Pyrénées, les montagnes du Midi – Documentaire Voyage en France – Horizons – AMP

Pyrénées, les montagnes du Midi – Documentaire Voyage en France – Horizons – AMP

The Pyrenees occupy a
special place in French geography. A vast mountain range that connects
the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean, it also constitutes a
natural border with Spain. Basque,
Occitan and Catalan are spoken there. The villages reflect this
cultural diversity with an often little-known heritage. Once a fashionable destination where people
crossed France to enjoy the many thermal waters,
these towns with their old-fashioned charm have opened up to all the
summer activities that the mountains have to offer. From the beaches of the Basque Country to the
remote valleys of Valles-Espire, our walk will take us
to places steeped in history, to astonishing villages,
surrounded by wild nature and with colorful traditions. The Pyrenees are a
mountain range in southwest France. They stretch over 430 kilometers
between the Mediterranean Sea and the Bay of Biscay. Starting from the Atlantic coast
on the heights of the hinterland, Mont-Darrain is home to
characterful villages of the Basque Country. This is the case of Espelette, whose chili pepper
is known throughout France. Every autumn, a big festival celebrates this
vermillion vegetable which gives color to the kitchen and the facades
of the village houses. From daybreak,
people crowd in front of the small church for a chance to attend
the service that brings together the village and all the
gastronomic brotherhoods of the region. The exit from mass is the
starting point of a long procession through Espelette. When it reaches the top of the village, Espelette has almost reached its saturation point,
so dense is the crowd. The crowd is at the edge of Espelette. The festival ends with the induction of deserving personalities from the village or region who have defended
the values ​​of the famous chili pepper. Bayonne ham. The Panthuron of Rio,
the little grey of Saint-Pierre-d’Irub. No. All around the Mondarin,
which peaks at 750 meters above sea level, the last first vines follow one another
, valleys which are beginning to become more pronounced where
the first massifs of the chain are taking shape. Mount Arzamendi is the
highest point of its foothills. At an altitude of 926 metres,
it offers a unique panorama, not only of the
surrounding valleys, but also of the entire chain which plunges towards the ocean. At this altitude, the Potoques
share the fields with the sheep. These are ponies that live in the
Basque Country and whose origins are very ancient. They are thought to have descended from small horses
that populated southern Europe a million years ago. Approaching the coast,
at the foot of the Rhune, the village of Sare is also
an unmissable place in the Pyrenees. It shares 32 kilometers of border
with Spain, which has made it
a hotspot for smuggling in the past. Today, the village
takes care of its heritage. Ranked among the most beautiful villages
in France, tourism constitutes its main resource. In the upper part of the village overlooking
the pediment, beautiful residences remind us that the village also grew rich
during the era of whale and cod fishing. Not forgetting the imposing
Saint-Martin church with its five-story bell tower. The first glimmers of early winter
remind us that in the 15th century, the fishermen of Saint-Jean-de-Luz were
the first to venture onto the Newfoundland cod banks. Today, it is still the sea
that brings life to the communities of the Basque Coast,
thanks to tourism and surfing, which has experienced
spectacular growth in recent years. Legendary waves like Latifénia
or Parlementia attract enthusiasts from all over the world. Opposite, the old whale port of Guetari
plays on the charm of its village which already attracted high
society during the Belle Époque. Just like its neighbor Bidart,
it attracts tourists who come to enjoy the last rays of
sunshine of the season. At the beginning of November, the large beach of Biarritz takes on
a summery feel where surfers are eager
to enjoy the waves. Sylvain Cazeneuve is a renowned photographer. His gallery is a testament to his
passion for the sea and surfing. In Biarritz, we are both by
the sea and on the edge of the Pyrenees. So we enjoy the beach side
and the other side of the mountain. Even small hills, if you want,
since the street is 700 meters away. Every day, Sylvain leaves his house to reach the Côte des Basques, another
legendary beach in Biarritz, in two minutes. Surfing is influenced by the Pyrenees
because we have an easterly wind that comes through. The east wind, as often happens
in winter, and there is snow, the east wind which is very cold. So it cleans well. He cleans the waves well,
he makes the waves very hollow so that we have tubes to surf. During the Belle Époque,
the Pyrenees were for years the back city of all of Paris. In Cauterets, a resort located at an altitude of 940 meters
, near Lourdes, crowned heads are jostling for position. Artists and writers made its reputation
by coming to drink its thermal water. Palaces and spacious houses transform
the small wooden village into a beautiful resort with careful architecture. Cauterets retained its prestige
