La Lozère, terre de légendes et grands espaces sauvages – Les 100 lieux qu’il faut voir – MG

La Lozère, terre de légendes et grands espaces sauvages – Les 100 lieux qu’il faut voir – MG

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. From the desert mountains of Aubrac to
the Gorges du Tarn, from the wild paths to the winding paths
of the Cévennes, Lozère reveals an infinite number of treasures. Between limestone plateaus and
granite reliefs, they are teeming with colorful landscapes which unfold along
the protected natural parks. Wow, what a landscape! It’s beautiful, seen here. Lozère is a haven of greenery and
tranquility that restores and inspires. It’s a kind of tranquility, of serenity. It’s super peaceful. But it is also a land
of legends and history. He was also someone who wanted to
show his power, right? Who had riches
because the room is very ostentatious. And the territory of expression
of ancestral know-how. This machine. So, come and discover these castles,
religious buildings and other zero mineral palaces. And with lovers of this region,
embark on an exceptional trip in Lozère. Our journey begins in the south
of the department, in the Causses region, where alpine pastures alternate with
lush forests. These immense limestone plateaus
are carved out by deep valleys. Their steep contours are drawn
along the rivers of Lozère. Having fallen under the spell of the surroundings during
a mountain bike ride, Jean-Philippe changed his life
and settled permanently in Lozère with his family. And today, he decided to
share with us one of his favorites discovered almost by chance:
the hamlet of La Sablière. On the edge of the turquoise waters of the Tarn,
he is welcomed by Albin, the master of the place. What a magical place.
Well yes. Shall I entrust it to you?
Come on. Come on.
Be careful, he doesn’t know how to swim. To reach the hamlet, there are two options:
a long walk up the mountain for the more courageous,
or crossing the Tarn, which is much quicker. So. Come on, I’ll follow you. So, welcome to the left bank.
Thank you Albin. From the first steps in the sandpit,
you enter another world. A unique atmosphere that Albin wanted
when renovating this building placed on a rocky peak rising from the mountains. It’s incredible. So there, the part at the top
is the high sandpit. There are two main buildings. His beer high, his beer low.
It was still necessary… It was necessary to think about it, yes.
You had to think about it, yes. Want it, want it.
I am amazed. On the terrace. Amazing.
There you have a very beautiful view of the Tarn. Our natural border. Our natural border
Aveyron, Lozère. We are at home. There is an
incredible built heritage. All in limestone Loz, it’s… And do you know the story? There we have traces of the building from the 11th century. It was a hermitage of the
Benedictine Sisters of the Rosebush who came here. And after that, peasantry
for many centuries. There, I don’t have too many traces. And above all a high-
bourgeois renovation from the beginning of the 19th century. Amazing. And so now,
it’s a place that is what? So how can we describe it?
An association? So, it’s completely associative. The association was created five years ago. There, we have
environmental, societal and cultural awareness missions. Fabulous. I’m a fan. Clearly, Albin won his bet. Everything here is a call for sharing and exchange. Nine small houses to welcome
artists, farmers and curious walkers who enjoy
the gentle nature of the place. There are lots of little places. Lots of little spots there to sit down. Do you know how I’ve been feeling
since we got here? It’s a kind of tranquility, of serenity. It’s super peaceful. We want to take back time,
take time in general and also take the time to think. And precisely,
on the reflections that the association carries out on its societal aspect,
it is that of food. And so, we are in the middle of experimenting
here on how to amend the land so that in three years, we can
effectively re-localize our water culture and be able to feed ourselves. We are putting more farmers back in.
In the country. In the country.
Because a country without peasants. It doesn’t work.
It doesn’t work. I share this point of view.
It doesn’t work. This is an important issue for the hamlet,
as it involves reviving crops on the
fallow terraces overlooking the sandpit. Listen, to rehabilitate these
These benches, it’s… We’re really in the process… Today, we’re really
in the experimental stage. We know that it takes us three years
to really see results. Patience is a major asset
for cultivating these difficult-to-access lands in the traditional way, using only rainwater and with special care. Returning to the source, understanding the work
of the ancients to better understand the future, this is perhaps also what
Jean-Philippe has in mind when he goes to join Hélène at the old farm,
on the Causse Méjean. The place is magnificent.
Do you like it? Yeah, great. Come on, I’m going to take you on
a little trip back in time. Indeed, the buildings from the 17th,
18th and even 19th centuries are perfectly preserved. The farm remained intact. Arriving at the slaughterhouse,
one might almost expect to see a farmer hard at work. This is where he threshed the cereals
to separate the grain from the chaff. And you see, here, you have this window,
it’s called the hem end. They dropped
the straw directly there. And there’s a height of 5 meters,
but that allowed them to do that without getting too tired.
