I have taken countless photographs of Mont Canigou, since this view is from my place in France and the mountain's mood and appearance are ever-changing, ever compelling. This particular mood is from just a few minutes ago. Canigou dominates this part of Roussillon, barely in France and certainly in greater Catalonia (village name signs are in both languages and the culture is deeply Catalan). It's no wonder that Canigou is a sacred mountain for the Catalans - it's inspiring to anyone. It's not the highest peak in the Pyrenees, but its isolated grandeur earns it pride of place. Oh, and the geology's great, too....
« Holiday greetings | Main | The first Sunday Sand of 2011 - a happy conspiracy »
December 27, 2010
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a01053614d678970c0148c716b39c970c
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference A sacred mountain:
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
Verify your Comment
Previewing your Comment
This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.
Your comment could not be posted. Error type:
Your comment has been saved. Comments are moderated and will not appear until approved by the author. Post another comment
As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.
Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.
OUP new
photos
- www.flickr.com
This is a Flickr badge showing public photos and videos from throughthesandglass. Make your own badge here.
It is beautiful. I had to look up more images of Mont Canigou, of course, and it is indeed stunning from quite a few angles.
Sounds like a very interesting place culturally, as well.
Posted by: F | December 30, 2010 at 11:54 PM
Yes, it's a compelling hunk of landscape that changes its appearance dramatically from different viewpoints. And yes, the area is fascinating culturally - it's as much Catalonia as France. Catalan is still spoken and the local French accent is idiosyncratic, to say the least - my aspiration is to be fluently incomprehensible, and judging from the reactions of French folk in other parts of the country, my local learning process has certainly helped me achieve the latter element.
Hannibal crossed the Pyrenees nearby, the Roman road, the Via Domitia, runs through the region, Rpmaonesque architecture abounds, the appalling events of the Albigensian Crusades and the persecution of the Cathars unfolded in the region - and the wine is great....
Posted by: Sandglass | December 31, 2010 at 12:48 PM
Quite unlike other music we've discussed, but rather lovely, is La Royaume Oubliee, a celebration of Cathar culture in your region:
http://www.youtube.com/user/OedipusTyrannus#g/c/A7ACBD913FFEA265
It may seem a bit exotic if viewed in Indonesia.
Posted by: Richard Bready | May 22, 2011 at 11:20 AM