until the interwar period. Today, people still come here to court
or ski, while paying curious attention to this
anthology of historic buildings. The unusual station
tells the story of a time when snow often prevented all traffic. Above the station on the
Pont d’Espagne road, you enter the territory of the Pyrenees National Park. The waterfalls follow one another, fed
by the snow surrounding the Vignemale, with its 3,298 meters of altitude. It is the highest peak
in the French Pyrenees. The Pont d’Espagne, along with Lake Gaube,
located higher up, is one of the most popular sites in the
Pyrenees National Park. A marked path allows you to admire
the famous Spanish Bridge from a footbridge. Arched above Gorges, where
bubbling torrents rush. In the 1950s,
Cauterets refused to allow the lakes in these valleys to be captured
behind dams. Since then, the water runs free and leaps
through the pines in a succession of waterfalls. At an altitude of 1,730 metres,
the Cirque du Lys offers ski enthusiasts beautiful slopes drawn
on the shoulder of the Soume de Groum, which overlooks them at an altitude of 2,657 metres,
with the Pyrenees National Park as a backdrop. In the city, traditions have
also stood the test of time. Cauterets saw the first
recipe for sugar confectionery appear at the beginning of the 19th century. At Queen Margaux, Francis Aguyon perpetuates the know-how of Berlingot. This is a candy
that is sold with bergamot. Bergamot, simply an essence
of bergamot. In fact, for sugar to become hard
once cold, for it to make a hard candy,
the berlingot, you have to cook the sugar to 153 degrees. Once it reaches this
temperature, we perfume it. There, it is cooled down to
65 degrees using the table. This is the
somewhat emblematic gesture of the berlingot. Stretch the sugar. In fact, it’s
letting air in. It’s a spa life. When the city began to structure itself
in terms of treatment, some doctors thought that combining
a piece of sugar on a stick, a sugar stretched on a stick,
doctors recommended putting this in the mouth to gargle. And this first sugar link
dates back to the 1820s and 30s. It became prescribed a
few decades ago. It turned into the berlingot because at
the time, the berlingot was the reference candy. It was the candy made everywhere. Further down the
Lavedan valleys, in Bausens, Pierre Sajou is a renowned artisan pork butcher
who works with black pork from Bigorre. Just like Alexis Saint-Martin,
his neighbor, head of the viscoce in Saint-Saven. So the pigs there,
they are exactly the same age. And you see that the black of Bigorre
develops much less quickly. The others are a duroque race. It’s more of a rock breed,
they’re all red. They say that they have
a covering fat, that is to say on the back, which is not very developed. On the other hand, they have a fat of… The Pierre is very
lean and very marbled. It is the Piedmont pig. The Piedmont pig, that’s it. So, with the same food… Don’t eat me, you. The most spectacular piece of the place
is the Ham Cathedral. I’m coming, I say to you: Pierre,
I need a ham, which one do you want? I will already look at the
fattening state, the color. You see, already, there is one who,
you see here, came from. This is the best sign than this one,
which is much drier. This one definitely has
fat that will better infiltrate the lean meat. This variation in humidity between the two
temperatures makes the ham breathe and live. A ham is like a wine. It will reach the peak,
a certain balance of taste, of flavor between lean and fat,
with a certain weight, a certain state of fattening. The fattier the ham,
the slower it needs to mature. Here in Brocins, we
take a minimum of 24 months, because that’s the minimum desirable
for the quality we want, that we achieve with the glass. To enjoy it, it must first be
at the right temperature, but then it must be chewed. You have to chew it to be able to
pass it to all the parts of the tongue that go to the salty, the sweet. We will be able to have this length in the mouth. It’s like a glass,
it’s like a glass anyway. You serve the right layer,
don’t worry. Above the Gaves valley,
the village of Saint-Saven dates back to the 4th century. This is where the Saint-Martin family
runs Viscos, a mecca of Pyrenean cuisine. Alexis is preparing a black port of Bigorre. We’re going to have the side for
red meat lovers. And there, we will have the side
for lovers of white meat. We’ll take the part of those
who like red meat. There, we have meat that is marbled. She was covered in belly fat. The belly is the pork belly
which is there, salted, dried for nine months and which will be used to nourish the meat. It is not a white pig,
it is a rustic pig which will have a beautiful color and a powerful taste. The meat itself is exceptional. We have rediscovered all the work of the peasant,
the richness of the land. The black of Bigorre
is like a Pyrenees. Which is both rustic,
elegant, but full of flavor. I insist that
it is eaten pink. Here they say: If you eat it cooked,
it died for nothing. While the meat is cooking and pulling, we put the filling
in the oven, a truffle-stuffed macaroni that goes very well with northern pork.