Without getting too tired. Once the harvest was complete,
the grain was pampered and protected. And so, to protect it from rats,
outside there were cats and inside we used the cépou.
That ? Yes.
To protect it from rats? Yes. And how did it work
then? So basically
you had a string that held the lid up on the top part
and at the end of that string there was cheese. When the rodent came to eat
the cheese, put the string in it. And there you can let go,
they ended up flat like in the glasses cartoons.
Yeah. It’s not an enviable fate.
No. No. But cereals were not the only ones
to deserve the attention of farmers of the time. At milking time,
the farmer became a breeder, and the bells of his sheep
resonated throughout the Causse Méjean. Hey, look at this room. Boutée was the sheepfold,
it was where the sheep were, therefore. I see the tripods, the buckets. So.
The feeders.
Exactly. And I see holes there, in the wall, there? What were those holes? In fact, these holes
were the bridges of the Loire for the hens in winter, when it was cold,
so that they could continue to hang, and well she hung there, like that she
benefited from the warmth of the sheep. Now that’s incredible. If you had asked me where
the chickens lived, I would have told you there. And no, that’s the shepherd’s micro-caravan
, it’s called the tuèche, and that’s where he slept at night. It’s when it’s too hot
for the sheep to eat during the day, they eat at night, and so the shepherd,
to be able to be near them, slept in there. You mean the shepherd was
sleeping inside? Absolutely. They put him on plots
outside and he slept in them. But it’s very small.
Ah, the suit was short and stocky. I couldn’t have been a shepherd.
No. In fact, motorhome owners
haven’t invented anything. And no, and you’re not
at the end of your surprises. At the end of autumn,
the sheep were brought in, and the shepherd abandoned the mountain pastures. He then had the option
of sleeping on the farm. Basic comfort, but appreciated
to face the rigors of winter. Tell me, Helen, these
are two pieces of wood. It’s quite curious. What is this ? They look like
coat racks. So, they are not portmanteaus, they
are vault witnesses. You can make them move. So they move, that’s normal. So.
As long as it moves,
the vault is healthy. It’s incredible. The day they stop moving,
it’s because the vault collapses, the encircle prevents it from moving. You mean it’s there to ensure
the strength of the vault, actually. Absolutely. It is being built, so in
a part built in the 18th century. It’s super ingenious. This is the first
time I’ve seen this. And yes, it’s built to last. On the Causse, we do solid work. Yes, that’s why houses
last so long. At nightfall,
the owners of the time, the bosses as they were called,
and the farm workers would gather in the kitchen around
the family table. This is where we used to prepare food:
the fireplace, the dresser, the vegetable garden, the ancestor of the sink, here. We’re coming at the right time,
actually, so, suddenly. So what are we eating? You’re lucky enough to be sitting at the table with
a clone of my great-great-grandparents,
but I don’t think they’re going to be the ones cooking for you. So come on, I have
something else to offer you. Well, I agree with that. I’m not the last one to eat. Here, sit down. What good things we have here. In Causnard country, gluttony
can be anything but a fault. And with this platter of sheep’s cheese,
Hélène makes Jean-Philippe a happy man. The best cheeses
from Causse Méjean are there, in fact. You know what, Helen? It was definitely worth the
bike ride up there. Ah. After the delight of the taste buds,
it is with his eyes that Jean-Philippe will be able to enjoy
another marvel of the Causse. In Hûres-la-Parade, he meets Dominique
to discover Aven Armand, a treasure buried more than 60 meters deep. Hi Dominique.
Hi, how are you? Tell me, wait, reassure me, is
n’t that the way you want us to go down? No not at all. I wanted us to meet here
because, in fact, on September 19, 1997, Louis Armand discovered
the cave through this well. All right. But rest assured,
we’ll take the funicular. Ah, OK.
To access it. Okay, I’ll follow you. A reassuring solution,
even if Jean-Philippe had another idea for the descent. Here we go. And you didn’t want me to
go down by bike, did you? You could have done it, yes.
But hey. It’s true that you’re nice. You have to know the place. Yeah, I understand that. And here we are. So, when I told you that we were going to
arrive in an exceptional place. You’ve never seen anything like this. Indeed, the first
impression is striking. But what is most surprising are the
dimensions of this underground cavity. Apparently, it can accommodate
the first floor of the Eiffel Tower. Absolutely, yes. It’s roughly the proportions
of an Olympic stadium. The complete circuit of the cave
is approximately 400 meters. So there, that’s the Puy that we saw
just now where we were at the entrance. Absolutely Yes, on the outside
it’s a big funnel. And then there’s this
long vertical chimney. So it is an avenue,
an access to the underground limestone world, dug by the passage of water,
like hundreds of others on the Causse Méjean. And so, the explorers,
the first ones, came down that way? Indeed, the first explorers
descended using a rope ladder attached to a cart
and oxen on the surface. The gem they discovered there was
worth the risks involved. The compressions are incredible. Yes, we don’t realize it, some
are between 20 and 30 meters high. It’s huge.
