,
during the French Revolution to be melted down and sent to the Hôtel des Monets. This was the law after
the French Revolution. Except that the inhabitants were so
attached to it that they bought this bust from the State to recover it. And here he is again in Rio, in Leste. Afterwards, I’ll show you
the most beautiful piece of furniture in the room. Another marvel: a hat cabinet with a
rotating drawer where the embroidered vestments of bishops are kept.
Made at the time. It is important to know that
the clothes had to be preserved as best as possible. They couldn’t be washed
like today. Steam generators didn’t exist. Yes, it is gold thread. There you have it, gold thread. So you really had to lay
the garment completely flat to prevent it from wrinkling
or tearing. It’s silk, it’s gold,
it’s stones like you have here. And we keep
one in each little row. It’s really the shape of the garment. A dressing room upside down. Come on, let’s go.
And the adventure begins. Wow, it’s climbing,
we’re changing the atmosphere. Another jewel of this cathedral: its
14th century bell tower which stands 43 meters high. It’s really the backstage
of the cathedral where no one goes. The domain of bats. A rather perilous climb awaits our
two volvestre enthusiasts, who nevertheless know that they
will be rewarded at the summit. You can’t get your
feet tangled in the dress. Oh my! This was the
bishops’ summer residence. It’s crazy, it’s magnificent. The view of the Pyrenees. It’s truly a privilege to be here. To end with this is absolutely brilliant.
The apotheosis. Another unique village that Sonia is
particularly fond of is this curious circular fortified town,
Martre-Tolozane. It is here, at the foot of the small Pyrenees,
where significant clay deposits are found , that steel faults have been
established since the 18th century to develop their art. A tradition that has left its mark
on every street corner and which is today perpetuated by several
ceramists, including Stéphanie Joffre, whom Sonia will call upon. I brought you a dish I found
at home, a family dish. I think it’s a marten. Yes, indeed. And who better than Stéphanie, a
graduate in art history and earthenware maker, to discuss
this 300-year-old local tradition with Sonia. The patterns are… And the pattern is an ibis pattern. I thought they were
peacocks, you know? They’re ibises, great.
No, they’re ibises. This is Ribé Bonassis. He is a very,
very well-known and very, very sought-after earthenware maker. I have a little treasure. There you have it, a little treasure. At 44, Stéphanie is a passionate woman
who breathes new life into traditional
earthenware dishes with her modern decor. But as Sonia experiences,
the knack of giving shape and color to the dish is
not so simple. Normally, it happens by itself. Yes, all alone. You have to coordinate your feet.
It’s like a musician on… And there you go. Not bad. Yes, well, there are a few
minor excesses. It’s not very…
Once it’s dry, it will be like this one.
Yes, okay. It will have changed color.
All right. Yes, indeed.
It’s getting clearer. There you go, it’s getting clearer
and it’s very, very fragile. So, once you know,
we’re going to cook it at 1030 degrees. And when the coin comes out,
we’ll have a cookie. Because we’re going to bake it twice.
Biscuit. Biscuit.
Ah, there you go. Come on, let’s go. After an initial firing
and glazing, our two earthenware makers move on to the
decorative phase which requires just as much dexterity.
I made a pie. There is too much water. I
have to… Oh yeah, you’re going fast. You’re doing pretty well. It’s not quite the same. You use the thickness of the brush. In Martre, don’t miss stopping
by Stéphanie’s workshop like Sonia. You will definitely come away with
a different perspective on earthenware. Although Sonia is not yet a
top-flight ceramicist, she has, however, become a master in the art of jam making. And it is in Saint poulpece in
Michel’s still-operating Water Mill that she plans to taste her latest
production with her friend Meunier. I brought you some jam. Very nice. Oh yes, it’s the water from the canal
that feeds the mill. It is the water that feeds the Mill. And the mill worked on the
third vault which is on the right, there. Oh yes ?
We’ll see it later. In what adjoins his family home
for five generations, Michel, as a child, continues the tradition of flour milling. Come closer, you will see
the wheel turning through the window. It’s accelerating. I see the flow of water. Ah, there you go, you see,
it’s the force of the water that turns the iron wheel and
turns the millstone. Once launched thanks to the power
of the watercourse, the millstones are activated and their rotation
crushes the cereal. It drives the grindstone. So, did you see the water flow?