These are pigs that live a large part of the year in a semi-wild state. He’s athletic, but tough. And we will rediscover a taste of authenticity,
a taste of the Pyrenean terroir. That’s what will make
the big difference. And which may appear to some to be
a little more powerful in the mouth, but which is due to the fact that it is
a pig that does not live in a stall or in concrete stadiums. He lives in nature. We change valleys to go
to Luz Saint-Sauveur, in Pays Toit, to discover La Carde, one of the last
artisanal wool factories in the Pyrenees. It is the fifth generation
of the Lafont family who trade in yarn and work with wool. It is a breed of sheep
that is only found in our canton, which goes from the Gavarnie valley,
the Barèges valley and the bottom of the valley.
It is called the Barégeoise breed. It is a breed of sheep
that is very old. But our brave sheep
also provide us with wool that is very fluffy
and very suitable for all brushed fabrics. One of the house’s specialties
is these very warm blankets, which are obtained in particular thanks
to this wool-scraping machine. Some machines are as old as the house. They are irreplaceable. The sounds it emits remind us
that it must be handled with care and kindness. Upstairs, we like
the clothing workshop. It is the only room
in the house that is heated. The clothes of the ancients are
also being brought up to date. So there, traditionally,
my great-great-grandfather, because I am the fifth generation,
made shepherd’s capes in felted fabric for the Valleian breeders. So, we wanted to keep this cape,
so we revisited it a little, we brought it up to date
and we managed to make a fairly thick felted fabric which is similar to C’est qu’un peu de shephers. Leaving Luz, we climb towards Gèdre
to reach the village of Gavarnie. The permanent and Montperdu site is listed
as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for two reasons,
both for its natural and cultural heritage. Thus, the Saint-Jean-Baptiste church
in Gavarnie is listed as one of the routes to Santiago de Compostela. This exceptional mountain landscape,
which radiates from both sides of the Franco-Spanish border, is centered on the summit
of Mont Perdus, a limestone massif culminating at an altitude of 3,355 meters. Man is not here by chance. Since the 13th century,
the famous transhumance of the Bernatoire has allowed Spanish shepherds coming
from Aragon to cross the border to graze on the
French pastures of the Ossou valley. The Roland gap is also part
of the landscape of the Gavarnie cirque. It is around a hundred metres high
and 40 metres wide and marks
the border between France and Spain at an altitude of 2,800 metres. When you go back up to Haute-Bigorre,
in the neighboring valley, the Païol plateau offers
an unexpected universe around a lake. More like a Nordic country
than the south of France. At an altitude of 1,100 metres,
these forests are the starting point for hiking to the
Berre-et-de-Houd d’Aspin school. On the other side of the plateau,
Campan marble had its moment of glory. The quarry was in fact used for the
construction of the Palace of Versailles. Bigourdan houses
use very little wood. Slate dominates. The roofs have only two slopes
with stepped gables. The star of the Pyrenees is the Pic du Midi de Bigorre. However, at 877 metres, it is far
from being the highest peak in the range. But it’s a very special universe. A renowned astronomical observatory and
television relay station, the panoramic view of the entire
Pyrenees is simply exceptional. We can even see the Roland gap,
above the Gavarnie cirque. Since 1873, men have been studying the
stars at the Pic du Midi Observatory. Astronomy is the area of ​​excellence
of the Pyrenean site, with the study of the Sun and the planets. Since 1980, the Bernard Lyault telescope has enabled us to gain a
better understanding of stars and galaxies. We also observe the sun,
the solar corona, the disturbances of the sun, the day. The famous Bernard Lyau telescope
wakes up at night. It is located in the
highest dome. You can observe the night,
stars and spectrometry, spectropolaremetry of stars. The unique feature of this telescope
is that it has a one-piece mirror, weighing one and a half tons,
with a diameter of 2.03 meters. It is one piece. The Control Room section,
which will rotate 360 ​​degrees. You see, underneath the gray, in there. There is the Régie part which is
a tourist part. There is the other part which is
the entire scientific part, plus the inter-ministerial TDF building
which you have there and which broadcasts television and radio over 7%