The further we go, the bigger it gets. As you progress through this underground world,
the absence of landmarks causes you to lose your usual notions of space and time. So you know, Jean-Philippe,
the formation of the cavity dates back more than 4 million years
and all of this is due to the work of water. It was the infiltration of
rainwater that caused the erosion and dissolution of this
part of limestone rock. 4 million years? It’s an incredible timescale. And so, I imagine there are
lots of stories, lots of legends. Are there people who lived,
for example, in this cave? No. In fact, before the 19th century,
people did not venture into the underground mountains
out of superstition, they were afraid. For them, these havens on Scotland,
known forever, never explored, were gateways to hell. Also, sometimes people
disappeared in these places. These oats are very dangerous. They are vertical wells,
which added to the mystery. I’m not leaving you,
I’m staying with you then. Beneath the earth’s surface, there is
no shortage of interpretations, and imagination
quickly takes precedence over reason. It almost looks like a pine forest. Yes, it is a real stone forest. The first explorers
called it the Virgin Forest. That’s really what it feels like. If the charm of this mineral palace works,
it is thanks to a very long creation process. So, at Aven Armand, the
water tastes fall from very, very high. They literally explode
on the head of the stalagmite. That’s what gives it this look… So, already, it gives it this shape
like a stack of plates, you see? Or palm tree trunks. This causes the water droplet to crush
on a horizontal plane and in all directions. Then, there are air currents
at Avenarmon which deflect the falling drops of water and these drops accentuate
their deposit on these small edges of plates and extend
upwards as if by magic. These rising hot air currents
promote crystallization at the ends of these leaves thus formed. These kinds of palm-shaped concretions
, as they are called, are very, very rare. They don’t grow,
they only progress by a few centimeters,
a few millimeters every 100 years. So how many are there? Because
we see cuts everywhere. In fact, there are 400 stalagmites
to bring it before that are more than a meter. And it is the largest
concentration in the world. A record among many others for this place
where excess reigns. And so, this one
is gigantic. Very impressive. Yes, it is the largest in the world. It’s 30 meters high,
you don’t realize it. 30 meters?
It’s the biggest. This is the limit we
are at today in the world. To the world?
Yes. All right.
And it’s in Lozère? It’s in Lozère. Exceptional. Jean-Philippe, who recently moved
to Lozère, is anything but disappointed. We would know it for less,
so impressive are these sculptures from the dawn of time. Especially since on the surface, another
marvel awaits: culinary, this time. In Florac, in the back room of her
butcher’s shop, Florence prepares a traditional Lozère sausage. Is this a good time?
Well yes. Am I just in time? So.
The famous herb sausages. Give me a little bit of the secret
of these sausages. So, it’s chard. The large leaf
had a white side. It is cooked in water and then
mixed with pork sausage meat. That’s it, quite simply. And a little tip to make it
more supple: we blanch some pig skin, the rind of the pig,
we blanch it and we chop it inside. So, it makes a
much more flexible sausage. A good product is always a guarantee
of success, provided you have the right recipe. In Bédouac, Jean-Philippe joins
Pierrette on the terrace of her restaurant. The Lozerette. The perfect place to cook
the precious loot. But you see,
you arrive just in time, the table is set. I see you were waiting for me. So. So tell me a little about
these sausages, because you know I ‘m not from around here. So, I’ve already tasted
these herb sausages. Now, tell me, what’s the story? So, grass sausage is
one of the cold cuts that we make when we kill the pig, because it
was traditional to kill the pig. It was a
year-round diet. And so, she is with chard,
and chard which is a variety of vegetables. All right. Jean-Philippe then meets Thibault,
the young chef from La Lozerette, who has already prepared a
beef broth of which he has the secret. Local aromatic herbs, as well as
the famous sweet onions of Cévennes. So Jean-Philippe, I’ll let you
put the sausages in the water. All right. Should
I put them all in? You put all the sausages
in the water to cook them. That works.
I put them in water. Okay. And there you go, let’s cook for 10,
12 minutes. So what next? We’re going to take the onions and
chop them finely. Like this, like this there. We’re going to brown this
in olive oil. All right. The sausages are cooked.
Okay. And we’re going to take them out
and slice them later. Look how
beautiful these sausages are. It already makes you want to. If you can cut the sausages for me
and then we’ll add them to the onions. A little bigger, Jean-Philippe. A good centimeter and a half. I don’t have your experience. It’s not bad, it’s not bad. Generous like Lozère. Quite.
