Bastides

From Albi we drove on, generally south and west, for a visit with our new-found camping friends, Jane and Gordon, and a stay with them at their home in Cadeilhan. On the way we passed several bastides--fortified villages--and visited Puycelsi. Dating from Eleanor of Aquitaine, if not before, the English pressed their claims in western France, and for centuries it was a contested country. For a village or town to survive, it had to be fortified. Thus, bastides, the fortified towns that dot the countryside here.

Cordes sur Ciel

Bruniquel

Puycelsi

Walls of Puycelsi

Wall and tower

A main street

The usual half-timbered...

And bricked

Another street

Outside the church

Interior