of the territory, in the South-West. The general public not only has
the opportunity to visit the facilities,
but also, for some, to be able to spend the night
in comfortable rooms after having previously attended
a magical show. The starry sky in all its splendor. The next day, for the more adventurous,
the descent of the glacier on skis towards the in the company of the guide
Claude Etchelloku, is also one of the privileges that are quite rare in such places. Continuing our journey east, in the Aure Valley, Saint-Larry-Soulan
is one of the major resorts in the Pyrenees. It is above all a spa town,
but at the end of January each year, what attracts visitors
is the pig festival, and more specifically,
that of the Port Noir de Bigorre. During a day dedicated to him,
this worthy representative of the region finds himself at the center of all
attention, whether on market stalls or on
restaurant tables. The party starts early, with
a pork snack offered by the organizers at 8:00 a.m. Breeders and producers share their
know-how with the public, to the sound of the Pyrenean fields. We can speak of a real
renaissance for the black of Bigorre. By 1981, only a few animals remained. A group of breeders,
artisan butchers and salters collectively took up the challenge. Today renowned for the quality of its
fat, it has become one of the icons of the region. The highlight of the day
remains the pel-port. A spectacular moment has become rare.
How much ? 180.
We remain within the standards, of course. With a tub of boiling water
and scrapers, expert hands work to
remove all the animal’s hair and make it ready
for cooking or roasting. Yes, the pig is black. Yes, the pig is dead. Yes, pork is good. To reach the ski area, you
have to take the road that goes up towards the village of Soulan,
so characteristic of these valleys. Rather than heading towards the
marked trails, the informed visitor will head towards the Oul refuge,
at the foot of the lake of the same name. Located in the Néouviel massif,
the lake is at an altitude of 1,820 meters. Before the dam was built, the area
was occupied by a grazing plateau. Every time we descend into the valleys, we find
spectacular traces of several centuries of Roman and Christian civilizations. Castles, monasteries, churches are part
of the history of these central Pyrenees. The cathedral
of Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges is a magnificent example. It houses three
churches of different periods and styles under a common roof. A 12th-century Romanesque church,
including a remarkable cloister, a 14th-century Gothic church
and a 16th-century Renaissance church. The woodwork of the choir cannot
leave the visitor indifferent. Considered one of the pure jewels
of the French Renaissance, they were inaugurated in 1535. Inspired by the Italian Renaissance,
while retaining medieval symbolism,
the result, according to specialists, is an art form that is both
refined and popular. The next valley is that of Luchon,
dominated by the Crabouille cirque, Pic Moppa and Pic Maledita. A magnificent panorama that has not left
mountain and ski lovers of the last century indifferent. In the central Pyrenees,
in the Bagnères de Luchon area, there is a large concentration
of peaks over 3,000 metres. This is also one of the most
difficult sections of the GR 10 which passes through here and then goes to the
Super Bagnères station before going back down to Bagnères de Luchon. Super Bagnères was created in 1911. The enthusiasm of the English was such that a
rack railway was built the following year to reach the plateau at an
altitude of 1,800 meters from Luchon. The Grand Hotel was completed in 1922. It remains the
emblematic building of the area. Today, the Pyrenees instructors
end their ski season with a race and a party at the top of the slopes. Bagnères de Luchon has a
very ancient history, since in 76 BC. In 1400 BC, the Romans discovered the
therapeutic virtues of thermal waters. In 25 BC. In 1400
BC, Thiebert had three
swimming pools and thermal baths dug. In the 1900s, Bagnères de Huchot was
very popular with the upper middle class who came to enjoy the thermal waters. You only have to take a little tour
of the city to realize that we have magnificent architecture. Then, we were among the first
to have ski resorts in the Pyrenees, since Super Bagnères
is a very, very old resort. So, we had a
fairly high attendance at a certain time. A fine example is Villa Louisa,
which belonged to the royal family of Monaco. The Pyrenée Palace dates back to 1913. It was designed by the same architect
as the Negresco Hotel in Nice: Édouard Jean-Hermann.