Can I come up? You can come up if you want. There you go, you’ll see the wheat in the hopper. Wheat, yes, absolutely. And the wheat which gradually falls
through the auger. We hear this music,
tap to tap to tap, tap to tap to tap. The millers imagined it was
the sound of a galloping horse. Hence the little horse, then. Hence the story of the little horse. In many mills,
we find a sculpted horse’s head. So, this noise, inevitably, informs
the miller about the speed of the millstone. If the wheel is going too fast or too
slow, there is a problem. The sound of galloping horses also
punctuated Michel’s early years, for whom the mill was
above all a place of recreation. I play Tarzan with this rope. I jumped from grindstone to grindstone. It was a good playground. For Michel,
the Moulin des Bure has the scent of childhood and the flour produced here has always been
used to make cakes or bread. This bread is beautiful. Made with flour. We’re going to taste.
With jam. With jam, figs. It’s not bad. Is it too sweet?
No. Is it missing a little salt? No, there is a lot
of authenticity, let’s say. This is what makes
our beloved Volvestre a little bit rich. That’s it. From our land. Relief for
Sonia’s homemade jam, which passes the Miller’s test with flying colors. The final stage of this journey
in Haute-Garonne, on the edge of the Toulouse region,
on the border with Spain, is the Comminges and its mosaic of landscapes. And if there’s one person who loves to explore this
region with her camera slung over her shoulder, it’s Sabrina. A journalist for the Gazette du Comminges,
she has a boundless passion and curiosity for the men and women
of her adopted region, but also for the buildings
that give it all its brilliance. The Basilica of Saint-Just de Valkabreyre
will be in the spotlight in the next issue of the Gazette. At the foot of this little gem of Romanesque art,
Sabrina takes the photos for her future article. The rich heritage
of Comminges is captivating. Let yourself be guided by Sabrina
and Laurence Soncourt, her guide friend, to the unmissable village
of Saint-Bertrand and its imposing Sainte-Marie cathedral,
perched on a rocky promontory. It is a hilltop village,
there is the upper town and the lower town. Here, we are really in the upper town
which was developed thanks to the Sainte Paris cathedral, which is right next door. It was a certain Bertrand de Lille who,
during his ordination in 1083, decided to build this
cathedral which stands like a lookout over the Pyrenees. But the bishop will never have the leisure
to discover this Roman-Gothic masterpiece which will require
several centuries of work. And when you push open its heavy door,
you understand better why. I love these creaky doors. Yes, you saw, it gives a
really special charm to the whole thing. There is a lot of wood,
actually, in this cathedral. That’s it. It’s really a wooden church
within a stone church, as you can see.
Two churches, then. That’s it. Here, it was the reserved domain
of the profane, of the pilgrims. And right there, it was to
reserve it rather for the chanoan, for the Moudit-jeu. Exactly. As you can see,
we have this wooden heart here, this Stal heart, dating from the 16th century,
but it is true that it is really a place intended for the canons
so that they can truly follow the mass peacefully, without being
disturbed by this constant flow of pilgrims. So, it is the lair of Saint Bertrand
de Comminges, the choir of Stal, in Renaissance style.
Is that right? Yes, Renaissance. And you see,
this Stade choir is very special. There are a lot of details,
it’s very meticulous and it was done in quite record time,
in just 10 years. That’s it, in ten years,
that really proves the wealth of this bishopric at that time. You really have to look at all the details
because, in fact, we don’t have one sculpture that is identical to another. And that is quite exceptional. It’s very, very beautiful. And what I love, I allow myself,
are these seats that we call misericord.
Is that right? Yes, that’s it. Where the canons could sit,
then with their robes, they were thought to be standing. These people from Mauléon,
another bishop of Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges,
who will give the cathedral its definitive appearance, with this stadium choir in
sculpted oak wood and this monumental organ. It is the centerpiece
of this cathedral. Yes, very, very imposing,
very, very beautiful organ. We really have some extraordinary work
in terms of wood sculptures. We are really in the Renaissance,
so the 16th century. And its particularity
is that it is at an angle. It’s quite rare. Yes, it is rare, it is
even unique in Europe. As you can see,
we have a rather unusual shape. And also look at all these pipes. Do you have any idea how many
pipes there are here? I would say maybe
at a glance, a hundred. There are many more. We’ll even say a little
more than 2,600, in fact. Still.