There you go, and we’re going to
put them with the onions. Quite. Here we go. And then I add the bay leaf. Quite.
Add thyme and beef juice
before simmering for ten minutes to
create a gourmet fricassee from this traditional charcuterie. It already smelled good
earlier, but now… I know I don’t know if it’s my talent
as a commis or rather the talent of your head chef, Thibault, because this
time, it’s really delicious. Do you smell like chard? Very fragrant. Now I can
share this recipe at home. A big thank you. Like Jean-Philippe,
you will fall under the spell of this part of Lozère where nothing
leaves you indifferent. At altitude in the Aubrac mountains,
you can breathe deeply and well. The
wild beauty of these mountain landscapes makes it a unique place that has
definitely won over Cécile. A lecturer at agronomy conferences
in Nancy, she came to settle in Aubrac to relive her
childhood holiday memories. It feels good.
Yes, it feels good. Come on, let’s go. A farmer and tea producer,
Cécile continues to explore this Lozère region steeped in history. And today, she has a
date with Marie-Philippe. I’m coming. It’s beautiful here, but
why did you choose this place? Because today
it’s particularly cold. I am delighted to welcome you here because
it is truly the heart of the Aubrac plateau, a very emblematic place,
both because we are on the Saint-Gilles GR 65 trail,
and also because it has this beautiful cross on a very old bridge
over the Beste, our somewhat favorite river that crosses the entire area. Until the year 1000,
this road to Santiago crossed beech and fir forests. Wanting to protect pilgrims
from bandits, monks cut down the trees,
giving the Aubrac world its current appearance. Since then, the people of Lozère have found another
partner of choice to maintain the landscape:
particularly greedy horned beasts. There, we have a rustic breed which,
thanks to its ability to eat somewhat rough, somewhat difficult grass,
allows us to have landscapes as pretty and as open as we have here. It is also one that has been, if I dare say,
practically resurrected, because 50 years ago
it had almost completely disappeared. And now it is a breed that has
real importance, whose meat is unanimously recognized, which is exported. So it’s a race that ultimately plays an important role in our
identity on our stage. Quite. In Aubrac, there are in fact more
horned heads than inhabitants. There are four of us
per square kilometer. And so, to communicate between these
very dispersed villages, there were paths like this one. Well, I always find it very
pleasant to walk between pretty stone walls and in the shade of ash trees
like that, it’s still the best. It was very easy. The fields were full of stones,
so we cleared the stones, built small walls, and
planted them with ash trees, which were a dietary supplement for the cows. And then we would go and visit each other. And as a result, there is an absolutely
extraordinary network of paths, paths across the entire surface
of Aubrac, which allow you to discover a variety of incredible landscapes. So we are indeed
in hikers’ paradise. But to appreciate the Aubrac mountains,
walking is not the only way to discover this corner of Lozère. With Laurent, a riding instructor,
Cécile will admire these territories,
once intended for mountain pastures, from a different angle. Located at altitude,
the old shepherds’ dwellings, which we call offices,
punctuate the walk. I would have liked to live
in the time of the buronniers. Tata would have liked to stay there,
from May to October, a little isolated, there, making cheese? Oh yes, me, milking the cows by hand,
processing the milk, making cheese, that would have pleased me. There were times when it
must have been a bit cold. Yes, it must not always have been easy. A vestige of this activity,
the burons still embody the authenticity of Aubrac. Then the sun sets over the mountain,
the shadows lengthen, the moon appears in the sky
and all sorts of legends resurface. Always present in the lands
of Gévaudan, the wolf is as fascinating as it is fresh. Talc? Ots. It is at the Sainte-Lucie wolf park
that Cécile will meet Audrey and approach the animal as
she never would have imagined. Good morning. Hello, I was waiting for you. I prepared this for you. Ah, that’s for me. That’s nice, but usually,
for my picnic, I prefer cooked meat. We’ll go there. We’ll look
for the wolves, then. Here we go. Real treats that will allow you
to see more closely the numerous specimens of the largest park
in Europe dedicated to wolves. So, in total, currently, we have 91
of different origins, since we will present wolves from Europe,
Poland, wolves from Canada, Mongolia or Siberia. And all these wolves, so
you still remain in captivity? Yes, they were born in captivity and they
will live a lifetime of captivity. Captivity. So, ultimately, what use are all these wolves in
captivity to you? In fact, we spend a lot of time
observing them, studying them. It provides a lot of information
about everything that is behavior within the pack,
everything that is communication. Well, I really want
to go and see them more closely. But it is by keeping the right distance
that Cécile will meet three magnificent Canadian wolves. So there, with this coat,
these yellow eyes in the middle, there, they are impressive. It’s almost as if we’ve gone back to the
time of the Beast of Gévaudan. In the 18th century, a mysterious creature
wreaked havoc among herdsmen. A series of unexplained dramas which gave
rise to the famous black legend of the Lozère valleys. 250 years ago, at the time of the fairies,
the wolf, there were everywhere. It is the most
common animal, like the same title as the fox now. At that time,
if we were able to leave children or young women to
look after herds alone, they had nevertheless understood that there
was no real danger from this species. And then there are also victims
who were not killed, but who were injured. And they themselves never
spoke of a wolf, but of a beast. They didn’t really know
what they were dealing with. But they didn’t know
the wolf at the time. So, in fact, around the true story,
there was a fantasy, and we often talked about the beast, precisely. Yes, exactly. And not from the wolf. For Audrey, there is no doubt,
the wolf is out of the question. However, this sad story is
hard to shake and still contributes to the wolf’s bad reputation. So what I’m offering you is
something a little bit exceptional. We’re going to go to an enclosure.