Of dance. On the Casino Square,
the Norman pavilion, which dates from the 1900 Universal Exhibition
, now serves as a playground for bowls players. The casino was built in two stages. The highest part dates back to 1929. Patrice, who is a trekking guide, happily takes his clients to discover a rather unique site on the heights of the village of Eau
. Lac d’Eau is a glacial lake
that was dammed in 1921. Its maximum depth is 67 meters. We are in a region where there is
a lot of water, where water is very important. We have many lakes in the mountains,
we have water that is captured for the hydroelectric power plants in the area. And we have thermal water, indeed,
since we avoid the term in Luchon. Further down the valley, the village of Eau has barely a hundred inhabitants. It is a very old pastoral village. It is located at the descent
of Coles coming from Spain. It was obviously a road
used by the Romans. The
Castet, the 8th century signal tower, could be Roman, or even Celtic. It once watched over the
Eau valley and the Balarbouste valley. The Romanesque church of Saint-Jacques
dates from the 12th century. Its very pure style
gives it an undeniable charm. The mayor of Eau, Jean-Pierre Houstalet,
is the image of his village, full of color. A cattle rancher, a
super-bannered ski instructor and a restaurateur. In the morning, I get up, I come here to
feed them and make lunch. I’m going to change, shower and
go up to the station at Superbanières. I do the day and come back down here and change. There I give them dinner again. The town hall, in winter,
the secretary comes in the evening when there are important things
and we do them on foot in the evening. Well yes, it’s one of the
oldest houses in the village. You can see the date there. I think it’s 17 to 36. Thanks. At the table, we serve péteran, a must-have dish in this valley. Well, what is carap The characteristic
is that we only do this in Luchonnet,
that is to say in the former canton of Luchon, that is to say
in Larbouste and in Luchon. So, it’s lamb
or sheep’s thoughts, with lamb or sheep’s feet. And all of this is made into a stew. At
the other end of the village, Francette is also the guardian of a delicious
traditional recipe : the spit cake. So, for 30, a kilo of butter,
a kilo of sugar, a kilo of flour. And then we add the flavors. First layer of dough. It is a cake shaped
over a live flame. The dough is placed on a special mold
which is moved using a rotisserie. Some larger models require
up to a day of patience. There, I finish dressing. For small babies, 8 to 10 diapers. There you go, very slowly, you have to wait
for the cake to cook before you can put it back in. And when it has browned,
you see, there, it is well browned, we pour a layer of dough over it. You’ll see, it will turn white again. He went back to water color. The real Pyrenees, he will say:
You have to eat it eight days later. Because after eight days,
the ingredients will have cooled, rested and the dough will have bound together. And there you have the finished cupcake. Continuing our journey towards the East,
we arrive in Ariège, in the Ax-les-Terres valley. It is likely that the Romans lived
in the area, although there are no formal traces
apart from a few coins. The town has some of the
hottest springs in the Pyrenees. They come out at 67 degrees. At that time, there was a real
veneration for hot springs. Since then, the thermal activity has
continued successfully. Ski enthusiasts head up to Aix,
three areas, to enjoy the slopes of the Sacré area. On the other side of the estate,
in the shadow of Pic Rébenti, which is at an altitude of 2,400 metres,
the Domaine des Campels offers opportunities for walks
along the edge of the forest. Still in the Aix valley, further south, above the cabins, the Bayes plateau,
at an altitude of 1,800 meters, opens onto a panoramic view of great beauty. Long used as a cattle breeding site
, it is today a Nordic ski resort
where cross-country skiers and biathletes compete in a magnificent setting. In the valley, at the cabins,
Anaïs Batistella breeds Mérins horses,
a breed originating from Haute-Ariège which was once threatened with extinction. These are horses that
were originally found on every farm and were used for a little bit of everything. One day they had to be able
to pull a plow, the next day to carry equipment. They were very
versatile horses, which had to be used for everything, to be ridden, to go and fetch
animals in the mountains. And it is precisely their versatility that
makes them strong today, since they are horses that are