Yes, yes, all the same. He is majestic. And then it’s still played. There is an official organist who comes here,
especially for the Communche Festival every summer. And this organ is not the only
curiosity of the cathedral. Far from the heratic images,
we find on one of the stone pillars a curious animal. Sabrina, she’s looking at something
really, really original here. Oh yes, it’s the famous crocodile. That’s it, but be careful,
it’s a real crocodile. It’s a Nile crocodile. There are also many legends
about this crocodile. Of course, there were legends
that he would eat young girls about to get married. We even heard that it was Bertrand
who chased him into the Garonne. As you can imagine, all these legends
have made the cathedral a success. In reality, this crocodile is more
likely an ex-voto, an offering made by a pilgrim
on the Way of Saint James during his stop at the cathedral. Basilicas, churches, villages,
thanks to her job, Sabrina knows them all. But in her adopted community,
those who upset her are these men and women who,
closest to nature, perpetuate traditions. In an exceptional location,
at the foot of the Pyrenees, bathed by the Guahou stream,
the traditional trout farm of Émilien Nouals is rich in
family history and passion. In Antignac, Émilien is not
just a trout farmer. He loves more than anything to share his passion
for these fish, like today with high school students. Locally,
I easily sell my trout through direct sales
on site or at markets. What variety are you growing
here in your pond? I raise all three species: rainbow trout,
brown trout and brook trout. Come on. It’s cool that there are
lots of young people, I must say. You’re always
teaching. And yes, even when I’m
not working normally. Yeah, yeah, that’s passion. Emilien has taken over the
family business and watches over these trout breeding grounds. Be careful not to fall. We’re going to see
the little fry over there. Are
these fry healthy? Of course, they have plenty
of space, look. Is this where?
Yeah, we’re going to move forward a little bit more. It’s good there, you see,
they’re all getting closer here. Because our presence attracts them. They think we’re going to feed them. They have already eaten.
But no, we’re the ones who are going to eat. They all come here. So when are we here? They were born this winter. They see each other again in
February and March. They And well, it takes about 10 cm. And to reach their portion size, they will
need another year and a half. So what kind of
fry are these? It’s hard to see.
It’s rainbows. Rainbow, very good. I would like to have a fario
because they are truly typical of the Pyrenees, of our waterways. Here is some native trout.
Yeah, absolutely. You speak well.
Here we go, we’re going to see her. From
egg to trout, it is in the heart of a sumptuous
mountain setting that Émilien takes care of his sounds. Besides, I’m going to try to
catch a few or so. If he wants to come, he will. You take the biggest one. Oh my! And there you have it.
This is the one we’re going to eat, right? No, we’ll keep it.
We’re keeping it. Now
I dare you to catch it. I’d like to.
I’ll show you how… Come on, I’ll try. So where are you, my dear? Because I know it’s
not easy to catch. Wait a minute. Oops. It’s still a bit slippery. This uncooperative trout,
nicknamed the beautiful speckled trout, is the fario, a fish highly prized
for its flesh, which can live for around twenty years. There, we can clearly see her beautiful dress,
with the spots and the circles. It can reach 70 cm and has
a more or less dark coat, depending on its habitat,
in torrents or rivers. But, word of common joy,
the best trout are those that you have caught yourself. A new challenge for Sabrina. And you start like that and you lower
the campaign a little bit lately. Alright. That’s what I’m fishing for. This isn’t my first time
fishing, though. We have fantastic rivers here
for fishing. We have water of
quite exceptional quality. Look, she’s coming.
It’s good. She’s beautiful, isn’t she?
Yeah. Yeah. This is awesome.
Well done. Great. So there, what, five minutes
of cooking on each side. Yes, five minutes on each side. It smells good, there it is. I’m quite proud of myself,
they’re beautiful. At the same time, I was the one
fishing for them. Okay, that’s fine. Are n’t we feeling good here? That’s not bad. That’s why we live
here together, I like it. It’s for times like this. This is awesome. It is the town of Saint-Mandé, a charming
monkey. In the heart of this green setting protected
by the majestic Pyrenean oak, so many wonders are to be discovered. Sabrina knows this better than anyone. Let’s go with our invigorating reporter
to another curiosity of the region, just a few kilometers away,
in the small village of Alan. These buildings are those of the former
Notre-Dame-de-Lorette field hospital. An isolated building in the middle of nature
that was falling into disrepair and which owes its rebirth to the tenacity of its
owner, whom Sabrina knows well. For 33 years, cabinetmaker Christophe Ferry has been working on the restoration of the site. A stubbornness praised by all,
especially by Sabrina, who has already dedicated an article to it. Still in your workshop, you. Sabrina. I bring you some
not-so-fresh news. I don’t know if you remember,
we titled the blue words for Laurette Christoff and her blue eyes. The title of this article is a nod
to the song and to this craftsman who dedicated his life to the resurrection of this
building steeped in history. I didn’t know that
hospitals like this existed in the middle of the countryside. And in fact, afterwards,
I learned that a rural hospital, in the 18th century, was
something quite common. It was not an isolated place since at
the time, 80% of people lived in the countryside. And so, there were many small
rural hospitals and this one, the Trône-de-Loret hospital, was already,
for a rural hospital, it was already relatively large. It was in the 18th century that the Bishop
of Comminges demanded that men, but not women, be
able to be helped in the countryside as close as possible to their homes. Throughout history,
the Notre-Dame-de-Loret hospital has treated the wounded from many wars. In the spirit of its
hospitable tradition, it even sheltered Jewish families and resistance fighters. So this is the north facade
of the hospital? That’s it. And that was the hospital farm,
that whole wing of the building. And there, the entrance door to the cloister,
where the sick, the beggars, the vagrants entered.