Really ? Are you sure?
Are we going home? Yes, we’re really going home.
And there’s no risk. Finally, there, we will pass through the gates. No, don’t worry,
they’re very nice. On the other hand, if you want to keep them next
to you, don’t make sudden movements, things like that. There, it is our most familiar pack,
the closest to us. They weren’t bottle-fed,
they weren’t imprinted, they were just used to it. And there, in the pack, there, we have
the breeding couple, finally dominant. How is it going?
Yes. A pack is a family,
by definition, and you have a couple who will lead and manage this pack. Most of the time,
it’s the founding couple of the pack, or stupidly, it’s the parents. What you’re giving there
is a meal or is it… No, it’s treats. We call them amusegueules. We will distribute them during
activities, guided tours, things like that. Small cubes of meat,
so this is beef. Jasper, here, little one. And then there is a larger meal. In fact, we feed them three times
a week with meat collected from nearby slaughterhouses. And there, the distance they have
from us, is it because they know you?
Yes, they know us. In fact, they have a visual
-auditory memory, so they react to our voice as soon as they spot us.
The sea. This is the first time I’ve
gotten so close to see wolves. An experience that Cécile is
not ready to forget. After such emotions, it is time
to treat yourself to a sweet break. At the foot of Mai Biu,
the highest point in Aubrac, Cécile dreams of a good cup of tea with her friend
Loriane, who is currently busy with her harvest. You have a nice foot there.
It has It has grown well this year. Is he handsome? Yes, it is pretty, depending on whether you are
at an altitude of 1400 meters. I’m quite happy with the production. Only a few kilos of this
precious calaminta grandiflora are produced each year. Better known as Aubrac tea,
the elders say that it has real
digestive and diuretic qualities. The funny thing
is, there’s some growing wild just down there in the mountains,
and it’s much less developed, much less pretty,
and it’s finished flowering. The fact of putting the plant on its own,
of pampering it a little, well all of a sudden, it produces more. That’s what’s interesting,
and it’s getting bigger. For these two passionate farmers,
growing Aubrac tea is a way to protect the species. But before tasting,
there are still a few steps to take. And it leaves properly,
because there, you leave… If you leave stems… Oh, yes, that’s true,
you’re right, it’s not going to work. Well, still, foliage
is always useful. There is the appearance, and then afterwards,
when you see the Aubrac tea with the stem, when you taste it,
it is still much more bitter. So it’s true that, well there you go. Taste-wise, it’s better. It takes a little patience,
like green beans. Yes, it’s true,
we still have some good times leafing through with friends
and family. The two friends carefully separate
the good from the less good, to keep only the essential. I think we can
put it on a key to dry. Come on. Hop, thanks. Hop, we’re going to spread it out a little bit. There, how long will it dry,
there, here, roughly? I’m going to leave it for three or
four days in the ambien air. And then I’m going to take it to the
barn to be processed. In Aubrac, as elsewhere, after the effort
comes the time for comfort and the moment is ideal. I see that you’ve pulled out all the stops here,
the tablecloth, the little bouquet of flowers. We’re fine, a big office. Plus, the cows will soon
come and have a drink with us. We are fine. It’s true that they like to
come and stay with us. Listen, I suggest you
try some iced tea from Aubrac. Thank you, China. In reality, Lauriane is especially eager
to reveal her latest creation. An Aubrac tea cake. What do you think about it? Well, we find the aromas of
Aubrac tea, since we still have the menthol. That comes out right away.