very versatile, very kind and capable of adapting a
little to all situations. It was an endangered species,
it still is an endangered species. It is one of the
endangered horse breeds. But today, we are lucky to have
breeders who have tried to save the breed, to take care of it and to
make it last a little longer. Upon reaching the land of Olmes, we come across several Cathar sites. The village of Montségur served
as a garrison at the time for the castle perched on a peak at an
altitude of 1,200 meters. In the 13th century,
clashes increased between the Cathars and the Church of Rome. They practice a dualistic religion
opposing evil, the material world, and good, which is the world of spirituality. In 1244, after a ten-month siege against
the King’s Army sent by Rome, the Cathars of Montségur surrendered. They are given the choice of either renouncing
their faith or perishing by fire. On March 16, 1244, more than 220
Cathars were burned at the stake. It was only in the 19th century that several
writers brought this martyr out of oblivion. The Pic du Canigou is the big
star of the Pyrénées-Orientales. Its influence radiates over all
the surrounding valleys. All the way, Romeu, we’re in Sardinia. In 639,
the Count of Cerdagne was already mentioned. But the town is best known for its
tourism and health vocation, which began in the early 1900s. The first hotels and sanatoriums
were built in 1924. Ski lifts
appeared in 1937. In the forest that separates the town
from the Hermitage, a path winds through works of art. It is the tallest museum without walls
in Europe. This hermitage, built in the 17th
century, is not open in winter. It notably houses the Virgin
of Font-Romeu, a Romanesque statue dating from the 12th century. Right next door, we discover the
Olympic Preparation Center which was created before the
1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. A city which was at the same altitude
as Font-Romeu, at 1850 meters. Further down in Odello,
the Font-Romeu solar furnace captures the region’s many hours of sunshine
to reach very high temperatures and study
the consequences on different materials. In the neighboring valley,
the Angles resort is comfortably located
at the foot of Lake Matmal. From the top of the resort’s slopes,
you can see the entire Pyrénées-Orientales range,
from Canigou to Cambre d’Az. On the slopes, the mountain restaurants are
original places like this unique picnic room, where you
bring whatever you want to grill. Several fire pits are kept open at
lunchtime to allow people to cook or grill whatever they have to carry.
In the resort, wood is often used to build Nordic-inspired chalets
that you don’t necessarily see west of the Pyrenees. There are not many working farms that produce
cheese in the winter. The Rihalais Farm,
located near the resort, has decided to invite
passing visitors to discover its activity from the inside,
in particular the milking of the cows. So cows produce their
milk, they make their milk in their udder, in this large bell that is
located between their two hind legs. The tours are very popular,
as is the cheese factory. Here we are in the part of the cellar where we present, or rather, refine our cheeses,
which we call special tomes. There, we’re going to have cumin tomes. So, when molding, we mix cumin
inside the curd and press it. Here,
we are going to collect the Espelette pepper tomes directly from the village of Espelette. Here we are on the part of the
oldest cheeses in our cellar that we generally keep for
competitions, for special occasions. Some rather special clients, Michelin-
starred restaurateurs or white toques who will make
special requests of us. So, we can see,
for example, an old cheese. We will really see that the crust is
still clearly different from the others. So aesthetically, it may seem
strange, but taste-wise, these are truly exceptional cheeses. In the valley, between the hills
of Roussillon, Aspre and Conflent, there are many places
of meditation and spirituality. These abbeys or hermitages perpetuate
a tradition of peace, beauty and simplicity in the
silence of the hills, at the foot of Canigou. The cloister of Saint-Michel-de-Coucxa
dates back to 1130. It has been reconstructed with everything
that the excavations have revealed. A remarkable work for
what had been initiated around 878. In 56 the construction
of the great church began, still standing. It is a rare monument due to its age,
the largest pre- Romanesque church preserved in France. Even more impressive is
the Abbey of Saint-Martin du Canigou, perched on its eagle’s nest in Conflan,
