Castres

10-20 July

The 20^th July was an important day for Castres. The Tour de France ended its stage there and the 14^th July fireworks, which had been put off because of high winds (three days of real wind), finished off the day for all. I had stayed longer than I might have so that I could catch the end of the race, of which more later, but there was no time lost and every day Noël took me off to somewhere new. There are a lot of very interesting things to see in the region.

Noël and Lucette, who hosted me so generously, have been to New Zealand twice and will probably get there again. Chris met me in Castres too and stayed for almost a week before he needed to head back and look for accommodation in Toulouse. He had previously stayed with Noël so was no stranger to Castres. Lucette took on the job of making sure that we had tasted the most delicious dishes of the region, or of France, for both midday dinner and the evening meal, to the extent that Chris’s belt size increased by four knotches!

One of the first things we did was visit the museum dedicated to Jean Jaurès. Every town in France seems to have at Rue, Place or Avenue Jean Jaurès. It was good to catch up on this famous socialist (born Castres 1859 for the record, so just a young man as the new Third Republic emerged). He supported the workers philosophically and on paper (articles for La Dépêche, founded L’Humanité); supported the teaching of regional languages in the early 20^th century (in total opposition to the Republican ideal of national unity by allowing only French to be used in schools and punishing the use of regional languages); was a committed pacifist and in this area threatened the nationalists so much that he was assassinated on the eve of the war (31 July 1914). After the war, which had been such a massacre for the French, many communes in France named streets and squares after him, this most fervent opposer of the conflict.

The houses on the Agout River, which were former workshops of weavers, tanners and dyers (14^th-19^th century though Castres became known for these trades in the 9^th century), have retained their exteriors for us to see today. A ride in the river boat, a replica of a 17^th-18^th century horse-drawn model used for public transport, allows you to see how the basements of these houses opened straight onto the river, for direct access to the water needed for the textile industry.The boat takes you up to a huge park (53 hectares), with a museum containing ancient finds from local sites, playparks, walks and a large aquatic centre with restaurant and café. We declined the swim but had the time for a drink in the café. Tellingly, instead of drinks and snacks, the vending machines are full of goggles, caps, moderately-priced swimsuits and swimming nappies for little ones. In many pools, speedos (not shorts), goggles and caps are compulsory.

Castres is a pleasant town, with the river flowing down the middle, a number of green parks and the outstanding Bishop’s gardens, designed by Le Nôtre in the 17^th century and impressively French in the shaped trees and hedges. For us it was a base from which to explore the area, an area rich in both variety and history. Watch this space!

Photos have a slideshow this time but are also at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/101628277989220379025/Castres