Yes, that’s true. The side is a little lemony
and then a little floral. I think it’s fabulous. But it is time for Cécile to leave
the bucolic atmosphere of her pastures to go and push open the gate of an
unusual stately home. Built on the lands of the powerful
barony of the Fathers, at an altitude of 1,300 meters,
this building, erected in the 17th century, is today the pride of the Lascaises. Cécile meets Paul,
one of the descendants of this large family, who has owned
the place for 150 years. Well, welcome to the Château de la Baume. Thank you, it’s very beautiful. And that, there, is
the family crest? So this is the coat of arms of the
family that built the castle. It was called the Grolet,
hence above, I am Grolet. And below you wrote,
Asai, advanced, assi fortuna passa. By passing through here,
you will find fortune. I suggest we test our Allez. However, far from being wealthy,
Antoine de Grolet built the first part of this castle
with very little means. So there you are, truly
in the heart of the Château de la Baume. With these two parts,
one Louis XIII, the other Louis XIV. Ah good ? It was during the reign of the Sun King
that Caesar, the son of Antoine, made his fortune and gave the castle
its current size and appearance. Although austere in appearance,
this high-altitude residence, built from slate and granite,
nevertheless conceals many treasures. Wow,
this piece is impressive.
Something important must have been happening here. Actually, it was the living room. So, this is where Antoine de Grolet,
the lord of the place, received the homage of his vassals. By the way, to show you the
institutional side of the room, there, on the fireplace, you have
the Grolets’ little girondeur again. Their coat of arms. And what is that? A giant boot is impressive, isn’t it? What is this ?
This, in fact, is the boot of seven eyes. More seriously, every seven eyes,
you had post relays, and suddenly, the postmen rushed through the woods,
and to protect themselves from the branches, they put seven on boots. And there are two billiard cues there? What is this one? So there you have a contemporary pool cue
and there you have another one. How do you think we use it?
I don’t know. Like this, there?
Exactly. So. So that was how it was
played under Louis XIII. All right. Prestigious guests flocked
to this 80-room castle, which was nicknamed
the Versailles of Gévaudan. In this luxurious residence,
Caesar received the local nobility and managed his affairs with a masterly hand. So there, Cécile, you are really
at the center of the unchecked power. Caesar’s office. Besides,
sit back, you’ll see. There, we are no longer in Lozère. Oh no, you’re totally in Italy. You have paintings
that are within reach of Italy. You even have a Murano chandelier there. Caesar was a true patron. Having become bailiff of Gévaudan,
before becoming the king’s lieutenant general for Languedoc,
Caesar was a rich and powerful man, through whom
many documents passed. Precious testimonies are kept
behind a heavy metal door in the archives room. So in fact, a castle is
not just a residence, it is also an administrative center. So in this room,
you have, for example, administrative documents or even letters. Mail, trial. Mail, lawsuits, etc. There you go, everything is from the period and even,
I want to tell you, some papers date from before the construction
of the castle, because they recovered the archives
of the barony which they then sorted according to the different parishes of the
barony, you see, all around you. Can it be stored in bags too? In fact, when a trial was completed
at the time, all the legal documents were gathered in a bag, hence
the expression “the case is in the bag.” Left behind during the Revolution
and the Empire, the Château de la Baume passed into the hands of the Lascas. And to show her how,
Paul has a surprise in store for Cécile. So there, you see Cécile, you are in what we
call the Lascas corridor. All around you are portraits
of my family’s ancestors. And so, I have to tell you,
the first Lascas who arrived in Lozère was 150 years ago. His name was Emmanuel de Lascas. He fell madly in love with this
department, with this castle. And he was a pretty cool character
because, as you can see, he was portrayed in a knight’s outfit. It was my great-great-grandfather
who was a senator in the Third Republic. This is how Emmanuel de Lascaze
made this castle a family treasure. Our journey continues between the Mande region and the Marjorie mountains
. Mende extends into the Lot valley. The city was built in the 3rd century
and grew on the relics of Saint Privas, a hermit who lived
nearby on the heights of Mount Mima. A lifelong resident of Mande, Hélène, a retired librarian, is in love with the history of her city. It is on the old Notre-Dame bridge that she
meets Alexandre, a guide from the Lozère town. Are you ready for this Bandoise ride?
Come on. Come on, let’s go.
Here we go. A commercial crossroads between Languedoc
and Auvergne since the Middle Ages, the town centre of Mende retains traces
of its former prestige throughout its narrow streets lined with beautiful residences. I had never seen this door. Beautiful 18th century door. And some places, especially known
to insiders, are worth the detour. So Helen? Come see, I’ll show you
the old hospital pharmacy. The ideal place to prepare, like Helen,
the remedy of your choice In the apothecary of the old
hospital, 17th century version. Phew, but it’s heavy. Yes, you had to be strong
to be a patient. We had to crush the… There, we crushed all the products. Original bottles still filled,
labels still present, everything is there to feel better. In Mende, there are also the must-sees,
such as the Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Privat cathedral. Built above the tomb of the Hermit,
its construction was decided in 1360 by Urban V, a pope from Avignon born in Lozère. So look Helen, right up there
in the triangle, do you see the face with the chubby cheeks?