which has watched over the Catalans’ tutelary mountain,
the Pic du Canigou, since the 11th century. The finely decorated bell tower,
the marble capitals, the Bastiale and the vaulted crypt make it
a jewel of regional Romanesque art. The abbey is now inhabited by the
Catholic community of the Beatitudes. To find the Sainte-Marie
de Cérabonne abbey, you have to climb to the heart of the Aspres massif. You could not find a better place
for solitude and tranquility. The priory dates from the 11th century. After a long period of neglect
and abandonment, it was restored in the last century. Before continuing our journey
to Haut-Valais-Pire, a stop is essential in Harles-sur-Tec
to discover Florence Loza’s artisanal raw chocolate factory,
a local tradition. This is raw Ecuadorian cocoa
, giving it an intense flavor. It was the Queen of Spain
who brought him back. The first beans. So that’s why here in Catalonia
and in the Basque Country, we say that they were the first to
make chocolate in France. But it’s not for nothing. This is because, in fact,
it was Spain that had cocoa contacts long before France. You know, you didn’t get it. That’s why I
taste all the pucks. They are worked the old-fashioned way. I’m going to give you
a little taste of chocolate. We’ll try this one. Do you like chocolate? I wanted us to go back
to real chocolate. And how to get back there?
It’s with real almonds. Here, all the old vines
are filled with almond trees. And then there is honey,
everything that is honey, since I work without sugar,
I work with agave syrup in the chocolate, but all my fillings
are with honey, or agave syrup, or maple syrup.
So there’s a lot of honey. Then, in terms of fruit,
I make seasonal chocolates. Since I work without sugar,
I wanted to bring in some color. So when I came home from the color,
I brought in some fruit. So I work with figs, pears,
and all that, they come from here. Welcome. On the border with
Spain, Prats-des-Moyaux is a village dominated by Fort Lagarde,
while being surrounded by ramparts, with an old
medieval town paved with pebbles. Since its reintroduction
in the Pyrenees, the bear remains a sensitive subject, especially for breeders who are
experiencing losses in their herds. They live in semi-captivity
in a reserve in Angles. In mid-February,
the village of Prats-des-Moyaux organizes the Bear Festival, a very ancient festival
which represents the rite of passage between wild man and
civilized man with the arrival of fine weather. On the
morning of the big day, the three young men designated
to impersonate the bears gather their hunters who will help them
pursue their prey in the afternoon. They are invited throughout the day to toast
and celebrate the start of the day. At the
end of the morning, the bears and the sister meet at Fort Lagarde,
which was built by Vauban in the 17th century to control the new
border of the Treaty of the Pyrenees. Yes, I was going.
It’s true, it’s beautiful. It’s beautiful. Then begins a long session
of dressing up, and especially of scribbling with black, oil and soot,
to be able to mark the faces of the people who will pursue him. It’s red there. He has a taffouche. Yes.
Yes, that’s it. He has a taffouche. For me, it’s a unique moment in the year,
where being caught by the bear will bring me
luck all year long. It’s part of the traditions
and it’s a joy. I had this bear at home
a few days before. So I’m pretty happy. It’s part of the village festival.
I’m in the place. It is with this spectacular
and colorful celebration that we leave the Pyrenees,
aware that on the occasion of this discovery, valleys and mountains
have only revealed part of their secret to us. An invitation to return is essential
to continue the adventure.

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Vaste chaîne de montagnes qui relie l’océan Atlantique à la Méditerranée, les Pyrénées constituent une frontière naturelle avec l’Espagne. On y parle le basque, l’occitan, le catalan et le patrimoine local reflète toute cette diversité culturelle.

Au XIXe siècle, ces montagnes devinrent une destination à la mode avec des stations thermales à l’architecture spectaculaire qui exhalent, aujourd’hui encore, un charme désuet et qui ont su s’ouvrir à des activités alpines.

Des plages du Pays basque aux profondes vallées des Pyrénées centrales pour finir dans un pays Catalan fier de son identité, notre promenade nous conduit vers des lieux chargés d’histoire, des villages étonnants entourés d’une nature sauvage et aux traditions hautes en couleur.

Réalisé par Eric Bacos
© ANANDA – AMPERSAND