Exactly. So there is a second door. That’s
it. So, this is where we
distributed food to the beggars who came
here to be helped. Were we distributing through this
trapdoor, through this hole? That’s it.
All right. For fear of disease, is that it?
Shouldn’t they have come back? In this hospital, contagious people were
not admitted and this therefore allowed for a bit of a barrier to be created
between the people who came and the hospital staff. This is an
important detail, then. Yes, absolutely. To appreciate the
enormous work carried out by Christophe, you have to enter the cloister
and imagine yourself 30 years ago when the hospital was nothing but a ruin. We call it the cloister here
because there are arcades, there is a bit of the architecture of a cloister,
but it is not a real cloister since there are only three ribs. These arcades were built later, in
the 19th century. There was a utilitarian function on this side to serve as a
shelter for agricultural equipment and on that side to repel rainwater, so that humidity did not reach the sick room. So, it’s more of a
functional vocation, not at all religious, but in any case, it’s very pretty.
Yes. We’re going to go to the sick room. We’re going to find out. THANKS.
It’s very big. There were the beds there, right? That’s it, that’s it. As was the custom at the time,
it was a common room where there were beds like this,
arranged on either side. How many beds, how
many patients in this room? There were about
thirty sick people here. Which were therefore arranged on either
side of the room like this. And there were curtains
separating the beds. But this is really the part where you
did perhaps the biggest renovation here, going to the floor. The framework is impressive. This part was completely in ruins. That is to say, everything had fallen,
including the roof above. And it was really a big job
because he still had the walls and the vegetation inside. Thanks to Christophe’s persistence,
but also to his expertise, the Notre-Dame-de-Lorette hospital is in great shape. It has regained its former colours and its
new owner welcomes all curious visitors
who come through the door. From those who work to renovate
historic sites to those who marvel at the beauty
of the landscapes, the desire to share is at the heart of common joys. And for Sabrina, the most beautiful way
to discover her region remains that of birds, the desert route. Departing from Superbanières,
at an altitude of 1,800 meters, Sabrina and her paragliding friend,
Freddy Soutra, invite you on a dizzying journey. There, it’s perfect. Honestly, we have
autumn light, it’s excellent. We’re going to have a great time.
Not too much pressure? No, but hey, you know, I love it. I’m not a pro either,
but hey, with you, it should be fine. That’s good, you’ve already flown,
so you’ll change sites. We will probably cross the valley
to go and lean over there on the other side of the relief to benefit from the wind
which is coming up there and really make the big tour of the valley today. Listen, it will be a pleasure.
I’m eager to. Let’s get in the saddle.
I’m going to get equipped. Here we go. Come on, one, two, three and we’re off.
Come on, let’s get going. We left.
The sail rises, we stay upright. Perfect. And now we speed up a little. So. Yes. Great. Excellent.
I am a bird. Are you comfortable? Yes, it’s quite
impressive though. We’ve done the hardest part. The big flight is ours. It’s huge. Welcome to my paradise. It’s not bad.
Talk about paradise. Look ahead at what we have. We have the griffon vulture,
barely 10 meters away. It’s exceptional.
Gorgeous. We are lucky to have
some pretty majestic birds of prey. The griffon vulture,
one of the largest birds of prey in France, easily identifiable by its slow flight,
also enjoys the Pyrenees mountains with their rocky promontories. It’s quite strange. It feels like we’re suspended. Exactly. By the sky or by the clouds. That’s
it. We really do like the birds.
Completely. There is a splendid view of Luchon,
the queen of the Pyrenees, the spa town. It’s crazy, it’s crazy. So.
And there, we will touch
the fir trees with our feet. That’s how
we were looking for mushrooms, you see? In the shadow of the Pyrenean glaciers, Sabrina
and Freddy brush against the treetops. He is handsome, the common man, Jean. It’s beautiful.
We are in a beautiful country. In Haute-Caronne, from Toulouse,
passing through Volvestre and Communge, so many thrills
to experience, so many authentic landscapes to discover. Lovers of wild
and mountainous nature, passionate about architecture and history,
set off to discover exceptional sites,
but also men and women who are unparalleled in
protecting and sharing them.
3 Comments
Une des plus belles régions de France, à mon sens.
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