Yeah, I see it. It’s Bourré, the North Wind. Drunk, does that mean anything to you
, perhaps? Yes, Northern Lights? Yes, Boreal, everything
related to the North. So, we are here at the north gate of the
cathedral and this is where we will enter. All right.
THANKS. Inspired by Gothic architecture, the nave is flanked by imposing two stylized columns around which there are
a dozen chapels dedicated to numerous saints. The building offers the veneration of the faithful,
a black virgin who gives rise to legends and suppositions. Oh yeah, she’s black. Oh yes, the face, it is very black.
Do you know why? I heard that the
black virgins came from Judea. So yes, tradition
claims that all black virgins come from the Crusades. The latest analyses we have had
on the few that have been restored suggest
that they come from southern Europe and that they have turned black
because of the smoke from the candles. But candles do
n’t make black smoke. So not those, because those
candles don’t make smoke. But back then it was
pork fat, it was tallow. And so, it made a lot of smoke
and it blackened through oxidation. And so the paint turned black. She was originally white. It seems logical. And here is the V,
the mystery of this black virgin. So, look. You have the eight large tapestries
as seen by Monseigneur de Piancourt in Aubusson at the
very beginning of the 18th century. They’re pretty, aren’t they?
They are beautiful, yes. It’s beautiful. Works that retrace the
highlights of Marie’s life. After these exceptional pieces,
Alexandre has a surprise for Hélène. So, Helen, do you know this?
Oh yes. He is the fighter of the Non-Pareille.
Non-pareil, yes. The largest bell in the world.
Well, we’re going to go… Is that it?
Ah, I thought that was the surprise. No, it’s the surprise, it’s there. I’ll take you to the bell tower. Ah OK. In the 16th century, the Non-Pareille
was the largest bell in Europe. Resonating up to 15 kilometers
around, it has largely contributed to the building’s fame. Before its destruction,
it was housed in the more decorated of the two bell towers of this
very special cathedral. On the facade, two asymmetrical turrets
of radically different heights and inspirations stand as if to
signify the union of two worlds. Come on, Helen. We agree.
And you, what’s your idea? I’m so glad I arrived. When I was little, with my teacher,
I was at the school which is below. We often went up. Oh yes ?
We were about ten years old. And that brings back memories. Oh, she’s amazing,
it’s fabulous. So, I don’t know if you remember,
but we went to the cafe downstairs to get the keys to go up to the bell tower.
I wouldn’t remember it, would I? There was even a gentleman
who came here. He had prepared roses and
a bucket of champagne to propose to his wife right here. Ah good ?
It’s original though. That’s a great idea.
Oh yeah. Then with this view, look. This view of the
Lot Valley opens up before us. Oh yeah, it’s beautiful. In Lozère, each valley
has a unique story. But it is also a land of ancestral know-how
, strongly linked to water. At Angogne, at the limestone spinning mill,
Titoin is impatiently waiting for Hélène. I have a little gift for you. What is this ?
As you can see, it’s a crank. What is it for ?
Follow me. I’ll show you right away. Watch out for the beam. Hélène is unaware that she is about to
start the spinning mill’s engine. So Helen, go around the stairs.
Yes. And you’re going to come and put the key I
just gave you into the valve socket. And to open it, you turn it
clockwise. Perfect.
Go ahead, Franco. It’s okay, Helen, you can go home. This 500-year-old
waterwheel powered the largest grain mill in the village. Then, from the 19th century onwards,
the sound of water resonated 24 hours a day and hydraulic power was used
to process wheat at night and to work wool during the day. So, do you see the tree
above our heads? Yeah. It allows all the
spinning mill machines to be operated. And as for it, it is operated thanks
to the wheel that you just opened. At the big wheel at one end? Quite.
All right.
It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Come on, I’ll make you
work a little bit. Whoa.
Stand at the back of the machine. What is this machine? So, it’s a carding machine. This will allow us to create,
in fact, a large woolen blanket. Ah, great.
Are you ready? Oh yeah, yeah, great.
Come on, I’ll turn it on for you. And
what I’m going to ask you is to help yourself to some wool from the bucket
next to you and you come and scatter it on the apron. Do n’t hesitate Don’t hesitate
to put some in, don’t hesitate. You can spread it all over. And then, this carding step that the
machine does for us, you see it in front of you. Cylinders that will allow us
to untangle the wool fibers that are, in fact, intertwined. And you see, it makes your
product much softer. This little piece of wool will
become like a spinning reel. Exactly. Hélène lets herself be caught up in the game
of successive transformations. And it’s not one,
but three-quarters of them that she’s going to use to get
the first reels. Upstairs, Cécile is
in charge of the jewel of the spinning mill. Our apprentice spinner
arrives for the final stage. This machine. What is this ? It is the last Mulgeny in France,
nine meters long and 120 spindles. And what is it for? This will be used to spin the thread,
or rather the pre-thread that you made at the bottom with the third carding machine. And we’re going to spin them with this machine. We’re going to twist them right there,
along this entire length. Oh great. What can I do to help you? Do you see that little wedge there?
Yeah. You can take it off, we’ll put it back on later. We will first lay down
the thread that we have just created. So. Are you ready?
I’m ready. Come on, let’s go. Designed in England a century before its
arrival in Langogne in 1850, the Jenny mule, this spinning winder,
still works as it did on the first day. Not bad.
We just spun the yarn. Well done.
Great. So, is he fine?
Yes, it is thin. Too fine, in fact, to go
as far as knitting, as far as a skein. Yes. So, it will be necessary to double it with
a second machine, the bobbin assembly, the winding assembly and finally,
twist it with the twisting machine. So after that, I can leave with my wool
and go knit my sweater for the winter.
Great. With winter still a long way off,
Hélène goes to join Daniel without a sweater in the heart of the Cévennes National Park,
on the Grands Causses plateaus. This archaeology enthusiast is also
a lover of his territory. That’s what’s very interesting here,
is that we have a view… Ah, the view, it’s magnificent.
… A beautiful view
over part of southern Lozère. Yeah. So, here we are on Mount Lozère
and we can see Mount Aigoual in the background. Yes. Daniel has very specific ideas
about the manual work that people did 5,000 years ago. Here, the prehistoric people came,
they dug, they made basins, cupules.
Is it dug by human hands? The man’s hand, with a stone, what. So.
So it was to bring down
water, but it was water perhaps of divine origin in their minds.
All right. For rituals and for… It’s possible, but we can’t
prove it. They did them everywhere, they
did more than 1,000 in this whole area. And here is one that is very beautiful,
which is there, which is on this summit. It must have been quite
difficult to do that at that height. So there too, these are basins,
so to make a fountain, so, in prehistory. So, we can consider it
a prehistoric shower. We can consider that whatever you want. Indeed, the mystery remains. Associated with ritual practices, or not,
the cupules are indeed proof of a real human presence
probably dating from the Neolithic era. But for Hélène, the most
surprising thing is yet to come. A few kilometers away,
on the preserved site of Cham des Bondons,
stone colossi from another time stand proudly. Oh yeah, that one is beautiful. This one is the biggest. How tall is he? It is about 5 meters high. And since they planted it,
we know roughly, it must go down another 1.50 meters.
So that’s 6.50 meters. That’s 6.50 meters. So.
And we know how they did it. The bottom was really very narrow. This was to be able to
plant it deep. There are some that have fallen
and have been identified. That was all we were starting to say
, that they did that to position him well in depth. Prehistoric man placed these
stone statues on the ridges of the surrounding mountains. For Daniel, he mainly followed the points
of impact of lightning, thus seeking to attract divine benevolence. There are quite a few menhirs that were
cut down by local people several centuries ago
to make lots of houses. They didn’t know what it was for.
They didn’t know the use of it. So, for them,
it was easier to cut it out rather than going to look for it
in places where… Yes, and then he had
brought it from Meille, there. So. And so, there are many
who disappeared as a result of that. In this part of the Cévennes park, there are
more than 150 menhirs over less than 10 square kilometers. This is therefore the second
concentration of monoliths after the famous Carnac alignments. It is to the sound of his cabrette that Daniel
pays homage to these legendary lands, as if to make the
wild beauty of these Lozère landscapes resonate even more.

Bivouaquer sous terre, découvrir l’art du vitrail ou vous initier à la vie de berger : c’est en Lozère que cela se passe !

Pour découvrir les merveilles des plus belles régions de France, c’est ici – Abonnez-vous 👉 http://bit.ly/3zjR2Vj 🙏

Terre de légendes, de grands espaces sauvages et de villages de carte postale, la Lozère affiche une grande richesse humaine et naturelle. Des forêts profondes de la Margeride à l’Aubrac basaltique, des Cévennes verdoyantes aux méandres des Gorges du Tarn, en passant par la vallée du Lot, la Lozère est un terre d’expériences et de gastronomie, aussi variées que ses terroirs. Les activités de pleine nature (randonnées, canoë…), les découvertes (parcs animaliers singuliers, dégustations gourmandes…), les pauses culturelles et les moments de bien-être (stations thermales) y sont rythmées par les nombreux festivals et manifestations qui entretiennent les rencontres et la convivialité. Ce territoire peu urbanisé ne manque pas de vous réserver des surprises et splendeurs naturelles !

Réalisé par Philippe Vergeot
© MORGANE PRODUCTION